I Can See Clearer Now

 I’m not quite to declaring that I can see clearly now, but I do think I can see clearer now.  Working through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was a good thing to do. Even better has been deciding on a monthly project and doing around 60 minutes of work each day.  On most days, I watch or read something to help with learning for about 1/2 the time and draw the other 1/2. 

Today, as part of my daily project, I decided to draw the major and minor planes of the nose from a picture drawn by the Sktchy instructor where I am learning about the Loomis method. 

Look at all of these fussy little shapes, angles, and so on.  I was be-bopping along with drawing these when it suddenly occurred to me that I was seeing things in a different way, which meant I was able to draw both of these with very little rework to get all of the pieces to fit together.  

After that, I took a bit of a break and returned to do my monthly project.  I have pledged to do a self-portrait sometime in the first week of each new month in 2021 and maybe beyond.  

I procrastinated on starting it (could the mirror be in a better place, should I adjust the easel, do I need better light).  I also fussed over it.  My goal was to try to take what I’ve learned so far about the Loomis method and to try and draw a self portrait.  

While there’s only a very vague resemblance to me, I am not bothered by that. Instead, overall, I’m pleased with the proportions and very happy about some individual pieces like the nose.  It’s really a nose.  

I could not have done anything close to this prior to using monthly projects as a way to focus and learn in December.

It's A Silly Little Pepper Drawing

My posting to this blog has been erratic and will likely continue that way.  I just started a new job and February's project is not one where I will be showing a lot here.  

February's project is to work on portraits.  Drawing people's portrait (self or otherwise) from life or pictures is challenging.  So many parts in relationship to each other coming together to represent a whole.  Egads!  Please note that I said whole, not likeness or resemblance.

Prior to the start of the month, I assembled a number of resources and I also signed up for 2 Sktchy Art School classes.  The one I'm current working through is this one.  I really like the instructor and I think the Loomis method will help me figure out how heads work better.  The other class I signed up for is this one about anatomy.

Someone suggested getting a bust to help with practicing, so I also got one of those.  On Etsy, I was very tempted to get one of Michelangelo's David.  A small bust isn't that expensive.  While I really liked the overall elegance of David and the turn of his neck and face, I've been having trouble with my glasses and the shadows from them when I've practiced self portraits, so I got one of Ruth Bader Ginsberg instead.  For a small additional fee, this one came with removable glasses.   Tee hee.

Yesterday, I did about 1/2 my project work in the morning and about 1/2 in the evening.  After I was done, I really wanted to do some non-project drawing, but I was also tired and getting ready to head up to bed early, so I just did fairly quick and simple pepper sketch, which I didn't finish.

I started it with the inside edge where the pepper folds over and meets the outer most part of the flatter part of the stem area.  I have never started on the inside because, quite frankly, the inside has never made much sense to me because I haven't been able to really see it.  Working through Drawing Through the Right Side of the Brain gave me some better skills and tools. I really felt like I could see how the edge of one part related to the next and how the sides of the pepper emerged when these edges started to spill over the side.  It was one of those magical experiences where it all worked and my weary left side of the brain, which is dealing with all the shiny newness of a new job, got a little bit of a break.  

Should Not Have Been A Surprise

I think my partially knit, brioche hat either makes him look like a king, a bishop, or a pharaoh and it works much better cropped. 

Than, not cropped. 

Although I thought the proportions in the picture were off when it came to the front legs and paws and how the back of the body cut off, I decided to try and draw it as is.  That was not the best decision.  

It was an especially silly mistake to make since I freaked out earlier this week when I wanted a straight on picture of myself to compare with a self portrait that I drew.  I tried taking a selfie and was appalled at how my face looked.  The first thing I notice was that the ears on the side of my head looked really small and the rest of my face just looked weird.  I had Daniel take a picture and my face looked normal.  After that I did a little research and found this.  

I must be the last person in the world to take a selfie and to become aware of this phenomenon.  It's not just selfies, of course.  Chandler was on my lap, so this was a really close up picture as well. 

Last, but not least, I am having a blast with the Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayons. 

So There

 I'm not going to say that it's good.  The ear is positioned incorrectly (too high).  The eyes are wrong, out of alignment, and even disturbing.  The glasses aren't the right shape and the shadow from the glasses does not work.  The nose is too long.  It also lacks much resemblance.  I could go on and on.  Let's just say that there is a lot which is off.  Perhaps this shouldn't be the first thing I draw after completing the drawing portion of Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain and working on getting skills to improve accuracy.  Too bad, because in another way this is a perfect drawing.

Portrait - 8" x 10"

I just went for it.  It's what I wanted to do and I did it.  So many times, I put myself in this little box where there are all of these rules which just get in the way.  I am trying to dispose of that little box.  I've wanted to try this ever since I watched this video which Roz found and shared shared with her students, since several of us are working on self portraits.  

I did an initial drawing and filled in the first layer of highlights. I lost this shape as a I kept working. 

My original drawing wasn't that accurate.  I was working upstairs and the lighting wasn't that good when I started.  I had trouble seeing the underlying sketch and it got worse, although I'm not going to complain about a sunny day in January.  It was too hard to move every thing and, by that point, I was beyond worrying about accuracy.  I just wanted to play and be a little audacious.  

Yup, the internal critic showed up and I didn't tell him to bug off.  I should have.  I really, really should have.  Instead at some point, I forgot he was there since I was so into coloring.  I know this makes me sound like the people in the little white jackets might need to stop by for a visit, but if you have ever really listened to the voice in your head you know what I mean.  I also know that this is where the box and the stupid rules come from and I'm trying to banish those too.  

I want to continue to improve my accuracy, but I also want this type of freedom.  It took me awhile to figure out that when I look at other people's artwork, I almost always see freedom in what they are doing (although they may not see it that way) and what I was really seeing was what I want for myself.  

I used Caran d'Ache Neocolor II crayons and it's the first time I've used them.  It won't be the last time. They are really fun and you can really layer with them.  When I first added all of the yellow, I thought "Ugh", but you don't see any of the harsh yellow at the end. 

Here's the last full drawing from when I was working through the book.  It has a much better resemblance, but also has a few issues.  I had my hair pulled back tightly, since it's really starting to bug me.  I haven't had a hair cut since June or July.  At some point when life gets safer, I am going back to short hair. 

I really like my glasses, but they are hard to include while also trying to get accurate eyes.  They also cast shadows which are a pain to deal with.  I might try to do some self-portraits without them, since I mostly need them to read.  

Textures

It snowed last night.  I headed out with my good camera around 7:30 am and drove around taking pictures.  All and all, it was a good experience, except when I was at the park 2 1/2 blocks from my house taking several pictures of the plows clearing off the ice skating rink.  Even though I was only there for about 5 minutes, someone from the parks, not the park police, drove by, got out of her truck and demanded to know who I was and what I was doing.  Sheesh!

Here's my favorite shot of that, by the way.

I look pictures out in front of the house, in the alley, along the path at Nokomis Avenue where it crosses over the creek, and at Minnehaha Park.  There were a lot of ducks in the creek at Nokomis Avenue.  I took about 150 photos.  Yeah, digital!  I'm both trying to think about composition at times and also just shooting what captures my eye in the moment and figuring out later if it's a decent composition.

Today, the most magical thing was the falls in Minnehaha Park.  I haven't been down there this winter and it literally took my breath away when I first looked.  While I did take pictures of the falls and surrounding area, the photos I liked best were the ones where I zoomed in and took pictures of some of the textures.

I didn't crop any of these. 

I could just lose myself in these textures.  Why would anyone want to live where you don't get a real winter?

Some Ears and A Cat

As I work through the book, Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain, in January, the exercises are focusing on portraits.  Even though I’ve been using the skills in this book, it is still hard to see and draw what you see, rather than being impacted by the symbols in your head.  Ears have been a stumbling block.  It’s not just seeing the shapes.  There are also a lot of details so there are decisions about what is needed what is not.  

Since I have been struggling with the basic shapes of and within the ear, today, I sat down, looked at some profile pictures or Sktchy where I could zoom in on the ears, and practiced drawing.  For some of them, I did the upside down trick.  Looking at those ones on the top makes my head do a loop-de-loop.  For others, I went right side up.  These are way more detailed than what would go into a portrait, but I figure if I understand them better, hopefully, I can make better decisions.  Here's the part of the page where I was working on the whole ear.

I still haven’t figured out how to balance drawing and painting.  It's hard to find time to do both in one day.  Since my January project is about drawing, I am trying to paint when I have some extra time.  Rather than rushing, I am working to slow down, which also means working on thumbnails. 

It’s weird how sometimes things just work.  This one was short, easy, and quick.  I wasn't fussy and did worry about the making a good drawing.  It reads better than many of my paintings.

I worked on this painting over the last few days.  It’s a little fussy.  I should have stopped sooner.  I like composition and I think the values work.  Having the thumbnail helped with that. Although, there is a spot on the right under the eye which should be darker. 

#371 - A Little Orange Sunshine - 8" x 8" - paper

It felt good to paint a cat.  It’s been a long time. 

Something Changed

When I drew the corner of the stairwell landing several days ago, something changed.  How things relate to each other started to make more sense and tackling more than one object or subject matter isn't as overwhelming.

Yesterday when it was almost 40 degrees, I did draw the house and apartment building across the street and today, for the official perspective and proportion homework exercise in the book, I tackled a more complete drawing of the stairwell landing.  Since the main point was the stairwell, I didn't bother with what you can see through the glass in the top part of the door.

This took an hour to do.  There was a lot of fussy measure of proportions and angles, but it was all built from the height of the window as the base measurement and figuring out angles with a pencil as a tool.  It took multiple tries to get the side of the stairs going up placed correctly, which means I was not taking the time to truly stop and see them.

The drawing is about 6" x 7".  I am a tad amazed that all of these details fit and got represented in that amount of space. 

I know there are people who are better at processing the whole and shapes within the whole as their more native way of thinking.  I am not one of those people.  Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain is a good book and her methods work.