The Face

Heather • 8 1/2" x 11" • Graphite on Paper

On Tuesday nights I teach an art class called Theory & Practice.  Each session has two parts, a few weeks of theory and discussion about a particular topic and a few weeks of painting and/or drawing anything the student wants.  Last night, I did this little linear graphite demo of our model Heather.  This session has been a lot of fun - it is a very talented and congenial group.

In two weeks we'll start the next session which will be devoted to the face.

For more info, click here.

New Session Starts January 11th

"Melissa" • 12" x 16" • Colored Pencil, Conté, and White Chalk on Toned Paper

The 3rd session of the Theory and Practice Tuesday classes will begin on January 11th.
This session will focus on aesthetic mark making - starting at the sketch and culminating at the fully-rendered drawing.

Click here for more information and registration links.

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.  

In practice there is."

-Yogi Berra

20 minutes? Try 7!

Twenty minutes is enough time for me to sit down, get my drawing supplies out, and contemplate the lighting on a form while making a couple of thumbnail sketches.  It is generally not the time limit for a completed portrait drawing.  I say generally, because every once in a while it is (see here).

Soon after the Western Family Picnic, I participated in a local cable art program.  "We want to do a 7 minute program and we want you to demo a drawing during the interview."  All of a sudden 20 minutes seemed luxuriously undemanding.  I'm wondering if some people don't realize that this is timelapse. . .

Thankfully, Judy was a great model and the drawing went rather smoothly.  As soon as it began, it was over.  I really wish I could write more about the experience, but that pretty much covers it.  I guess if you're trying to hold your breath, or listening to certain music, 7 minutes can seem like a long time, but for drawing a portrait it's practically a singularity.  Thankfully, I do have 2 photos to prove that it happened.

On set with the two-toned 7-minute pastel drawing.

I gave it to Judy.

The Portrait Drawing - Charcoal

Here's another time-lapse video of a portrait drawing I completed recently. I used vine charcoal and charcoal pencils on a piece of paper toned with watercolors. A clean paint brush and paper towels (Bounty) were used to unify and/or blend the charcoal. Several erasers were also employed, the most useful for this drawing being the eraser pencil - a Faber-Castell Perfection 7056. (How can you go wrong when your tools are perfect? - and not only perfect. . . the 7056th iteration of perfection!!  Keep it up Faber-Castell.)

The music really makes the video. It is from David Tolk again - a very talented musician. "To the Limit" is the song. I hope you enjoy it.