Step Back for the Big Picture

With regards to my artwork, I am typically better known for detailed pieces than for sweeping views. But I have found that sometimes taking a step back and getting the bigger picture is necessary.

Take today for instance. I went to a portrait drawing session offered by a local art group. I chose to set up at the back of the group. One of the other artists expressed concern that I might be too far from the model. But I saw the situation differently.

portrait sketch

charcoal on Mi-Teintes paper

approx. 12" x 10"

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

Being further from the model keeps me from getting tied up in and distracted by the details. The position makes it easier for me to focus on the shapes of highlights and shadows.

When I sit close to the model I tend to label the parts as I draw. My mental chatter focuses on "What shape are the eyes? What are the lips like?" Labelling the features as I work makes it more challenging to ignore the mental symbols of those features and draw what I see.

When I sit further back I can't really see the details of the features. With a little squinting I can focus on the big shapes. And by drawing the big shapes the features sort of magically appear.

Definitely a situation where stepping back and seeing the big picture works better for me than getting up close and focusing on the details.

Our model today was the sister of one of the artists. She was very good both at getting back in to position after a break and at consistently holding the position. Not an easy task with 20 artists staring intently at you!

My sketch was completed in three approximately 20 minute sessions.

Sketching the Past

I tried my hand at more people sketches today. I am not sure why I feel drawn to do this or where I am going with it, but it feels right so I am following my intuition.

This time I used two old family photos as references. The references are about three inches tall and two inches wide. The dimensions that I posted under each sketch show that I am working quite a bit larger than my reference material.

practice sketch 12

approx 7" x 5"

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

I stopped during the second sketch for a work in progress scan. Here you can see that I sketched in the outlines of the head and body before adding the facial features.

practice sketch 13 WIP

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

I still need more practice in order to get a quick and accurate likeness. I am working up to sketching from life. These sketches today required a little longer than I think I can expect in social situations.

practice sketch 13

approx. 7" x 5"

©2012 Stacy L. Rowan

But, the most important thing for now is that I thoroughly enjoyed myself while working on these. I am following my muse to see where she is leading me. So far it has been a fun journey.

I will definitely be finding additional old photos to use as references for this project.

Finding Balance

drawing #8 WIP - tap dance series

graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

This week I went with my family to see the documentary "Being Elmo". It is the story of how Kevin Clash became the puppeteer behind Sesame Street's most beloved monster.

It is an excellent film about a man who followed his passion to become one of the most respected professionals in his field. I highly recommend the movie!

Based on the trailer, I expected the feel-good side of this story. But within this uplifting story there was also a little regret.

Mr. Clash spoke about how the demand for Elmo meant he that he traveled a lot and worked many hours. His passion for his work took him away from home and his daughter. You could see his sadness at missing out on some of the moments in her life.

I really appreciated his honesty on that topic. It was good to see that mastery doesn't come without tough choices. Many times that detail is glossed over in Cinderella-like stories of success.

But the truth is, everyone has to find a balance - the combination of working towards mastery of something they love and living the rest of their life - that works for them. It is often a trial and error process of testing different combinations until you find the balance that feels right.

Mastery is not a gift that some lucky people are just born with. It is the result of action, choices, decision and hard work.

I regularly evaluate the choices I am making to see if they support the balance that is important to me. I check to see if my actions support my priorities of family life, taking care of my health and spending time on my passion (art). If I've gotten off track, then it is time to start making different choices.

My balancing act this week included fitting studio time and some exercise in around our Christmas preparations. I tried a new-to-me approach this past Monday.

Monday was a cool, overcast day and as soon as I crawled out of my warm, cozy bed I was chilly. I have learned from experience that when I sit still at my studio table for a few hours I often get cold. I am too "in the zone" when I am working to notice it happening, but once I stop I realize I am quite chilled! (It doesn't take much to get me cold. My husband claims I only have a 5 degree temperature window in which I am actually comfortable.)

I decided to try and avoid the chill by chopping up my exercise into intervals. I started with about 7 minutes of brisk walking on the treadmill. Then I spent an hour drawing. Followed by another 7 to 8 minutes of walking, an hour of drawing, etc.

At the end of my time I had managed about two and a half hours of drawing and two and a half miles of walking! And after my first interval of walking I wasn't cold the rest of the day! This is a balancing tactic that I will definitely use again.

My drawing time was spent working on the above tap piece. I am really happy with how it is coming together.

More Portrait Practice

I'm starting off today's post with a confession. My confession is that I would much rather be curled up in a soft chair under a warm blanket than sitting here in this uncomfortable desk chair at 8:49 on a Thursday night.

But I made a commitment to myself that I would post on my blog every Thursday. Given that one of the words I would choose to describe myself is dependable, not posting seems like a bad choice.

As a rule I find it easier to keep my external commitments, the ones I make to other people, than I do to keep the ones I make to myself. I’m wondering if that is typical for most people. Do you find it easier keeping your word when you make a promise to someone else, or when you make one to yourself?

For the case of this current challenge, I am telling myself my commitment is to my readers. That helps keep my butt in this hard chair instead of wimping out.

I can feel your sympathy. Really I can.

But enough about me and my struggles…

During my studio time today I finished a new painting. As much as I would love to share it here, I am going to have to wait and keep it under wraps for another month or so.

Instead I am sharing my latest round of portrait practice. I did these sketches over the weekend. I used magazine photos for my references.

 

practice sketch 10

graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

 

practice sketch 11

graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

 

Now a summary of what I learned from this round…

• I think I am going to need to stick to a sketching style that combines line with value. When I try to draw without values I can’t get over the feeling that something is missing.
• The smaller sketches were easier because there were fewer details in the features. This made it simpler for me to concentrate on the shapes of the shadows without getting hung up in all the different parts of the eye, for example.
• Practice builds confidence. Even with as few as four sketches, I could feel a difference between the first and the last. By the last sketch my speed had improved marginally and I was more pleased with the quality of the result.
• I am enjoying this portrait practice much more than I expected. I hope you are enjoying it too, as I plan to keep sharing my progress.

Okay, now I'm off to find that comfy seat and warm blanket. See you next week!

Learning to Sketch Portraits - Part II

Today I listened to the Artists Helping Artists interview with Carol and David Marine. In one portion of the interview Carol was speaking about branching out into painting silly faces and how important it is for her to keep experimenting and trying new things in order to keep fresh and enthused about her art.

It was inspiring to hear her thoughts. They felt like support being sent in my direction to encourage this section of my latest journey. If you haven't listened to the interview yet, I highly recommend it!

So in Part I of this post I spoke about my desire to sketch more of my life moments and, how in the past, I have been stopped by my discomfort in sketching people.

My solution for this discomfort was to jump from the frying pan into the fire. A simultaneously exciting and frightening jump!

After trying my hand at sketching from other artists' sketches - both more linear sketches and value based sketches - I decided the next logical step was to try a sketch from a photo. You could say I was being thorough, or you could say I was avoiding the scary prospect of sketching from life. I think both statements are true!

My intention was to create a linear sketch because I am wanting a quicker sketching style. I also tried not to be concerned with likeness - as the saying goes that was easier said than done.

I chose to work from a rather small image thinking that a smaller image would have less detail. Detail often entices me to get fiddly, which I was trying to avoid. In hindsight I think working from a larger reference would have been easier.

Below is my sketch from a photo of my hubby. Handsome guy isn't he?

practice sketch 6

graphite on newsprint

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Reviewing the sketch above I can see I was more hesitant in this sketch than the sketches I posted in Part I. I'm not sure if I was intimidated by the challenge of capturing his likeness, if I was hampered by the size of my reference or if I was reacting to having to edit the detail I saw in the reference. (In the sketches I copied, obviously the artist who did the initial sketch had already been through the editing process and the subjects of the sketches were strangers to me.)

I can also see the style sliding toward more precise line work instead of using expressive lines. I am very interested as I continue this experiment to see where my natural style falls on the continuum from detailed and precise to loose and expressive. I secretly hope I can move along the spectrum towards the expressive, loose end. Time will tell if that is actually possible.

All of the sketches posted in Part I and the sketch above were completed in one afternoon. Feeling encouraged by my results I decided to finally take the brave step to sketch from life.

Several days later I was visiting my kids at school. I always carry a pocket Moleskine and pencil in my purse. Making use of these tools I made several quick sketches of my girls during the times when they were reading or working quietly at their desk. I limited my sketching to the times they were doing desk work because I didn't want to draw the teacher's attention and get sent to the Principal's office. That wouldn't have set a very good example!

The main challenge I experienced during this "sketching from life" session was that my models were not at all still! Honestly they moved every two seconds and rarely returned to the same position. They even knew I was sketching them (I had asked their permission first) and they still weren't still. Below are the results of sketching these moving targets.

practice sketch 7

graphite in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

© 2011 Stacy L. Rowan

practice sketch 8

graphite in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

practice sketch 9

graphite in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan





Practice sketch 9 is my favorite because the lack of facial features made for stress-free sketching! I was pleased that in all three sketches I stuck with line and did not resort to value. I was also happy that I remembered to leave some breaks in the line work. I did not have as many "suggested" areas as in the copied sketches but, because of the constant movement, I wasn't able to get to finicky.

The middle sketch was the most challenging because of the angle and because of the size of the sketch with respect to the page. Apparently I wasn't quite up for the challenge because the sketch makes my daughter look much older than she actually is!

For those of you who know my kids, sketches 7 and 9 are of the same child and sketch 8 is the other one. I'll leave it up to you to determine who is who.

In summary, I learned a lot from these two sketching session. In some ways sketching from life was easier than sketching from a photo. The built in time constraint made it almost impossible to get hung up on details and forced me to make quick decisions and live with the lines I put down.

I need a lot more practice to build fluency of line and expressiveness. I think that will come as I get more comfortable. Practice will hopefully also make it easier to capture a likeness.

I am excited for my next practice session. I already have a few magazine photos set aside and several personal photos in mind. I am also trying to identify times or activities which require my family members to sit still so I can make use of those times as live sketching sessions. Wish me luck as I think I live in a house of Energizer bunnies!

Learning to Sketch Portraits - Part I

For many years I have drooled over the sketchbook journals I see in other artists' blogs. I dream of someday documenting my life in such a journal, complete with fabulous drawings and witty and insightful writings. I will record all of the little magical details that make my life what it is. When my children are grown we will spend quality time reading the journals, reminiscing and sharing our memories with their children. Can you hear the swell of the violins playing in the background?

Then I wake up and know that it was just a dream, much like the dreams I have of living in the exquisitely decorated and perfectly clean designer homes they show on HGTV. Does anyone really live like that? If so, can you send them to my place and ask them to neaten it up a bit?

But even as I put the dream of perfection aside, I know I would still like to do more sketching of my life and family moments than I do. One thing that holds me back is that I am not comfortable sketching people and typically family moments have, well... family in them. And family means people.

The way I see it, the only way to ever become comfortable sketching people is to start practicing.

Sketching from a real, moving person seemed like a daunting place to start. So instead I went to the source of all knowledge -- the Internet!

There are quite a few artists whose sketches of people I admire. Going back to one of the practices of old, I decided to find a couple of their sketches and copy them.  Many art students learn their craft by copying master works in museums.

One of the good things about starting with this method of learning is that the artist who created the original sketch already did the hard work of translating the 3D figure into a 2D drawing. I was particularly interested in studying what kind of lines and shapes are used to quickly portray the facial features.

To get started I picked two artists whose sketches of faces I much admire.

First - Laura Frankstone
Laura publishes her incredible sketches on her blog Laurelines. Her sketches are wonderfully expressive and I love her use of line. Her sketches look like they are passionately constructed without any sign of fear or hesitancy. I knew there was a lot I could learn from her work.

Here are my three practice sketches in the order I completed them.

practice sketch 1

approx. 5" x 4" graphite on newsprint

practice sketch 2

approx. 7" x 6" graphite on newsprint

practice sketch 3

approx. 7" x 5" graphite on newsprint

I tried to get a sense of her mark making, where she drew the edges and where she let the mind's eye fill them in. I tried not to noodle around with my marks and instead tried to make them meaningful and get them down the first time.

If you look close you can see from the shadow of incomplete erasure where I wasn't very successful with that. Laura definitely makes it look easier than it is!

The second portrait sketching master that I chose to learn from is James Gurney.

James Gurney's blog Gurney Journey contains a wealth of information and I firmly believe that every artist should make time to check it out. Interspersed with all of the technical information you will find posts containing wonderful sketches of the people that James crosses paths with.

I chose to work from James's sketches because they are more about value and less about line. I wanted to try and translate those sketches into line work using marks similar to the ones I was experimenting with above. It seemed like a good intermediate challenge.

Here are the two practice sketches from this round.

practice sketch 4

approx. 4" x 5" graphite on newsprint

practice sketch 5

approx. 10" x 7" graphite on newsprint

It was definitely challenging to remember to think about and work with lines instead of value. Value is my comfort zone. Also on the first sketch I found myself getting fidgety and erasing and restating lines. I tried to break away from that in the second sketch by standing up and working larger, both of which I enjoyed. 

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Coming up in Part II -- The challenges mount: Working from a photograph and from life!

Upcoming Local Exhibit and Work in Process Update

drawing #8 WIP - tap dance series

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

I have some good news to share! There is going to be another opportunity this year to view my artwork in my local community of Bethlehem, PA.

I know quite a few people lamented the fact that they were not able to attend my Open Studio in September. If you were one of those people, please read on. (Even if you weren't, please read on anyway. There are other details that might interest you.)

On Sunday November 6th I am thrilled to be exhibiting my artwork at the Tap Ties' Day of Dance and Friendship!

The wonderful Tap Ties ladies are hosting a fun filled afternoon of tap master classes followed by an informal performance and reception. The classes are open to intermediate and advanced tap dancers ages 12 and over. The reception and performance is open both to dancers and non-dancers. See their website for more information.

The Tap Ties directors have graciously invited me to exhibit my artwork during the event. My art will be on display outside of the dance room during all the classes and the reception. I will be showing a variety of pieces including (but not limited to) drawings and related products from my tap dance series. It is the perfect time to start holiday shopping for the tap dance lover or art lover in your life!
Click here for directions and a map.

The details...
Tap Ties Day of Dance and Friendship
Sunday, November 6, 2011
2pm - 6:30pm
Moravian College Dance Studio
Johnston Hall, Elizabeth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA

About the art...
The image above is a work in progress shot for what will become the next drawing in my tap dance series. I absolutely love my reference photo - another one snapped at a Tap Ties choreography session. I chose to use graphite for this image because of the subtle tones in the background and floor. Since I am using graphite, this drawing is moving a bit slower than my last two charcoal pieces did, but I think it is going to be worth it in the end.

And for the sake of complete disclosure, I will say that shortly after snapping this photo, I saw some things that I wanted to change so I spent a little quality time with an eraser. That certainly didn't speed up my progress any, but I'm happy with the changes which is all that really matters.

In the Studio - May 25, 2011

Since yesterday was National Tap Dance Day, I thought I would post another update of the tap drawing I am working on.

drawing #8 WIP2 - Tap Dance Series

approx 8.25" x 11.5" graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

National Tap Dance Day is a celebration of  tap dancing as an American art form. May 25th was chosen for this day of celebration because it is the anniversary of tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's birthday.

The image above shows approximately 4 to 4 1/2 hours of additional work since the image posted on May 19th. People often ask me how long a drawing takes, so I thought these two shots would give an indictation of my pace for graphite work.

I worked on this drawing some more today and spent about 3 hours darkening the pant leg on the right hand side of the drawing. (I'm not sure the values above are exactly right. I didn't adjust my scan until after I had already put in the additional work so I was relying on memory!) I'm hoping that the right hand pant leg is now finally dark enough.

In the Studio - May 18, 2011

This is what I worked on in the studio today.

drawing #8 WIP - Tap Dance Series

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Actually this was today's starting point. After taking this scan, I put in about 3 hours working mostly on darkening the pant leg on the left and toning down some of the highlights on the right pant leg.

It has been a while since I did a graphite drawing. Graphite work takes me to an interesting place. On one hand adding the layers of graphite to build up the values is an almost meditative practice. On the other hand I sometimes get frustrated because building the darker values is such a slow process. So I flip back and forth between feeling very peaceful and zen-like, and feeling impatient and anxious to make progress.

Knowing this I normally start with the darkest areas because once I have them in the rest of the drawing goes pretty quickly.

Jumping Off Point - Tap Dance Series Charcoal Drawing

"Jumping Off Point"

18" x 24" charcoal on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Available

This is my newest charcoal drawing. I finished it earlier this month and then had to wait for a bright day to snap a photograph of it. (And I might try again since I'm not 100% happy with this shot.)

I had so much fun working on this drawing. As with the rest of the series, my "jumping off point" for this drawing was the motion. I love how everything is moving in the drawing except that front foot, and I love the contrast between the sharp detail of that foot and the softer lines and edges in the legs.

This drawing is bigger than my other charcoal pieces in the series. I wanted to create a sense of space for all of this motion to take place in without feeling cramped. I also worked to create a feeling of distance between the front foot and the back foot. It is a big movement and I wanted to convey that to the viewer.

My model for this drawing is my friend and tap teacher Rochelle Haynes. I met her when I began taking the Tap Ties advanced tap class and I was blown away by her talent. She has a style of dance that is very intricate and that squeezes so many sounds into a single eight count. But somehow her dancing never looks hurried and she manages such clarity in each of the sounds. She makes it look and sound easy, but I can tell you from experience that it is not!

In addition to choreographing some wonderfully complex and intricate pieces she occasionally also pulls out some mad tricks to challenge the class. The reference for this drawing is a shot of her landing after one of those special moves. It might have been some kind of wing, but I was watching through the camera lens so I'm not really sure.

Rochelle was an awesome muse and I have many references from our photo shoot. I am sure you will be seeing the product of some of those references again in this series.

Thank you Rochelle! When I grow up I would be thrilled to be half as good at tap as you.

Concert Sketching

I have been busy working in the studio but am not ready to share my progress there just yet, so I thought I would post a couple of quick sketches I did this evening.

My husband and I attended our kids' band concert. I often listen to music in the studio so I decided to try a few sketches while we enjoyed their performance. I haven't been sketching much at all this year, and after my daily habit the first half of last year, I am finding I really miss it.

sketch of band conductor

graphite in Moleskine pocket cahier sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

I chose the conductor for my first sketch which, of course, was a challenge since she was constantly moving. You think I would have realized that before I started, don't you?

For the second sketch I decided to take it easy on myself. I chose an audience member thinking a spectator would be more still than any of the band members. And I did feel more confident with the second sketch.

sketch of audience member

graphite in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

It was nice to be sketching again. I would love to find a system for fitting in more sketching without taking time away from my studio work. Anyone out there have any suggestions?

Spreading Sunshine - Tap Dance Series Watercolor

"Spreading Sunshine"

24" x 18" watercolor on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Available

Finally I am sharing with you my first watercolor in my tap dance series! I am not sure why it took me so long, but I am glad I am doing it now.

My model for this painting was the creative and talented Germaine Salsberg. She was in town creating choreography for the Tap Ties company and agreed to allow me to come to several rehearsals and take pictures. I tried to act very suave and professional but truthfully I was a little star struck.

The first rehearsal I attended Ms. Salsberg was wearing these wonderful yellow shoes. I loved them and knew immediately that I had to paint them! What could possibly be more fun than tap dancing in yellow shoes? Well, maybe painting a tap dancer in yellow shoes, but not a whole lot else.

When it came to naming the piece, I wanted to reference the shoes because they were my inspiration. Since I view tap dancing as a dance of joy, "Spreading Sunshine" just seemed to fit.

This is the largest piece in my tap dance series and for now the only watercolor. (Although I have more planned!) It is currently on display at the William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor, NJ. I hope you like it.

Tap Drawings at the Daylesford Abbey Show

I thought I would post some of the art I have on display at the Daylesford Abbey Art Show for those of you who either can't make the show, or who want to see what I am displaying before you make up your mind.

I decided to start by sharing the three drawings from my tap dance series which are in the show.

"Dancing Feet"

8" x 10" graphite on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

This is the first time I am showing "Dancing Feet" on the blog. The drawing was created from one of my reference photos of the lovely and very talented Germaine Salsberg. I did this drawing as a preliminary piece to a much larger watercolor (which I promise to share here soon).

"Icebreaker"

14" x 18" graphite on paper

©2009 Stacy L. Rowan

My "models" for the other two drawings are both Tap Ties company members - Melody Kline (above) and Amy Smith (below). The Tap Ties ladies have been wonderfully supportive of this series of drawings and paintings and have allowed me to photograph a number of their rehearsals, for which I am forever grateful.

"Keep on Your Toes"

18" x 14" charcoal on paper

©2009 Stacy L. Rowan

Straight Talk - Tap Dance Series Charcoal Drawing

Straight Talk

18" x 14" charcoal on paper

©2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Available through William Ris Gallery

Straight Talk is the second charcoal drawing in my tap dance series. It may look familiar since I showed the start to it here.

Although this drawing shows a simpler step with only one foot in motion, the movement is still what attracted me to the reference.

I love that the foot on the right is a balance of movement and sharper, almost still areas. The best tap dances also have a balance of movement and stillness. A perfectly placed pause gives the steps a chance to breathe and will feel as loud as a stamp when it follows an intricate series of steps. A little well placed silence will help a piece shine much like the way the sharp highlight of the toe tap provides contrast to the movement of the dark shoe in this drawing.

I completed the drawing last year. It is currently being shown at the William Ris Gallery in Stone Harbor, NJ along with several other works in this series. Please contact them through the link above or the one in the right column if you are interested in purchasing this piece.

Days 109 and 110

My thoughtful hubby brought home a gold brush pen that someone was getting rid of at work. I decided to give it a try for my daily sketch. This gold foil wrapped bunny seemed like the perfect sketch subject given the medium.

sketch of foil wrapped bunny

gold brush pen in cahier pocket sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy Rowan

I wish I had stopped with the outline sketch because the pen wasn't good for hatching or filling in. I switched to colored pencil to finish the sketch off. That didn't go much better.

The next day went a little better. I went to my painting group and saw this sweet cherub in the yard. I did a quick sketch before I headed home at the end of the day.

sketch of stone cherub

sepia ink in cahier pocket sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy Rowan

Day 85 - Thumb

Another piece of the self-portrait puzzle.

hand sketch

graphite in cahier pocket sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Day 81

Another day where I was at a loss for what to sketch. I decided to sketch my lips to go along with my earlier eye sketch. Maybe by the end of the year I'll have sketched each part of my face. Then if I print them, cut them out and piece them together it will be like I did a self-portrait. Now there's a (kind of creepy) plan.

sketch of lips

graphite in cahier pocket sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Days 70 and 71

On Day 64 I commented on Facebook that I was stuck for what to sketch. Rose was the first to speak up with the suggestion to sketch my eye. So that's what I did.

However, I was smart enough to realize that I might have another day or two of being stuck for a sketching subject. Since I received more than one suggestion, I kept a list of the other ideas to use on another uninspired day. One of those ideas was to sketch my running shoe, so less than a week later I did just that.

sneaker sketch

graphite in cahier sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

While working on my last charcoal, I needed clarification with the lighting. My husband had the good idea to use one of my girls' dolls as a model. While the doll was set up I made her multi-task and used her as a subject for my Day 71 sketch as well.

doll sketch

graphite in cahier sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

The doll made a good model because she stayed very still and didn't take any breaks, but the sketch makes her look a little creepy. I'm not quite sure why. I also had some difficulty adjusting the image. I think the original sketch looks better than the image here.

Days 63 and 64

I could put an eye out with that heel!

Well, not really, but I was trying to find some connection between this sketch of my favorite boot...

sketch of high heeled boot

sepia pen in cahier pocket sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

and this one of my eye.

sketch of my eye

pencil in cahier pocket sketch book

copyright 2010 Stacy L. Rowan

Tap Dancer Drawing - Keep on Your Toes

I am currently working on two new tap dancing pieces - a charcoal which I showed the start of here and a new watercolor. I am nearly finished the charcaol and am getting excited to share it. While thinking about that, I realized that I never posted my last drawing. Today seemed like a good day to remedy that oversight.

Keep on Your Toes

14"x18" charcoal on paper

copyright 2009 Stacy L. Rowan

available at the William Ris Gallery

This is my fifth drawing in my tap dancing series and the first one that I did in charcoal. (If you've missed the other drawings in the series, click the link above or type "tap" in the Blogger search bar on the upper left and the search results will show you all the tap related posts.)

Again my model for my reference photo was one of the lovely ladies of the Tap Ties company. In fact with this drawing I reached the milestone of having drawn all four pairs of feet. Surprisingly, they knew whose feet were in each drawing without me telling them!

While dancing, the tap dancer needs to keep on her toes - figuratively speaking. It is like participating in a fast moving discussion. She has to be ready for quick movements and sudden weight changes. Hesitation will be heard. Achieving a crisp sound requires everyone in the group to be perfectly synchronized. The dancer needs to know if the step requires her to keep her weight on her toes, like the cramp roll shown here, to keep the weight on her heels, say for toe taps, or to keep her weight right in the middle. Concentration, agility and grace are required to make the performance look effortless.

If you are interested, this drawing is being offered for sale through the William Ris Gallery of Stone Harbor. In fact I am very pleased to announce that they have recently added images of my tap drawings to their website.