The more I draw, the better all of my art tends to get. Spend too much time painting and neglect the drawing and I can see the quality wane. So, more drawing! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Cat, ink on paper
Instructing at a drawing workshop this week.
I get this question a lot, “what is the best way to improve my drawing?” There is only one answer– “Draw.” Most of what you draw in the beginning is not very memorable, take these first drawings and put them away for a year. Keep drawing, then compare your new drawings to the old ones, there will be a remarkable difference. A great teacher told me “we all have 1,000 bad drawings in us, once you draw the 1000th, they are gone for good” The rest of the advice:
push and pull
lighter lights, darker darks
draw, draw, and then draw some more
Lastly, spend some time on your drawing, it will show in the end. Over a couple of days, about 2.5 hours on this drawing. It sounds like a lot, but the time goes so quickly you may not notice!
“Bubble” Pencil on charcoal paper, 11×14″
Back to basics- figure drawing with charcoal. One piece of paper, one stick of charcoal, one eraser, a cloth. I had a discussion with a fellow artist, he said good drawing was not necessary for good painting. I am on the other side– work on drawing, make better paintings. Draw, draw, draw. Thanks for following all the way to week 100- whew! 18 x 24- “Athena”
She really does. My goal was to paint a simple scene and this girl is messing with my chi! I will keep on working this one…as I have time and patience. 
Recently sold: Horse Dream–many, many thanks, Grazie mille!! to this awesome collector!!!
Working on a few possibilities in oil using only Black, White, and Gamblin Torrit Grey. I am carving the horses out of the darkness. Those lumps on the beach may turn into dogs… or maybe a lobster, I haven’t decided.
Summer is coming! I love how the color of the ocean is changing in the brighter light of Spring- more blue, less grey. Completed this painting this week on a gesso board in a wood cradle- very stiff to paint on, but very smooth and glossy finish. Hey Betty! 8 x 10″ acrylic on board on cradled wood support.
Sold this week to an awesome collector- thank you! 
My Dad asked me this week, “How do you paint this (a seascape)? Do you draw it first? Do you work from top to bottom? One of the best teachers I had told us to work out all the details in a small drawing. Then work on a large drawing. Then start all over and by the time you paint so many of the details are illuminated that it just flows into a painting. And the seascape, that’s top to bottom, back to front. Surfer, 10 x 20” Acrylic on Canvas.
More figure work in black, white and grey. Warmed up grey for the skin tones and cool greys for everything else. Gamblin oils on bristol, 11 x 14″
Once at a museum, I watched visitors looking at an abstract painting. They turned their heads left right, then tried to look at the painting upside down. Abstract art is like that- I know there was a huge debate after Morris Louis died, in displaying his work, which side was the top. The below painting seems obvious, but I rotated the image and you know what? I like it in any direction! “Mary Jane” 11 x 14, Oil on heavy paper.
I had a great teacher, Maria, who told us sometimes when things aren’t working out, turn the painting to the wall and do something else. Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do. I parked this one for over a year:
There was something about it, muddy, blah, not very interesting,
A few days ago I tried a few things- brightened the sky, warmed up the grey in the skintones, added detail and highlights and a little work on the background, and got this:
Much happier with this one! I used Gamblin Torrit Grey, Chromatic black and titanium white. Oil on canvas, 16 x 20″.
This painting was sold last week- to a collector near Osaka Japan! Arigato Gozimasu!
HAWK ART 
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