Improving Drawing and Finishing

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″

Been at it all week…

So a long hiatus, but I have a good excuse..err.. reason. I started to teach a couple of classes and there is nothing like that to give your skill set a workout! Since they are drawing and painting, I will post a couple of each. Here is a starter, thanks and welcome to the new followers and thanks again to my old friends 🙂

 

back to the easel

After teaching kids how to draw and paint this summer, I am back in the studio. I demo’d how to draw Spidey about 100 times! I got them started by teaching them how to draw everything from “Hockey” (she meant Hawkeye),  Rapunzel, and my favorite, the Flying Uni-Panda (this is a thing now) . I learned Snoopy had a girlfriend (!!) named Fifi and  drew her a few times. As they head back to school this week, my young artists have learned a lot and even got to use “REAL artist” materials. Here are my two finished paintings from my first week back at “my real job”.

Morning of the Third Day, oil, 10 x 20″

Webcrawler, acrylic,  12x 24″

Weekly Painting Week 100- the simple things

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”

Weekly painting week 98 Mandarin

Ah, you thought it was a painting of the Mandarin, but it’s not. Spring is here and with the slew of comic events, I will be inspired to paint more figure/comic stuff. For now, here are some oranges. Eat one! they are a great source of antioxidants! Oil on canvas, 9 x 13″

Weekly Painting Week 97 What style do you paint?

Got busy and finished three this week, so the pressure is on for next week! Very different works. I am usually stuck when I am asked what style I paint in– I think if an artist has just one, she might consider branching out. So here are three. 

“Etch” 24 x 36″, acrylic, alcohol and water on canvas

“Rise” 30 x 30, oil on canvas

“No fate but what we make” 18 x 24″ oil on canvas

Weekly Painting Week 64 Finger Painting- with Charcoal

Charcoal is a great medium as it is as fluid as paint, so a smear here and there adds a lot to a line drawing. This is a drawing I did on toned paper– after  some drawings from the original concept art for Bambi. 11 x 14, charcoal, conte and chalk on tan toned drawing paper.