Tree in snow study

pencil on Strathmore Toned Gray paper

Sketched in Blue Star Memorial Woods in Glenview

broken camera scans

I have 2 large canvases underway, but the real reason it's been so long since my last post is that my camera has been in for repair. In the meantime I was able to use the scanner to grab these two.

figure sketch from EAC class

colored pencils on Strathmore tan paper

copy of Madame François Buloz (1879) by Sargent

oil on Arches oil paper

plein-air tree studies in marker

black and red markers in sketchbook

Plein Air oil paintings

oil on board

These are my first 3 plein air oil painting attempts. I have recently had the opportunity (while the kids are in school) to run up to Skokie Lagoons on a weekday morning. These were all painted there, with the most recent at the top.

Male Seated Figure study from EAC

oil on 8" x 10" canvas board

This painting started badly. I had a large panel ready to go at home for this day and forgot to bring it to class. (My instructor has been urging me to paint larger.) I plowed on anyway and would up being fairly pleased with the result. I left his hand until the very end and ran out of time - he had it in a somewhat strange splayed position.

I did think it odd that he was posed with a shirt on, but no pants. I think Eleanor Spiess-Ferris liked the pattern on his shirt (which I didn't get around to painting).

still lIfe with apples, knife, and shallot

I worked on this still life in Ken Minami's class at Evanston Art Center.

After some procrastinating and tweaking at home, I am at long last calling it done.

oil on canvas

Plant Study

Plant study done at Skokie Lagoons the other day

pencil in Strathmore Toned Tan sketchbook

Giraffe, the Third

watercolor and colored pencil with touches of gouache in Holbein sketchbook

I finally finished the third giraffe in my series.

I got a lot of great photos last February when we visited Brookfield Zoo. They were indoors and very close to us.

This was a great experience in developing technique for rendering animals. I like the process of watercolor underlying colored pencil work.

Here's all 3 as they appear on one sheet:

Summer 2013 Figure Drawing Class pt.2

We got into using color.

colored pencil & pastel on Strathmore pastel paper

Sarah had us doing gesture drawings with ink & brush one night.

This was great, as each mark had to really have meaning, and there could be little fussing about.

2 of my more effective ones:

   

Using ink to strictly fill in the negative space:

pencil gesture:

Ecorche head from cast:

Summer 2013 Figure Drawing Class pt.1

pencil on Strathmore Toned Tan paper

Torso study

pencil on Canson Mi-Teintes paper

Torso study

pencil on Canson Mi-Teintes paper

I just finished Sarah Kaiser's class at EAC for the 2nd time. I learned a lot and came out with some drawings I liked.

Michigan 2013

watercolor (with touches of colored pencil & gouache)

watercolor with touches of gouache

colored pencil

watercolor with touches of colored pencil

colored pencil

fountain pen and ink wash with white pencil highlights

We returned from our summer trip to South Haven, Michigan a week ago.

I was fairly prolific this year, and here are the results.

Brookfield Zoo Tiger

purchase on Artfinder

Brookfield Zoo Tiger

oil on board

Male Figure Painting

Painted in Ken Minami's class at EAC:

oil on panel

Saint Louis Lion

I made a quick sketch of this ornamental grotesque lion's head at the front of the Saint Louis Art Museum, which I visited on Saturday.

graphite and Staedtler colored pencil on Strathmore Toned Tan paper

Oil landscape color sketches

Oil landscape sketches from photographs

One or more of these will be made into finished, larger paintings.

oil on gessoed illustration board

6" x 20"

Yet another giraffe

Another Brookfield Zoo giraffe. A young one this time.

watercolor with touches of colored pencil and gouache

Quick Still Life

A one-night (2 1/2 hour) still life painting in my EAC class.

I touched it up for about another hour more later, at home

oil on gessoed illustration board

Abraham

A third (and final?) Abe

(other Abes: 1 & 2)

This was meant to have white gouache lightening here and there. I am now having trouble deciding whether to do that or just leave it as it is.

Daler Rowney Sepia ink on Canson Mi-Teintes paper

recent figure drawings

 

some recent figure drawings

(last one an underdrawing for a planned oil painting)

(reference images from pixelovely)

(first two) colored pencil on Strathmore Toned Tan paper

(bottom) conté crayon (sanguine) on gessoed illustration board

another giraffe

a Brookfield Zoo giraffe

(a past giraffe)

watercolor with touches of gouache and colored pencil in Moleskine Sketchbook

Plein Air reeds and water

I made the short walk on Saturday to Emily Oaks Nature Center for a plein air painting event: A Brush With Nature. I just showed up and tried my hand at watercolors, the only really portable way I can paint at the moment. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring some white gouache, something I was counting on for certain effects as I was planning this painting. (I took a photo and finished it at home.)

I really loved being out in nature and trying to capture an impression of it. I will do this sort of thing again soon.

watercolor with touches of gouache and colored pencil in Moleskine watercolor sktechbook

Dog portrait

This dog was walking his or her owner in Miami Woods when we were out on a walk.

pencil ("Trois Crayon" Watteau method) on Canson Mi-Tientes

Female figure drawing

Figure reference from here

pencil on Canson Mi-Teintes paper 

iPad experiments

 

These are some of my early experiments with drawing on the iPad using the Sketchbook app. Mostly unfinished pieces. There's an attempted Sargent and a Hals copy in there.
This device is an unproven tool for me. I would prefer a touch sensitive stylus and a larger format iPad.

digital (reference) figure drawing, part 1

Figure drawing from digital reference image sources online (pixelovely), and mobile app (cast drawing)

pencil on paper