Thank you, bigs.I guess I was never serious about values until now thanks to your support guys.

(sad thing is, I joined for the life thread alone >.<)

Well... I'm completely addicted to life drawing atm... We got 40 minute pose, with breaks... this is my first attempt at watercolours. This is my college's model, Hilary, but I'm starting some poses with my own model tomorrow... (an exhibitionist friend who owed me about 1000 favours.) Oh and it was A1 so apologies for poor quality photo.


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(sorry if I've broken any terrible forum ettiquette....)

Well Rene you are braver than I am - life drawing with watercolour!!

I can't control it when I have all the time in the world - under pressure I think it would probably take over from me, or I would have tried to compensate with too much detail and lost that lovely soft suggestion of a figure - Well done!!

Watercolor life drawing is definetely something that I never had thought, maybe thats cause I have no idea of how using watercolors at all

Well here are some sketches of my brother using the PC
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A friends profile
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And a friend snoozing
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Thankee, 'bigs'. I was totally daunted at the time, but tried to avoid intense colour, laying down a neutral wash and working around that tone.I'm not sure how long the pose was, we had a 1.5 hour class, but Hilary took breaks... I think the watercolour paper helped, it was really nice stuff.


Mr Ofir; I don't have a clue how to use them 'properly' either, but its art (apparently). There's no wrong answer. Just give things a go, see where the paint takes you, and whether you like it.

For over a year, I've been going to my daughter's soccer and basketball practices and amusing myself by drawing the soccer players and soccer moms. I'm starting to be pretty happy with my sketches even though no one ever holds still for more than a few seconds.

[attachmentid=9765][attachmentid=9764]

These sketches are great and the proportions are spot on – bet they were fun to do

Mr Ofir - great sketches - terrific detail - they must have been well behaved models ( or toatally engrossed in their own thing .

Ernest, I love sketches that have obviously been done of folk on the run. I LOve pages of studies - and oh boy years of them!!

I used to be so anoyed at animals and people who just got up & left (didn't they know I was trying to sketch!!!). I never felt that I had gotten "it". Then, a few years ago, I read (not sure which book- sorry) to just move on to the next figure when the first one moves and just ceate a page of 'studies'. I am so thankful for that - made me stop & realise that I was sketching - not painting the Mona Lisa.

Yes, that's exactly it. I still overdo it sometimes, but I'm learning more and more to treat sketches as sketches, and the better I learn this lesson, the better things work out.

I've never tried sketching people from real life I guess I'm afraid they wont be still long enought . But this week I went to the hospital for a rotine check up, and stayed for ever in the waiting room, and I was really disapointed with myself for not having a skecth book with me. I realised people hold still for quiet a long time when they are waiting for the doctor. Next time I sure will not leave my sketch book behind!!!!! another place I think that must be easy to sketch people is at the beach, people just lay there in the sun for hours....of course we have to wait for summer for that In church is allso a good place, but then maybe it's a bit weird going to church with a skech book

Just have one question, when you are skeching a person, and she/he realises it, doesn't she/he want to come over and take a look? what about the other people around, don't they start peeping at your paper to see what you're doing? how do you handle that?, cause I'm rather shy when it comes to let other people see me drawing...I'd rather let them see it when I'm finished

Kaly,

I think that is everyone's biggest fear to begin with. I used to think that everyone obviously would know far more than me and laugh at my feeble attempts.

Well a few years ago I was delivering a present (one of my nudes in pastel - she is in my album actually) to a friend for a Xmas present. Didn't trust a delivery service so I drove the 10 hours (about 1000 km) interstate. I planned for the first time ever to make a sketching trip of the drive - scared silly by the thought though.

As it turned out the first place I stopped was a lovely little coastal town and I sat with my watercolours and back to a tree so no-one could come up behind me. Suddenly I had 4 or 5 people standing trying to peer over my shoulder & I felt very exposed ................But guess what!! They were wonderfully complementary - most people can't draw and think that anyone who sits & sketches is obviously an artist. After that every place I stopped I found the same thing - so many people actually asked if I was sketching to take back & do a big painting.

I think you will find the same - people are tremendously generous in their praise, and very thrilled that they may have met a "real" artist - no matter what you say they think you could be someone famous being modest - funny really .

And I have been sketching out & about now ever since - actually I always keep a sketch book & mechanical pencil in my bag - and haven't met an Art Critic out there yet!

It is very rare that anyone bothers me while I am sketching. I am a very grumpy looking person and I think they are scared to come anywhere near me. Based on your photo I suspect you don't have this "problem".

Ernest, I can't believe you are that scary looking!! Sure doesn't show in your portrait

I'll bet everybody realises your just a great big teddy bear

Thank you Sue, that's so nice, it helps incoraging me to try skeching life people or still life out doors. Your story would be rather dificult to happen to me though , for I live in a small comunity and everyone knows who I am, and they know for sure I'm no artist .....and I hardley ever get the chance to travel , but I think I'll get the corage anyway and try it.


Ernest, you don't look grumpy to me, maybe respectable!! . I am shy but very friendly to everyone. Most people wouldn't say I'm a shy person, for I do talk allot and easely make new friends, only when it comes to art, I'm shy of showing my work untill its finished...I guess I'm just not very sure of myself, and I hate to make a fool out of myself I'l try to get over that..!

Thank you both
Love Kaly

Oh Kaly, my boss must be the most respectable person on earth on a Monday morning. We have seen your work and yes, you are an artist

The view through the glass of my kitchen door this morning...
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Thank you Lance

Erm... the results of two longer poses from my second session with my new model, Daniel. He very still. I'm not putting anything from the first session up because it mainly consisted of getting used to swapping him between best friend and object to be drawn >.<

Am supposed to be focusing on the figure within an environment as opposed to continual white-space.

I particularly like the sitting pose. It's as if you have sculptured him from the paper

Thanks ^^ I've been looking at the divide between painting and sculpture, so that's good to hear. And the barrier between subject and work. (I'd explain more, but its all A. very boring, B. very pretentious and C. possibly only interesting to art/philosophy students.)





You're right, it is difficult to ask people to pose for you, I always worry about being flattering/dismal... Maybe you could start by asking people you're closest to (ones you trust enough to know they'll take you seriously)

And, in dire emergencies, there's a face right in front of you, if you only get a mirror. (Its difficult, but a very good excersise ^^)

OKz
its me drawing me!!!

Ramos
Brazil
thxx

wow thats great! how did you do that? did you look in a mirror while drawing?

That is a good drawing, lobosr! empressrene, I like your "sculpture" drawing very much too. I did a self-portrait before I seriously got into drawing. Guess I should do another soon, and compare

Also, more on the topic: I live on the first floor, and have a balcony that looks out over a grass field with a footpath. Many people walk by, cycle by, sit down, make phone calls, play ball... and they're really good exercises for quick sketching because you don't get the chance to look at them for too long! So if anyone here is looking for a similar spot, try going to a park or something on a sunny day

Today's two pages from soccer practice:
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I love the finished figure Ernest!

Is that a 'Soccer Mom' just feeling tired, or someone on a 'big people's'
soccer team? Whoever she is you captured her well - I feel her tiredness from here!

Thanks! It's a soccer mom. I don't know if you can tell but she's got a magazine on the ground, holding it open with her feet. She'd occasionally turn the pages with that hanging down hand, often looking up like this as she did so. Aside from those small movements, she stayed there, completely immobile, for a very long time -- a perfect model! She did indeed look very tired.

tekenaar
wow thats great! how did you do that? did you look in a mirror while drawing?



HEH
Thxx u all
I put a mirror on my table and the paper on it, so times to times i was flipping the paper to see my image.
hehehe

I finally find a way to draw my dog from life:
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Can't do it while he's awake.

A wooden mask:
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And me:
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Nice self-portrait Ofir !

And that's the only way I can nail my dogs down too - thank goodness they like their bed!

Hi there

I went to the beach this afternoon with my family, so I decided to try skeching some people . Not great but HEY it's my first time...and they moved before I could finish took about 4 or 5 minutes each. What do you think??


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Clara

Keep it up Clara!!!

That is terrific work - you are getting the attitudes of the people down and you did it out in public!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Thank you Sue! I am kind of proud...
I did cheat on the guy behind the umbrella...He coudn't see me so I was more confortable...LOL

Clara

Thanks Sue, I'm glad you like it, for some reason I get better selfportraits from the mirror tha from photos, and yeah, I'm glad my dog likes to sleep!
Its great that you're drawing in public, Clara. The guy behind the umbrella couldn't see you, but the girl and the other guy did in fact see you? I had shyness of drawing in public like you, but when I start doing it I realize no one ever noticed I was drawing them.

Thank you Mr Ofir.
I don't think they noticed I was drawing them. I also had my sunglasses on so they couldn't tell were I was looking But they were to busy minding their own lifes.

A couple of sketches from live objects...the patio chair is with a 'sharpie' type felt tip ink pen and the pipe is graphite(F, 2B, 4B)


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Very nice work on that pipe!

Ceci n'est pas une pipe.





I like.

Indeed.

The image I posted of the pipe is a reduced image from the original that I didn't intend to post. Here is the original size -

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-and thanks for your comments

John

today, while i was waiting for my bus to leave the station i drew the bus that i saw through the window

it took me about 15 minutes to draw it and i used mostly a HB

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when my bus left i ended the drawing so as you may see it's unfinished, but i can't really remember how it looks like because i'm not familiar with vehicles

PS: it's drawn on printer paper which has some text on the other side

I have not added anything to my gallery for a while; art has been taking a backseat to work and family stuff lately. But I have been trying to sketch a bit every day. This is three women at Danielle's soccer game. I'm happy with this because they really only stood still for a minute or less, but I feel like I really captured the moment. The other drawing is Zachary while he played a video game -- it's easily the best likeness I've ever gotten from life.
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That's what I meant Clara, there's no need to be shy while drawing people cause they're too busy minding their own lifes to notice that someone is drawing them.

Nice Magritte references there, good pipe John I also liked your "ceci n'est pas une chaise"

Your bus is pretty good for you not being familiar with vehicles Hellen, also it looks as if was left unfinished on purpose and not cause your bus left.

Here's my sleepy dog again:

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The kids were swimming in a very cold pool this weekend. They did a lot of standing around and with a little prompting I got them to stay in one place for a couple of minutes at a time. They also even did some posing.
I have to say Ernest I am really impressed with the work you have been doing with the quick sketches.


Just added dark pencil to show lines.
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I just noticed...

A lot of you have the figures down to a tee, but fail to place the environment... Maybe that's something to look into.

Mr Ofir- your drawings remind me of Egon Schiele

Ernest, great job on young Zachary !!

Ofir, let sleeping dogs lie ( sorry couldn't resist - heh heh). Your Lucky he sleeps a lot - mine can sniff a pencil or camera a mile away, awake or asleep, and they just up and leave the room!!

Paulette, really good start with the gestural drawings and great proportions on them too.

Sue

Paulette, those look like a lot of fun! I can't tell you why but I've never asked my kids to pose; I shall have to try it. You captured the age really well.

Thank you Sue and Ernest.
I wondered whether or not they looked the age and right proportions.
They were very willing to pose. The staying still part was so-so, but unless they are in front of the computer, they are never still.

Hi, i drew these two compositions from life and I thought of posting them here too. It's oil pastels and crayola CP on watercolor paper.Any suggestions are welcomed. These are my second and third oil pastels work.
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Very nice Elena,

I am the last to comment in any constructive way on either of these mediums.

Any attempts at oils pastels looks like a 2 year old's scrawl ( I am a dusty & just can't get the hang of the oils).

And I have tried CP's but am not much with them either.

I like what you have achieved and I am sure that folk better than me will be able to comment on your technique.

Sue

thanks for feedback, Sue. It's just a joy to use these on colorful subjects. Keep trying, you will have fun with both. Crayons are great too.With oil pastels is different but CP can be used just as graphite pencils only they are not that accurate.Good luck!