Advantages of an Art Educator

As an artist it is very important for me to practice drawing from a live model, to keep my observation skills honed. However, being an art educator, makes it difficult for me to attend the figure labs near me during regular days. So when the school does a one day "Jump Rope for Heart" day, I am overwhelmed with joy! I don't teach a regular class that day, but help monitor the kids as they " jump rope"~ we gather in the gym and I bring along my sketch book to practice my quick & fast gesture drawings!!! 

This year I brought along my water refillable brush and a sketch and wash pencil by "General" , some manilla paper and some loose strathmore paper out of an old sketch book. I was set. 

The trick to making action drawings is in your skill to observe and record with your eye and subconscious mind. Watching consistently makes you see the rhythm of movement being created by the model. In my case, jumping rope. It doesn't matter if the model you are observing moves away while you are drawing. The next jumper who comes across your line of vision may be doing the same movements. Your eyes must linger on the contour of the figure ( model) being observed, every fraction of movement being followed by your pupil is like drawing with your eyes. Don't think about the pencil in your hand. The hand moves automatically with the eyes, following the contour and gesture. Very quick, scratches, dashes, dots and squiggles. Now move on to the next drawing. Each drawing taking only seconds to draw. A most exhilarating feeling! Try it, as an art educator, you have no shortage of models, for the rest of you, go visit the local playground, watch a sport on TV, go to the zoo. 

Now I am thinking of using white pastels to do some highlights on the Manila paper - later, I want to share these right now! 

Joan's Place

Once in a while it so happens you walk into a place and WHAM! You are hit by this huge haven of compositional delight! Everywhere you turn there is a fascinating composition calling out to you, to be laid out on paper or canvas, to be inked and colored ~ and nothing gets in the way. The ink, lead or color become alive, and pull you on to create, create and create! I draw every day, but this sudden unstoppable desire ~ that you MUST draw a particular image comes around in waves ~ when it does ~ drop everything and draw like there's no tomorrow! 

I visited a friends house recently and everything around her house ( inside & outside) was piled with composition, I enjoyed drawing and haven't stopped yet, I guess it will end being a series with the same name as the title of this post.:)

A bit of reality a bit of imagination!

So I have been drawing / sketching people off an on for quite sometime now!! And I always wonder what they are thinking about? Sometimes I create my own stories about them. The sketch below was done while I was waiting at a local restaurant for some friends. What fascinated me was her hat. It was quite warm inside but she was totally immersed in her coffee and had not taken off her coat nor her hat. I wondered what she was thinking of and so after a quick sketch of her I just decided to draw a city scape in pencil behind her as if her thoughts. The two mediums worked out great to show the now and the dream~world.  The city scape is purely from my imagination. I like this new style of portraying my drawing. I think this is going to be the first of many more to come in this style as a series. 

The many pauses of life!

My life is becoming a tad tiresome! I'm going through menopause, my husbands going through man-oh-pause and my car through mechanicalpause!! Needless to say, I'm spending a lot of time at the local garage and I feel like I live there! Good thing I have my sketchbook with me at all times, so that helps pass the time!

Finding Cinderella

So, how does one get back to becoming inspired? To go back to drawing and sketching? I went back to the foundations. Literally, drawing the basic shapes, shading and practicing the values. Then I started to draw just about what I saw in front for the sake of practice only. I didn't worry about documentation nor story. Sometimes one just needs to draw in a vegetation mode till the ink catches on and wakes up. Then everything happens as a reflex and before you know it, you will have several pages filled with what's happening around you, along with a story to tell. So I guess the point I'm trying to make is that no matter what, don't stop drawing, even when you don't feel inspired. Practice, practice, practice- you never know when inspiration hits you. 

This sketch above was done, when I got lost downtown - trying to find a way back to the freeway. Found myself in a remote, empty, scary underpass. And then suddenly I saw it! A white carriage , Cinderella's Carriage ~ I had to draw it!! 

So what have you been doing to find inspiration?

Back to Sketching

Yes it's been a long time since I posted in my blog~ but I haven't stopped sketching. I've been drawing every chance I get, some are just line practices or calligraphy. I haven't really been anywhere, so I've done a lot of imagination drawings of imaginary scenes! And the few that I did on site, I kept forgetting to take pictures to keep up with the documentation and posting!! Many of my sketches have been around school.

Well the years coming to an end, I'm on winter break- so the family decided to go visit the West Texas family in San Angelo. Hadn't been there since papa passed away. So here are two ink sketches of my sister Mina's backyard (partial) and inside her house. I did the water color after as finishing touch back home.

When on Summer Break....

Oh my!!! It has been a long summer break, took son to get his learners license at the local DPS. Everyone and their grandma was there! Well it pays off to keep your sketch book in the bag! So many interesting people! I love people watching!

This lady was wearing a sarong type of skirt, probably from Indonesia or Nepal or ?? The unknown makes the imagination go on a wild trip, as it creates story in a story in a story! 

Next as I turned, I saw this lady with fascinating dark eyes. She looked like she might have been a model in her younger days- of Hispanic heritage. In front of her was a an African American lady wearing a cool hat. She looked quite bohemian. Maybe she was an artist too!

All this time while I was trying to recreate story after story about each one, in the background a continuous mechanical drone was calling out number after number after number~ it was a very long day!