Schedule 12B

There was supposed to be two Modeled Drawings in ink, but this is the only one that I did. For days, I would do several gestures (I didn't want to start the long study cold) only to lose interest when it was time for the Modeled Drawing. I don't want to sit in this schedule forever, so I move on.

I have actually dropped a few Daily Compositions into the journal that I mentioned, so that's cool.

Schedule 12A

It has been three years since I last determined to follow the guidelines of this book. If I was a diligent artist, I would have finished the book several times by now and have become a superb artist (this is all highly theoretical, of course).

Letting the past be the past, however, I have determined to start again, and, over the course of a few days (not because of intense *observation*, mind you, but because I waited to surf upon the capricious tide of enthusiasm), I have completed Schedule 12A--an accomplishment in its own right.

I'll let the images speak for themselves.

Here's a couple of Gesture Drawings, for fun:

And for the focus of this schedule, the Modeled Drawings:

In this exercise, I was supposed to view the model and the drapery as one (object). And I was supposed to use a crayon. As far as drawing implements go, crayon is one of my least preferred things to use. It's so blunt and sticky and uneven feeling. It's not quite as messy as charcoal, but doesn't feel as good.

And, for a bonus, a couple of Daily Compositions:

Like Kimon said (so long ago), an actual artist will make one of these a day for the rest of his life. ... And that's not been my practice. I was actually thinking of using these books I got (four years ago) to keep a diary and, instead, drop my daily compositions in them--a visual diary, of sorts. Writing a diary is something that I've never been inclined to do (even when Mrs. Bonnefield tried to get us to keep one in third grade), and, though I've had a website for some time (and the updates were...mostly regular), plain writing my thoughts in a book has never come quite gracefully enough. So, we'll see where this goes.

Schedule 11E

Four tacks, this time. Kimon suggested that I should redo this schedule. I agree, it probably would be helpful. And I probably will redo it--when I start the book over, again. For now, I press forward, not because I have mastered anything, yet, but simply because I know that if I stay here too long, I'll stagnate here.

Schedule 11D

Schedule 11C

I managed to mentally scale this one to actually fit on the paper. That's an accomplishment in itself. Shallow folds kind of bother me. With my eyes, I pick up on them, no problem. But with four colors (no shading), I don't believe I'm really expressing where the folds are. The only places where I'm feeling halfway positive about are the places with a lot of movement and the undercuts.

Schedule 11B

Only one, today. Plenty, I assure you. I actually spent an hour on this one. Yes, I stared at a curtain for over an hour. While listening to the Tyrian 2000 soundtrack (which you can get for free at GOG.com [Yes, I felt like plugging an excellent site]). Anyway, after a day break I'm guessing something was percolating in me, because I found this drawing to be a little more skillful than my previous three.

Dude, this soundtrack really is quite nice. Doodilydoodilydoodilydoodily

Schedule 11A

"Welcome back," says the man to himself.

After a year hiatus, I decided to pick the book up, again. I was debating whether to start over again or continue where I had left off. I decided to go with the latter because I figured that I had better odds of actually completing the book that way.

Schedule 11 is the study of drapery--something that had always eluded me. Actually, I don't believe I can say with confidence that I've arrested well any of the studies, yet. Anyway...

My studies are a hybrid of the two Kimon suggested: the quick study, and the long study. I'd like to spend more than ten minutes a piece on each drawing, but I don't have anywhere to hang a drapery undisturbed for several days (neither do I want to look at the same piece of fabric in the same position for that long). So, I spent around thirty minutes with each drawing. I think.

Kimon said that I should observe the drapery as having four unique structures: a top, sides, a base, and a "undercut"--where the drapery folds under itself. Along with these structures, four colors are attributed: white, light gray, dark gray, and black. Only with the undercut is shading allowed. I was having some difficulty defining each of the structures, and so I figured I'd move on to another drapery.

I feel the first one came out better. I was getting a little frustrated at this point. I felt that maybe I was trying to draw too much, and I decided to start over, focusing just on the center folds.

But in all honesty, I think that that idea proved the worst. I imagine (hope) that the mild mental struggle is opening up my understanding of drapery and that I'll do better with the next ones, because there really is something quite attractive about drapery.

Schedule 10B-E

"I never concern myself with how much talent my students have. I couldn't say to anyone in the beginning, 'You have no talent.' I believe that nature is lavish with talent just as it is with acorns--but not all acorns become oaks. Talent is something that develops, or appears, as you work. The fact that you gravitate toward an art school--the very fact that you have opened this book--indicates that you have at least a hankering for art. What is required is the necessary effort."

"If you really want to learn to draw, you must be willing to build the underpinning. I have had students whose imagination far exceeded what might be called their student qualities, their capacity for sustained and detailed study. They want to run before they can walk. [...] I have had other students who seemed to be more interested in 'being artists' than in drawing. [...] Such students are likely to be found, not sitting in front of the model, but sitting over a cup of coffee in a neighboring café, talking about art. The student who really learns to draw will be the one who draws."

Hello, again.

I had intended to put here three modeled drawings done in water color: one, Debbie Ong; two, my buddy Ville holding his daughter Saara; and three, a portrait of my beautiful friend Swei.

But circumstances change. My interests shifted for several months. Then I moved to Gainesville, Florida, very recently. Desiring a fresh start completely, I backed up all my desirable files and formatted my hard drive, reinstalling Windows XP and stepping fresh into Ubuntu Studio. Deciding last night to pick back up the study of drawing, realizing the necessity of keeping my hands busy after a morbid bout of self indulgence, I began again, this morning, where I left off. However, things did not go as planned. Upon loading the DVD with all my pictures on it, I came to realize that 98% of them were corrupted and, therefore, as good as gone. Ashes to ashes. While the realization was a little sad, it was also liberating. I am to make a completely new start here, memories being what they are, memories. Praise the Lord for freshness. Praise the Lord for mercy and grace.

And so I move forward.

Praise the Lord.

Schedule 10A

We continue the long studies with water color

I enjoy painting with water color. I don't know why I try to distract myself from using it, because every time I do use it, I enjoy it. Something about it is so...sloppy; and the sloppy part is what makes it enjoyable. Something about dabbing and flicking the brush... I kind of throw precision to the wind with it--and yet manage to obtain a better feel with it.


The modeled drawing in water color. Nothing new. I've decided to post both the grayscale and color images of the water colors. I find pleasure in using whatever colors suit my fancy to describe depth. This babe is purple. I'm not sure what her name is; I found her among the pictures of Michelle Khor's Facebook account.


And the four-hour modeled drawing in water color. Only one hour so far. Actually, less than thirty minutes. Thirty minutes is pretty much tops for me for in any particular artistical sitting at this time in my life. The beautiful Debbie (actually, I felt like saying Deborah, but I don't know if that's actually her name) Ong has again claimed my fascination. Looks like we're in it for the long haul this time, Deb. Blue's a good color on you.

Schedule 9E

Have I ever told you that pen wasn't my favorite medium?

Trying to get back into drawing. "Trying?" I hear you ask? Yeah. My life has been a tapestry of intermittent passions. For these past several weeks it's been Algebra and Chess, but I believe thread's running out on these for the moment. I'd like to restring it with some art--at least enough to finish off this book. I already have three books stacked on my desk waiting to be read, with several more on my shelf waiting. Eh.

Exercise 25: Back to the Model
Sit with your back to the model during a half-hour pose. Look around at the model as much as you want to and draw just as usual, but don't move your chair. You will find it such a strain to turn around that you will look at the model as seldom as possible, and when you look you will really look.


I really don't know if I'd have done any better not craning my neck around for every peek. Not quite the spitting image of this exquisite girl, but I did spend more than the thirty minutes allotted me--which obviously wasn't hard to do.


"That doesn't look at all like me," says Swei. Nope, no it doesn't, Swei. But I was looking at a picture of you while I was drawing it, letting my eyes rub all up and down it. "So why did you only draw half of it?" she askes. Less than that, even. Mostly because the other side got wrong real quick, so I decided to focus my efforts on the better part for the time that I had. Oh, and "asks" doesn't have an 'e' in it.

Actually, I think I'm going to start naming all these people. Whether they take offense at my learning or not is up to them. That I didn't ask any permission or even give a head's up is besides the point. The first model was Debbie Ong, the second Suet Wei. Yes, Swei, I finally did one of you. I'm not satisfied with it, though; so it probably won't be the last. Rar.

Ever look at a word really long, knowing full well that something was wrong with it, but just not coming to the conclusion of what specifically? "Obviosly" was my word, today.

Schedule 9D

Ten minute form studies. This is the exercise that I most consistently fulfill the allotted time for. The second one was my best but my sister said that she couldn't tell what it was. I didn't tell her either.


And the fourth girl. I wasn't finished. However, I ran out of ink. Yes, I had other pens, but I didn't have any more purple pens--the color that I had been using--and I didn't want to end with another color.

Schedule 9C

I just read the definition of "dilettante".

I read it again to my sister and she thought it was hilarious.


Quick contours. Way to sneak up on me like that. Haven't done these in a while (always amuses me, though). So, I decided to postpone the rest of the exercise, take a shower, work on some more gestures ala joshua-ultra-quick-contour, and give it another shot.


Changed my marker, too. Can't say either way whether the pause helped. The first one was kind of creepy and reminded me of an alien or something. Man these things crack me up.


I see that the girls, for whatever reason, tend to get darker with each hour. The third girl didn't make it on the picture--the fourth one definitely won't--but I'll try to put in as much of her as I can, though. Maybe try to equalize the modeling. Maybe. The dimensions are already out of whack. But hey, whatever.

Schedule 9B

Yeap. Thinking about the four hour drawing (second picture), I think I won't have enough room to draw the fourth girl. You see, that's her leg coming out of the second girl's shoulder, which will put her head clear off the paper.

Schedule 9A

And we continue the long studies: Modeled Drawing in Ink. The second one is actually a four part study, ideally taking me four hours to draw. So, I picked out an image with four girls with one (more or less) being drawn each day. Curiously, I am drawing with a purple gel pen, because it draws easier than most of the pens I own, not that you can tell with the grayscale scan.

Schedule 8E

Only one, today (the rest were gestures--1.5 hours of gestures): a modeled drawing of the face. It took me more than an hour to do this. Which surprised me a little. The left eye, nose, and area around them I spent the most of my effort on. They were also the last things I spent my effort on. After the right eye got cockeyed, and the lips fell too far from the cheek, I spent the rest of my effort on the parts I hadn't botched as much.

Schedule 8D

8D


23, 23, 23, 22

Schedule 8C

Exercise 23: Ten Minute Form Studies

"TRY TO GET THE DISPLACEMENT OF THAT WEIGHT IN SPACE."

Mr. Nicolaides, it is my pleasure.

Really, though, it was. This is one of the first exercises where it took me longer than the allotted time--and I wanted to draw more. This is a good thing. I especially like the third one. I think I'd like to do that one better, some day.

These Exercise 22's are a little creepy. They kind of remind me of those Gray's Anatomy pictures--especially the ones with the little meat hooks.

Schedule 8B

Quick Contour, ditto, ditto, Modeled Drawing (specifically, Exercise 22: Part of the Form).

In an interesting turn of events, my drawings actually got better as I went along. That's been kind of rare up till now. Maybe it's because the first ones very persistently suggested that I laugh a lot. Things are certainly more enjoyable (though not necessarily easier to do) with a smile on.

Did you notice the first one has three eyes?

I saved the nose--the second hard copy I've saved since I started this.

I'm still laughing at that second one.

Schedule 8A

No, these aren't contours. Just when I was getting in the groove, again. Oh well. More modeled drawings. The first one I used a block-ish piece of graphite for. Which I thought would be fun, and was, but was difficult, because it was hard to lay down more graphite. It also made the page really smooth and glossy. And my fingertips very gray. The second I did with another pencil I've had for ages that I've never used before--Layout/Ebony. It draws a lot darker than the ol' 2B. Has this drag to it, but not as much as charcoal. Yes, I did spend the most effort on the arm pit.


Just so you know I still do gestures. I get to do these with every schedule. Honestly, the ones I did this morning were (for the most part) much better, but I didn't date them, and I didn't feel like making the dates up. Even though it wouldn't have been too hard since I did them immediately before the modeled drawing. But tough, I'm not doing it. I've scanned what I've scanned and that's that. Yehaw.