Sunday, February 26, 2012

Coffee cups and farmyard fowl

I thought this was a really interesting project... and visually, the results were pretty stunning.

For five months, Gwyneth Leech has occupied the Prow in the Flatiron Building in NYC, creating art out of used coffee cups.  She has drawn on over 700 cups and captured  the interest of passersby and visitors, some of whom brought her their (clean!), used coffee cups to draw on, becoming part of the exhibit. 

The coffee cups were hung, kind of mobile-like, in a way that's visually arresting.  Check out the photos here:  http://www.gwynethsfullbrew.com/p/cup-exhibition_9095.html


Linking up to Sunday Sketches with another quick illustration for my nephew.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

sparkly inks

I got some very cool new bottles of pearlescent ink that have a sparkly shine.  unfortunately, the shine doesn't really come through in the scan, but I had a lot of fun playing with them with a pointed pen today. 



they look especially cool on darker paper. 


Monday, February 20, 2012

back to the faces

I am obsessed... I just can't seem to stop drawing faces.   Oh well, I guess I'll just keep going with it until I burn out or get better. Hopefully, the second will occur before the first!  :-)


I'm going to give the creative every day challenge a try.  The truth is that I am creating every day, but I'm not always doing it in a very organized way. I have sketchbooks in all shapes and sizes with different types of paper all over the house, my car, etc..And, of course, paper is useless without my rapidograph pens or at least a couple of good pencils.  And then, well, maybe just a few different types of watercolors in different places.  And where's my pointed pen?  and on, and on, and on.  As a result of the chaos, much of the sketches, doodles, illustrations-- the compilation of things that will one day serve to highlight my sheer genius (or sheer madness-- i hear there's a fine line) never manage to see the light of day.

Well, all this rambling to say, I'm linking up with so many inspirational artists at creative every day in an attempt get more organized and better catalogue what I do-- the good, the bad and the ugly-- to provide artistic snapshots into my creative life from one period of my life to the next.  So, be sure to take a look at Creative Every Day to see the other artsies are doing this week!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

crying wolf

taking a break from all the faces of the past week to do a quick illustration for my nephew...


Delighted to be linking to the anniversary post over at Sunday Sketches.  Be sure to check out what everyone else has been up to...

Monday, February 13, 2012

Learning to love the pencil...

Okay, I have to admit that I'm starting to appreciate the pencil a bit more, if only for the fact that it allows me to do SOOOO much erasing and reworking (as can be seen from all the little erasure marks that I neglected to brush off the page before scanning). 

Someone recently noted (I apologize for forgetting who) that the difference of a millimeter changes a face from beautiful to... not as beautiful in terms of proportion.  Drawing these portraits has made me a true believer of that.  Unbelievably, I have found that erasing from one side v. the other of a bold line makes all the difference in the world between making someone identifiable v. not.  It's painstaking for someone who has not done this type of work before, but I love the fact that it's made me really tune into details.  So, onward and upward, as the saying goes.


Oh, I also realized that I need to stick with floating heads for awhile. I tried filling in a neckine and jacket and it again just completely changed the look of it.  I continue to be in awe of those people who can sit down and quickly sketch a completely recognizable character.  Maybe one day...

Hmmm... I should upload things more often. It's amazing how seeing them on the screen allows me to see EVEN MORE of the imperfections.  A slightly revised version below.



I can still see a lot of things I want to change...  I'm going to walk away for a little while and come back to it with clearer eyes. 

okay, okay, okay, okay, okay... my hubby is about ready to have me committed because I can't keep away... I keep tweaking and adjusting things that he says only I can see, which is probably true.  But now I'm obsessed (as usual) and I can't stop fiddling with this.

One more time...

Yet another pencil portrait...  I spent a litle more time with this one but I am struggling with making them feel alive. I know I need to work on the mechanics of proportion and features, etc... but I also wish that I could better capture the life behind the face.  Ah well, back to the drawing board...

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Portrait in pencil

This time I attempted a portrait in pencil.  I'm not sure I had any better luck but it definitely felt like a very different process.  For whatever reason, I think I feel freer with a pen than with a pencil... which makes no sense since the pencil obviously allows a lot more room for corrections and working and reworking a sketch.  Despite that, it feels confining to me.  Maybe I just need to get more used to it. 

The good news is that my hubby and daughter both recognized who I was trying to capture right away.  Despite that, it still looks very cock-eyed and amateurish to me. I need to keep reminding myself that all those who make it look so effortlessly brilliant probably spent some time early on learning how to get past the pin it to the refrigerator/kindergarten look.  :-)



portraits

I've always wanted to be able to draw portraits that actually look like people rather than just oddly pulled together sock puppets.  This is my first attempt and I must admit, I find it very challenging but I'm going to keep plugging and see if it's possible to improve at all. 



I did this in pen and I think I may try with pencil next time.  Perhaps it will be more forgiving.  :-)

Slide on over to Sophia's Sunday Sketches... You will surely find much inspiration there! 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Another church

I'm not sure what my obsession is with sketching churches lately.  Sometimes, they just remind me of a pretty community that feels like home (in this case, this one is in my hometown and I didn't do it justice).  In other instances, they provide the most beautiful architecture around.  Sometimes, it's the fact that people will build a church anywhere to capture that sense of community, in the most unlikely of places.  I must admit, I don't often go inside, but I am intrigued by the edifaces.



Don't forget to check out Sunday Sketches.  They will surely brighten up your Sunday!
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