Tuesday 15 July 2008

Suggested

face 4 I am really enjoying this project which my Dad inadvertently set me. There's life in the old girl yet. I have mentioned before that it's almost impossible to draw the kids from life. I lie, my son is easier to catch than my daughter, as he'll sit playing on his Nintendo DS, or crouch on the computer chair defeating fantasy monsters online. He's even almost still when watching a good film. My daughter, on the other had, twitches and squirms whatever she's doing, unless she's asleep. I do draw them from photographs, but it's not the same.face 5 I used to draw my parents when I lived at home nearly 20 years ago. My Dad would be intent on the BBC 6 o'clock news, or reading the newspaper or a book. Likewise, when watching her chosen soap opera she was still - the rest of the time my mum would be in a frenzy of activity, always doing something.face 6 My husband would be a good subject to draw as he, also, will sit still whilst watching DVDs. He's very handsome when asleep, but I know he can hear the scratch of my pencil when he's trying to drift off. I'll have to wait five more minutes til he's snoring deeply, and draw him then.

Monday 14 July 2008

Implied

face 1 I've decided to number these, and to ask you what emotions you think they convey. I know what I was intending, I would like to know to what extent I was successful.
I found myself grimacing a lot in front of the bathroom mirror before I could settle on a 'pose' which wasn't extreme. For two hours (I drew more than just these) I stood and looked and drew. The rest of the family were asleep, but I had the itch to draw.
face 2
My studio is set apart from the house, and I don't like going out there on an evening unless my family know where I am. My husband can be a heavy sleeper in the first part of the night, so if the children needed me I like to be available. And I was needed; my son was sick in his bed later on and called out for me, unable to clamber down from the top bunk because of the mess. I was happy to help, to be there quick-as-lightening when he needed me.
face 3
Even now, as I'm cracking on with washing out the bedding, I have no feeling of resentment for the work he's made for me, and I'm sensitive to the lingering smell only because I'm conscious of how it may disturb their sleep tonight. I must say that I'm happy to be their mum, and I was proud of their dad as he cuddled and soothed his son in our bed while I stripped the kid's room. I'm happy to report that our boy is fine this morning, full of life and eating heartily.




Sunday 13 July 2008

Caricature






Okay, those were hard, but got easier as I went on. I've never drawn myself other than face on from life before. I could repeat the exercise from the other side but I don't now what I'd gain from it, other than great neck muscles.

What I want now is some level of subtlety, as all ten have been quite comic faces, decidedly extreme emotions on display - angry, sad, happy, stern. How about serene, or inquisitive, or distracted. Can I manage these with two blue felt tips, and an A5 sketchbook in a bathroom mirror?


Saturday 12 July 2008

Emotions



A few days ago my dad commented that I looked very intense on the self portrait I was working on. I quipped back that some day I'd draw other expressions. Then I took myself, a small pad, and some felt tip pens into the bathroom and started pulling faces. Not satisfied with this, I turned my face to the right, and started over. I'm finding the angled view much harder, but as I'm keeping these studies quite loose I'm able to explore where the lines should be, and not be a perfectionist about it.


Friday 11 July 2008

Wednesday 9 July 2008

Half a face

Okay, I worked on this using acrylics. I love the forehead, and that may be all that I keep. The eye hasn't got enough feeling in it, and the under-eye area I always struggle with when working in colour.

Tuesday 8 July 2008

Quarter face


I only liked the top right section of the self portrait drawing I did here, so I blanked out the rest of it. My thought now is to work in a different medium to fill in the other areas. I'll keep what I like, switch medium and continue. I'm off to work on it some more now.

Friday 4 July 2008

I'm lost for words...

Chris Bolmeier has just granted me the Arte y Pico Blog Award. I'm lost for words, so here's what she said about me;
This young girl is a breath of fresh air. She loves to draw and right now involved in a Moleskine exchange. She loves sketching and her mark making is quite amazing and beautiful. She drew and washed a self portrait in the buff. Yellow wrote about the process of deciding to do this. Her observations and comments are very humorous so are the comments of her readers. She is from the U.K.

Now you can see why I'm gobsmacked.

Tuesday 1 July 2008

Portraits of my cousin

Sometimes Amy stays over. We watch films, drink beer (her) and wine (me) and sometimes do arty stuff. Last Friday we watched Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge, and I sat drawing her with a 6B graphite stick. Some were good, some were wonky. Here are my two favorites.
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