Drawing the Art of New Guinea

To celebrate my husband's birthday, we went to one of our favorite places, the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Since we've already seen the Oscar de la Renta exhibit multiple times, we decided to explore other parts of the museum.

With Nelleke Verhoeff's illustration Sketchbook Skool Polishing klass fresh in my head, I was attracted to the Art of New Guinea section of the museum for fresh inspiration. I loved all the statutes and masks there! Here are a couple that I sketched.

Nude, Not Naked Art Show

I participated in my first art show today at the aRt Cottage in Concord, CA and it was so much fun!!! My fellow artists from the Lafayette Studio were there for the Artist Reception and seeing all of our art up on the walls was really spectacular!

I was lucky enough to have my artwork featured prominently in a great central location with all five pieces together. My good friend, Sharon, took this photo of me with three of my pieces (the others were out of the frame).

Here are my pieces in the show.

Thanks so much to my friends who attended!

Using new media - Tombow Markers

Vin Ganapathy is my teacher this week in Sketchbook Skool's Polishing klass. Vin is famous for his distinctive portraits. He revealed inPolishing that his favorite tools are Tombow dual brush markers.

I didn't think markers were for me, but I love Vin's artwork so much - and was inspired by the work of my klassmates - that I broke down and bought some yesterday. And now, I think I'm in love! You can blend markers with water and basically use them like watercolors or straight as markers.

What do you think?

Completed Sketchbooks

I've been posting quick video tours of my sketchbooks on Instagram when I finish them. But, I keep forgetting to post them here.

Here is a sketchbook I finished today with art from 02/09/16 to 05/03/16.

This is a sketchbook with art from 3/31/16 to 4/21/16. I work on several sketchbooks at the same time.

Sktchy Portraits

I worked on using hatching to draw these portraits using the Sktchy app.

A self-portrait profile

What do you think? Do you like my drawings with hatching or watercolor to indicate light and dark values?

A final nude for the Nude, Not Naked art show

I did a final nude piece yesterday in my figure drawing session. I am going to title it, "Covered."

I worked on titling all of my five pieces today for the art show as well as adding hanging wires to the frames and formal titles with media and prices indicated. I will be so happy when I finally drop off the pieces at the Art Cottage tomorrow afternoon at he intake.

More Nudes for the upcoming "Nude, Not Naked" art show

I have until this Friday afternoon to sign up and submit my art for the "Nude, Not Naked" art show at the Art Cottage in Concord, CA. So, I've been a busy bee!

I finished these two pieces yesterday.

And did this quick sketch for a possible 5th piece. But, I have a last figure drawing session this afternoon. So, a painting might come out of there instead. What do you think?

Sketches from Steep Ravine

This weekend (well, from Sunday to Tuesday), my husband, my youngest, and I took a quick camping trip to Steep Ravine (a remote access public beach near Stinson Beach). It is beautiful there. And most importantly, I got to do a lot of sketching on the trip! Here are my drawings:

I quickly sketched this sunset scene our first night in gale force winds!

In our tent in the morning after a WINDY night!

This was a cool crevice where waves rushed through on the little beach where we saw no one the whole time we were there.

Queen Anne's Lace - growing all the area

Lunch on our way home at the Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley

More preparation for the Nude, Not Naked Art Show

I have until next Friday afternoon to get my pieces ready for the Nude, Not Naked art show at the aRt Cottage. I'm not yet in full panic mode, but I am trying to be productive.

I reworked a sketch from my second to last figure drawing session and am pretty pleased with this result.

I need to title it still.

This is a piece I did in my last figurine drawing session.

I'm reworking a sketch into a final drawing/painting here.

I will add watercolor and ink later. I'm having trouble expanding from the inspiration photo.

Finding my artistic style

As an aspiring artist, I have spent a fair amount of time admiring other artists and specific pieces of art. To develop my own style, I feel like I need to (1) improve my technical skills, (2) know what style of art I like, and (3) have an idea as to what type of art I want to create.

I have been working hard to improve my technical skills by drawing every day and specifically, drawing subjects that I want to improve on - such as portraits. I have also been taking Sketchbook Skool online courses (first, Expressing, then Stretching, and now, Polishing). I also have been going to a weekly figure drawing session at the Lafayette Art Studio and reading lots of art books by artists I admire such as Danny Gregory, France Belleville van Stone, and Felix Scheinberger.

In trying to identify the type of art that I like, I've participated in the online communities of Instagram and Sktchy and noted my favorite artists there and at Sketchbook Skiol. I love Lapin's dreamy style and his palette of Prussian blue, yellow ochre, and alizarin crimson - which I have adopted. I love Lapin's sure lines and his big head portraits. Working with his limited palette has made my painting more harmonious and has weaned me off my heavy use of browns - instead, allowing my combinations of those 3 colors to make up browns on their own by putting them next each other in my paintings, letting the viewers' eyes mix the colors. To understand Lapin's drawings, I've tried to recreate several of them. Such as these:

I have also admired Felix's unmistakeable style and his spare use of watercolors in his drawings and paintings. I've tried to recreate some of Felix's pieces.

And some of my favorite artists on Instagram such as Ko Byung Jun and Vin Ganapathy (who is also one of my Sketchbook Skool teachers for Polishing). Here is my absolute favorite piece of art by Ko Byung Jun that I tried to recreate. I love the looseness of this piece, her lines, and her spare, but thoughtful use of watercolors. I love how her lines seem so carefree and expressive.

I haven't tried recreating any of Vin Ganapathy's pieces yet - but I did try to draw Vin twice.

I guess I should try recreating some of my favorite pieces by Vin next!

This week, I've gone back to my favorite art instruction book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards and worked on finishing the accompanying workbook (that my daughter, Jade, gave me for Christmas). There is so much good information in that book! She has really helped me refine my perceptions and improve my drawing skills.

Using lights and shadows in drawing this self-portrait

Working with lights and shadows recreating this Picasso self-portrait

Using ink and brush to recreate this Picasso self-portrait

Using hatching to recreate this Legros nude study.

The search for my style continues. Stay tuned! 😄

More Sktchy Portraits

In preparation for the Nude, Not Naked art show, I decided to keep practicing portraits as I feel that is my interest and strength right now. So, I will want my nude to have a good portrait as well.

Here are some more Sktchy portraits I attempted this weekend.

A nice profile

Ella requested that I draw her.

Hedgehogs

Chloe and I are thinking of writing and illustrating a children's book - starring a hedgehog.

In preparation, I went online and got some photos of hedgehogs to draw. I posted the photos on Sktchy and here are my drawings.

An older hedgehog

Another character in the story is a porcupine. So stay tuned for some porcupine drawings!

Practice for Nude Art Show

My figure drawing group that meets at the Lafayette Art Studio has been invited to show at a "Nude, not Naked" art show in the beginning of May.

To practice drawing nudes before my next figure drawing class, I used Sktchy today.

Here is my first attempt.

And my second.

And a third

What do you think?

Sktchy Space Weekend Art Extravaganza

The Sktchy app hosts a themed Weekend Art Extravaganza each week. This week's theme is Space. This is my first attempt.

My second attempt was to make Dale Cutler an astronaut or Rocket Man.

And another that was out of my comfort zone!

Figure Drawing - Focused on nudes

I had skipped last week's figure drawing sessions and couldn't wait to get back to it today. The group is preparing for a nude show in May, so all of the poses today we're nude.

Focusing on portraits - like I have been lately.

And an urban sketch of the group

Sketching strangers

My daughter, Chloe, likes for me to draw her. I tried to explain how it's harder for me to draw people I know since my head starts getting involved and prejudice what I draw (or see). I drew her for Sktchy today and the results weren't great)at least in mind mind)!

So, I went back to drawing strangers with better results!

And here is one of my teachers for my upcoming Sketchbook Skool Polishing class, Vin Ganapathy. Vin is very active on. Sktchy and Instagram. He specializes in portraits and I love his art.

Another by request - for Maria Lanc.

Another portrait of Sue

Sue asked that I draw her through the Sktchy app. I was happy to do so to get more portrait practice and because she is a great model! With great expressions!