Life Drawing

Two minutes

Five minutes

Two Twenty Minutes

Some days I can draw and some days I might as well go home to bed. Life drawing is one of the most efficient ways there is to improve my skills as an artist. The challenge is accuracy within a very limited time frame. Being consistent in the challenge is the key to improving…. Consistency. Yes, well, now that I am in the city I am scheduling life drawing for one afternoon per week instead of once per month which derails into once per year. Another factor is inspiration. Some models possess a certain grace that is totally inspiring. Models who have dance as part of their repertoire often possess this grace. Sometimes it comes naturally. It does not take much. A carefully placed hand, a little twist in the spine, one foot in front of the other, a glance and something magical happens. Drawing becomes easy. I use a number of different mark makers. One of my favorites is ink. I do not erase. This time I used a new product called watercolour sticks. I have a few colours, three to be exact. They came in the sample packages I pick up at a promotion; quinacridone burnt orange (PO 48), carbazole violet (PV 23) and undersea green (PB 29 and PO 48). I got excited when I put the violet and the orange together. At first I used the sticks as crayons. Then I dipped them into some water before putting them to paper. I love uneven lines, unpredictable events. I continued dipping. Then I took a paint brush and smudged some colour into shadow shapes. So much fun! I’ll be back.