nude

Is something that happens all over the world. Google it. Well I've discovered it even happens in New Zealand. I happened to be in Wellington for the last session of Dr Sketchy, at the Mighty Mighty bar in Cuba Street, big crowd, the models dressed in fluro leotards, animal prints, glitter & sequins, hair teased up big. Fabulous music, nice drinks, great atmosphere. Some rough sketches attached. Then I found there was one in Auckland & I went to the Cassette Number Nine bar in Vulcan Lane. Theme was early sixties, dresses, shoes, hair & makeup in theme. Last pose was one man in a suit & overcoat holding a paperbag, with two girls standing behind him, one about to choke him with something. I drew more of a cartoon style, won a "Buddy Christ" from the movie Dogma for that one, & gave the sketch to the main model. The person running it was fantastic, talked up a scene, even gave us a title for each drawing. Now I discover there is a Dr Sketchy in Hamilton, another nearby town.

Red dress

Arrived near the end of the first pose - got a super-quick soft pastel sketch done.

The other red dress drawing is in both soft pastel and compressed charcoal.

The kimono drawing is willow charcoal with some collage thrown on during the pose, at the top is a photo John took of the drawing in progress, before I added the torn paper.

All approx 18 x 24 inches.

Drawing in the dark

For these two drawings, the room was in darkness with light on the model. Yellow drawing was done first. When the lights went on I was surprised to see I'd picked up a piece of yellow pastel instead of white.

We focused on drawing the lit areas of the models body. It's not an easy thing to do. What you think you see, and what you actually see are two different things and you have to overcome what your brain is telling you.

That's why I love to draw or paint with music playing, finding it easier to slip into that 'zone', some would say its allowing the right brain to take over from the logical left brain.

Like to learn more about that? Look at Betty Edward's book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. And here's a link.

Life drawing

has been continuing again over the last couple of months... a couple of quick drawings... 18 x 24" compressed charcoal on heavy grade buff paper. I usually quickly cover the paper with some coloured pastel first which means even less time for the drawing - these are a couple of minutes long each.

Taking a drawing into paint

I've applied modelling paste to canvases, it takes ages to get it right, and to dry. Mine and Body (at the bottom of this page) is one of those where I've spent hours and hours on the surface texture of the canvas before painting onto it.

Another method is to use tissue paper and acrylic mediums to apply it to the surface. A little quicker and quite satisfying if I want a more regular appearance to the surface.

Canvas is still my favourite surface on which to paint, using brushes. I love the 'give' of canvas, and I'm quite hard on brushes.

I've been going to a life drawing group for about eighteen months now. John Mulvay organised it, through community education, and when the funding hasn't been there we've managed to keep it going on a private basis. He'll provide tutoring for those who want it, and I very much appreciate having live models available every week. This is a real achievement for John to have kept this group going and it seems to have settled in with a core of regulars, and new people coming and going.

Piled up in my studio, are hundreds of life drawings. I've sold a few. Others I'll offer to the models. One day I'll have to dispose of some, that will be painful. I'm now trying to be more experimental when I go to life drawing. Sometimes I'll draw directly onto the canvas and paint it later. There is a an energy in a drawing done from life that is lost when copying it later. The more prep I put into the surfaces that I take along, the more satisfying is the result.

This photo is a painting of one of the warmup drawings, where the model walks around, or holds a pose for only 30 seconds. My first attempt at this, and I'll continue working on this idea to see where it takes me.

Another work in progress

Acrylic mixed media on canvas, again, some way to go.

Drawing on mixed media bases

Ink drawings on mixed media bases.

Two more drawings

Another couple of drawings of our young model, one with her mother.

Been having trouble with my photo editing on my new computer...it doesn't want to accept my favourite programme, so I give up....here are some unedited photos from the last couple of life drawing evenings. I like to edit them to make them more as they really are...they're a bit dull.

I'm in the studio painting everday at the moment, a body of work based on the life drawings. I'll post some of the works in progress soon.

Life Drawing 11 March 2009

Only four drawings last night, not sure why it worked out that way. All 62 x 42 cm 180gsm paper, compressed charcoal and soft pastel.

I tried cropping the figure for some. Have been happier with such drawings but don't find it easy to decide what part to put in and what to leave out!

The model pointed out to me that I'd drawn a map of New Zealand on her pubic hair in the reclining drawing haha. Not intentional. Just my little scribbles that I put on the drawings.

I asked her to stand with her hands up and I was quite pleased with that sketch. Its an idea I've had for a while, to take through to a painting.

Life Drawing 4 March 2009

These are done on 180gsm paper in compressed charcoal and conte. We had two models though I concentrated on the male model mainly. The red and blue is a drawing done while the female model turning and moving her arms.

Life drawing 18 February 2009

New model this week who hadn't modelled before but she was very good. And yes, I did draw her in an exaggerated style in some of the drawings. These are all large drawings, mainly compressed charcoal or conte, some pastel, on 180gsm white or buff paper.

Life drawing 11 February

It's been a couple of months since I went to life drawing, a bit otu of practice. Here are four of the drawings, the quick warm ups at the bottom. The others were about 20 minute poses though I usually stop before then. Compressed charcoal and conte mainly on 170gsm paper.

Mixed Media Life Drawing 10 December 2008

Our group met for the last time this year and again I made some took some collaged printmaking paper along, A2 size. I spend so long picking out particular pieces of paper that I want to put on these, forgetting that much of it will be obscured with paint and then dry media.

I used compressed charcoal and conte mainly.

Life Drawing 18.6.08

Life drawings this week...not all of them. Was rather tired after working that day, so wasn't at my best. All done on A2 white cartridge paper in pen. I was using a great calligraphy pen for the seated pose, and it ran smoothly over the paper - pity I couldn't capture the model well, he was very relaxed in the chair and it doesn't show in this drawing.

Work in progress

I've started painting the three small drawings I drew on canvas at last week's life drawing group. I'd used a grey French conte pencil, and have started painting in Atelier Interactives. I think they're going to take a while as I'm going to have many thin layers of paint, not sure at this point if I will use other media, or what I'll do for the background! My resident critic liked the light backgrounds, but I like the strong negative space. Who knows what it will be in the end!

Life Drawing 4 June 2008

Our life drawing group is continuing even though we are no longer being funded through community education. Thanks to John Mulvay (the tutor, who is kindly lending his easels and boards and also his home for some of the sessions and arranging models) we're continuing to meet. I missed last week's group but saw the drawings of two artists and I think it's going to be an advantage to have a variety of venue as opposed to the classroom, with furniture, cushions and other paraphernalia around.

Last night we met in the studio of artist, Robyn Tucker. It was cosy and warm, and she had arranged a chaise with nice fabric draped over the end for the model to organise her poses around/on. At the end of the session I realised, though, that I had drawn only the model and nothing around her. So she does look a little like she's floating in space in some of the drawings. Must be because I missed last week, forgot about the whole composition. Which is why regular drawing is so important.

I can see in the photographs I must clean the camera! Most of the drawings are done on buff cartridge paper, some on white. I used either a French grey conte pencil or a red chalk pencil.

The three square drawings are done on 8" x 8" canvases - I'm going to paint these, maybe mixed media works.

The upside down drawing was done standing at the head of the model, so she was upside down in my view. I forgot to draw the chaise, so it looks rather weird!