Lyric Art

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Gesture Drawing

I've been experimenting with another drawing exercise - gesture drawing. It's almost a polar opposite to Contour drawing but a great companion to it.

Here is how Kimon Nicolaides describes the process in "The Natural Way to Draw":

"Find somewhere that if full of active people, a playground, a football game... etc. As the people you watch move, you are to draw, letting your pencil swing around the paper almost at will, being impelled by the sense of the action you feel. Draw rapidly and continually in a ceaseless line, from top to bottom, around and around, without taking your pencil off the paper. Let the pencil roam, reporting the gesture.

You should draw, not what the things looks like, note even what it is, but what it is doing. Feel how the figure lifts or droops - pushes forward here - pulls back there - pushed out here - drops down easily there.

As the pencil roams, it will sometimes strike the edge of the form, but more often it will travel through the center of forms and often it will run outside of the figure, even out of the paper altogether. Do not hinder it. Let it move at will. Above all, do not TRY to follow edges.

It is only the action, the gesture, that you are trying to respond to here, not the details of the structure. You must discover - and feel - that the gesture is dynamic, moving, not static. Gesture has no precise edges, no exact shape, no jellied form. The forms are in the act of changing. Gesture is movement in space.

Like contour, gesture is closely related to the tactile experience. In contour drawing you feel that you are touching the edge of the form with your finger (or pencil). In gesture drawing you feel the movement of the whole form in your whole body."

I did these sketches at the North Carolina Museum of Art amid the beautiful and very active Rodin sculptures. I've been enjoying doing these kind of sketches but think I need to get a bigger sketchbook for them than my little carry-along sketchbook. I've filled up a third of the book in one week doing these.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Quilting Arts Challenge

Are your inspired by the projects in Quilting Arts magazine? If you like trying out new ideas and techniques, Muppin from the Quilting Arts Forum has a new challenge for you. The artwork can be any size and any technique that you have seen in the magazine over the last 10 years, but your work should be something new made for this challenge. Upload your photo to the forum page by May 31st and show your stuff! Random participants will also get prizes.

I'll be popping up over there once in a while to spout off encouraging words. And I just know..... of course you are going to choose to be inspired by one of MY articles. wink. wink.

Monday, May 2, 2011

For Your Inspiration: Bees

I could watch big fuzzy bumblebees all day.

And I love the macro feature on my camera.

Contour Drawing - Raleigh Sketch-In

Henry Spencer Moore
Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge

Last Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the North Carolina Museum of Art for the Raleigh Sketch-In.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the museum has beautiful grounds and a wonderful collection.

We began the day with a contour drawing exercise. It's one of my favorite ways to LOOK at something. It's not about the drawing at all.

I've been reading "The Natural Way to Draw" by Kimon Nicolaides and here is what he has to say about the exercise. Even though I have been doing contour drawings for a while now, what he said was a revelation to me.

1 - The Sense of Touch

"Imagine that your pencil point is touching the model instead of the paper. Without taking your eyes off the model, wait until you are convinced that the pencil is touching that point on the model upon which your eyes are fastened. Be guided more by the sense of touch than of sight."

Blind Contour Drawing

2 - An Experience, not a Product

".. a contour study is not a thing that can be 'finished.' It is having a particular type of experience, which can continues as long as you have the patience to look."

3 - Contour ≠ Outline

"Do not be misled by shadows. When you touch the figure, it will feel the same to your hand whether the part you touch happens at the moment to be light or in shadow. Your pencil moves, not on the edge of a shadow, but on the edge of the actual form." He shows two apples and explains that an outline including both apples is a visual illusion. In a contour drawing your finger/pencil would have to leave one apple (lift from the paper) to get to the other apple. "A contour can never be an illusion because it touches the actual thing."

It was a whole different experience to actually imagine my pencil touching the subject and to realize that I have looked at shadow or though of outline

Raleigh Sketch-In

NCMA grounds ..... as you walk past this boulder there is a surprise

Collapse I by Ladelle Moe

It's huge. I find the combination of the feelings of nature and fallen monument to be intriguing. I think a good time was had by all. We intended to meet back together for another sketch exercise at the

beginning of the second hour but all were late as time just seemed to stand still/fly by as we lost ourselves in the meditation of drawing and seeing and experiencing the art. I think I am learning that my experience of the world is richer when I have a drawing tool in hand.

Our littlest Sketcher

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Momma Trees

Momma Trees

Just for fun - thought I'd show you a work inspired by Laura Wasilowski.
It uses some of her wonderful hand dyed embroidery thread.

And Donna - you didn't leave a way for me to get in touch with you.
Send me an email because you WON Laura's Book!!!
(edited later - she did send it - hooray!)

Friday, April 29, 2011

Faces on Friday and Sketch-In Reminder

I could only see the right half of her face

He turned away after one minute or so

I didn't do any of the 3x5 quick faces this week - but I did do the work. It's good to be flexible in your methods and goal keeping. As long as you are still keeping the goal!