Figure Drawing

For some reason when I transferred schools in my college career, a lot of my art credits magically took care of certain requirements and I never had the chance to take a figure drawing class. So a sketching friend recommended the Steve Carpenter Art Center. They have an open figure-drawing night every monday. You pay 4$ an hour and plop down and draw. 

I bought an insanely large Stillman & Birn sketchbook (11x14) so I could record my progress as I went about the winter. I've included a pencil in my photos so you can see just how mammoth this thing is! 

For my first time out I didn't know what tools to use so like any artist, I just brought them all. I stuck with:

-a Blackwing pencil

-Pentel brush pen with black ink

-waterbrush filled with J. Herbin pearle noire black ink and diluted with water

-INKTENSE watercolor pencils

(since my students bounce to my site here and there, I will be limiting the posts of my figure drawing class. I will attempt to "edit" as best as I can)

last pose of the night

one pose and then a 2nd one I had a bad view so I sketched the other artists. 

my first dip! (edited)

Community Paint out!

I had a unique experience when the Finger Lakes Plein Air competition came right through my front door step! There were 44 juried in artists painting in and around Canandaigua. This past Saturday you could go anywhere downtown and find an artist painting! It was artist heaven. That same afternoon they had a "Community Paint Out" where us amateur artists could come out and within a 2 hour window, create a piece of artwork and have it judged! 

I had 4 different locations all scouted out and when it came time to paint--all 4 of my places were either taken, not there anymore (I guess the hot dog cart guy retired!), or in shadow! So I reverted to the rooftops behind my apartment building. I was a little rushed and my final piece was not anywhere near what I had imagined. But the experience was fun and I didn't get sunburnt--so that was a bonus. 

I plan on re-doing the scene on a piece of scrap wood that is about 3 feet long and 8 inches high. I think that format would capture the scene a little better! 

Stay Tuned.

[pentel pencil, namiki falcon with DeArtementis Document ink, D+S watercolors, and Inktense watercolor pencils on S+B Delta loose paper]