More Portrait Practice

I'm starting off today's post with a confession. My confession is that I would much rather be curled up in a soft chair under a warm blanket than sitting here in this uncomfortable desk chair at 8:49 on a Thursday night.

But I made a commitment to myself that I would post on my blog every Thursday. Given that one of the words I would choose to describe myself is dependable, not posting seems like a bad choice.

As a rule I find it easier to keep my external commitments, the ones I make to other people, than I do to keep the ones I make to myself. I’m wondering if that is typical for most people. Do you find it easier keeping your word when you make a promise to someone else, or when you make one to yourself?

For the case of this current challenge, I am telling myself my commitment is to my readers. That helps keep my butt in this hard chair instead of wimping out.

I can feel your sympathy. Really I can.

But enough about me and my struggles…

During my studio time today I finished a new painting. As much as I would love to share it here, I am going to have to wait and keep it under wraps for another month or so.

Instead I am sharing my latest round of portrait practice. I did these sketches over the weekend. I used magazine photos for my references.

 

practice sketch 10

graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

 

practice sketch 11

graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

 

Now a summary of what I learned from this round…

• I think I am going to need to stick to a sketching style that combines line with value. When I try to draw without values I can’t get over the feeling that something is missing.
• The smaller sketches were easier because there were fewer details in the features. This made it simpler for me to concentrate on the shapes of the shadows without getting hung up in all the different parts of the eye, for example.
• Practice builds confidence. Even with as few as four sketches, I could feel a difference between the first and the last. By the last sketch my speed had improved marginally and I was more pleased with the quality of the result.
• I am enjoying this portrait practice much more than I expected. I hope you are enjoying it too, as I plan to keep sharing my progress.

Okay, now I'm off to find that comfy seat and warm blanket. See you next week!

Learning to Sketch Portraits - Part II

Today I listened to the Artists Helping Artists interview with Carol and David Marine. In one portion of the interview Carol was speaking about branching out into painting silly faces and how important it is for her to keep experimenting and trying new things in order to keep fresh and enthused about her art.

It was inspiring to hear her thoughts. They felt like support being sent in my direction to encourage this section of my latest journey. If you haven't listened to the interview yet, I highly recommend it!

So in Part I of this post I spoke about my desire to sketch more of my life moments and, how in the past, I have been stopped by my discomfort in sketching people.

My solution for this discomfort was to jump from the frying pan into the fire. A simultaneously exciting and frightening jump!

After trying my hand at sketching from other artists' sketches - both more linear sketches and value based sketches - I decided the next logical step was to try a sketch from a photo. You could say I was being thorough, or you could say I was avoiding the scary prospect of sketching from life. I think both statements are true!

My intention was to create a linear sketch because I am wanting a quicker sketching style. I also tried not to be concerned with likeness - as the saying goes that was easier said than done.

I chose to work from a rather small image thinking that a smaller image would have less detail. Detail often entices me to get fiddly, which I was trying to avoid. In hindsight I think working from a larger reference would have been easier.

Below is my sketch from a photo of my hubby. Handsome guy isn't he?

practice sketch 6

graphite on newsprint

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Reviewing the sketch above I can see I was more hesitant in this sketch than the sketches I posted in Part I. I'm not sure if I was intimidated by the challenge of capturing his likeness, if I was hampered by the size of my reference or if I was reacting to having to edit the detail I saw in the reference. (In the sketches I copied, obviously the artist who did the initial sketch had already been through the editing process and the subjects of the sketches were strangers to me.)

I can also see the style sliding toward more precise line work instead of using expressive lines. I am very interested as I continue this experiment to see where my natural style falls on the continuum from detailed and precise to loose and expressive. I secretly hope I can move along the spectrum towards the expressive, loose end. Time will tell if that is actually possible.

All of the sketches posted in Part I and the sketch above were completed in one afternoon. Feeling encouraged by my results I decided to finally take the brave step to sketch from life.

Several days later I was visiting my kids at school. I always carry a pocket Moleskine and pencil in my purse. Making use of these tools I made several quick sketches of my girls during the times when they were reading or working quietly at their desk. I limited my sketching to the times they were doing desk work because I didn't want to draw the teacher's attention and get sent to the Principal's office. That wouldn't have set a very good example!

The main challenge I experienced during this "sketching from life" session was that my models were not at all still! Honestly they moved every two seconds and rarely returned to the same position. They even knew I was sketching them (I had asked their permission first) and they still weren't still. Below are the results of sketching these moving targets.

practice sketch 7

graphite in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

© 2011 Stacy L. Rowan

practice sketch 8

graphite in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

practice sketch 9

graphite in Moleskine cahier pocket sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan





Practice sketch 9 is my favorite because the lack of facial features made for stress-free sketching! I was pleased that in all three sketches I stuck with line and did not resort to value. I was also happy that I remembered to leave some breaks in the line work. I did not have as many "suggested" areas as in the copied sketches but, because of the constant movement, I wasn't able to get to finicky.

The middle sketch was the most challenging because of the angle and because of the size of the sketch with respect to the page. Apparently I wasn't quite up for the challenge because the sketch makes my daughter look much older than she actually is!

For those of you who know my kids, sketches 7 and 9 are of the same child and sketch 8 is the other one. I'll leave it up to you to determine who is who.

In summary, I learned a lot from these two sketching session. In some ways sketching from life was easier than sketching from a photo. The built in time constraint made it almost impossible to get hung up on details and forced me to make quick decisions and live with the lines I put down.

I need a lot more practice to build fluency of line and expressiveness. I think that will come as I get more comfortable. Practice will hopefully also make it easier to capture a likeness.

I am excited for my next practice session. I already have a few magazine photos set aside and several personal photos in mind. I am also trying to identify times or activities which require my family members to sit still so I can make use of those times as live sketching sessions. Wish me luck as I think I live in a house of Energizer bunnies!

Autumn Flowers and a Quick Reminder

First the reminder... This Sunday, November 6th, I will be exhibiting my work at Moravian College as part of the Tap Ties' Day of Dance & Friendship. My art will be on display from 2pm through 6:30pm. You can find more information here or on the Tap Ties site. Hope to see you there!

This flower sketch was completed a few weeks ago. It was one of those beautiful, sunny, warm fall days when winter seems too far away to worry about. (Little did we know that snow was just around the corner!)

Most Tuesdays find me attending my painting group. Anywhere from three to ten ladies gather and set up shop in one woman's basement. We all work on our own projects. Sometimes we solicit artistic advice from each other, sometimes we discuss what is going on in everyone's life and sometimes we paint in a companionable silence. It is a wonderful group to belong to.

On this particular Tuesday, we were finally seeing some sun after days and days of rain and I was feeling sun starved. So after delivering most of my materials to the basement, I took my watercolor sketchbook, my Inktense pencils and a graphite pencil back outside.

Once outside I plopped down on the warm driveway and sketched this small clump of flowers. They were part of a much larger group that was gathered at the base of a lamp post.

I am not sure exactly what kind of flowers they are. They look like daisies but might be some kind of mum. I will have to ask the ladies next Tuesday.

Learning to Sketch Portraits - Part I

For many years I have drooled over the sketchbook journals I see in other artists' blogs. I dream of someday documenting my life in such a journal, complete with fabulous drawings and witty and insightful writings. I will record all of the little magical details that make my life what it is. When my children are grown we will spend quality time reading the journals, reminiscing and sharing our memories with their children. Can you hear the swell of the violins playing in the background?

Then I wake up and know that it was just a dream, much like the dreams I have of living in the exquisitely decorated and perfectly clean designer homes they show on HGTV. Does anyone really live like that? If so, can you send them to my place and ask them to neaten it up a bit?

But even as I put the dream of perfection aside, I know I would still like to do more sketching of my life and family moments than I do. One thing that holds me back is that I am not comfortable sketching people and typically family moments have, well... family in them. And family means people.

The way I see it, the only way to ever become comfortable sketching people is to start practicing.

Sketching from a real, moving person seemed like a daunting place to start. So instead I went to the source of all knowledge -- the Internet!

There are quite a few artists whose sketches of people I admire. Going back to one of the practices of old, I decided to find a couple of their sketches and copy them.  Many art students learn their craft by copying master works in museums.

One of the good things about starting with this method of learning is that the artist who created the original sketch already did the hard work of translating the 3D figure into a 2D drawing. I was particularly interested in studying what kind of lines and shapes are used to quickly portray the facial features.

To get started I picked two artists whose sketches of faces I much admire.

First - Laura Frankstone
Laura publishes her incredible sketches on her blog Laurelines. Her sketches are wonderfully expressive and I love her use of line. Her sketches look like they are passionately constructed without any sign of fear or hesitancy. I knew there was a lot I could learn from her work.

Here are my three practice sketches in the order I completed them.

practice sketch 1

approx. 5" x 4" graphite on newsprint

practice sketch 2

approx. 7" x 6" graphite on newsprint

practice sketch 3

approx. 7" x 5" graphite on newsprint

I tried to get a sense of her mark making, where she drew the edges and where she let the mind's eye fill them in. I tried not to noodle around with my marks and instead tried to make them meaningful and get them down the first time.

If you look close you can see from the shadow of incomplete erasure where I wasn't very successful with that. Laura definitely makes it look easier than it is!

The second portrait sketching master that I chose to learn from is James Gurney.

James Gurney's blog Gurney Journey contains a wealth of information and I firmly believe that every artist should make time to check it out. Interspersed with all of the technical information you will find posts containing wonderful sketches of the people that James crosses paths with.

I chose to work from James's sketches because they are more about value and less about line. I wanted to try and translate those sketches into line work using marks similar to the ones I was experimenting with above. It seemed like a good intermediate challenge.

Here are the two practice sketches from this round.

practice sketch 4

approx. 4" x 5" graphite on newsprint

practice sketch 5

approx. 10" x 7" graphite on newsprint

It was definitely challenging to remember to think about and work with lines instead of value. Value is my comfort zone. Also on the first sketch I found myself getting fidgety and erasing and restating lines. I tried to break away from that in the second sketch by standing up and working larger, both of which I enjoyed. 

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Coming up in Part II -- The challenges mount: Working from a photograph and from life!

Upcoming Local Exhibit and Work in Process Update

drawing #8 WIP - tap dance series

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

I have some good news to share! There is going to be another opportunity this year to view my artwork in my local community of Bethlehem, PA.

I know quite a few people lamented the fact that they were not able to attend my Open Studio in September. If you were one of those people, please read on. (Even if you weren't, please read on anyway. There are other details that might interest you.)

On Sunday November 6th I am thrilled to be exhibiting my artwork at the Tap Ties' Day of Dance and Friendship!

The wonderful Tap Ties ladies are hosting a fun filled afternoon of tap master classes followed by an informal performance and reception. The classes are open to intermediate and advanced tap dancers ages 12 and over. The reception and performance is open both to dancers and non-dancers. See their website for more information.

The Tap Ties directors have graciously invited me to exhibit my artwork during the event. My art will be on display outside of the dance room during all the classes and the reception. I will be showing a variety of pieces including (but not limited to) drawings and related products from my tap dance series. It is the perfect time to start holiday shopping for the tap dance lover or art lover in your life!
Click here for directions and a map.

The details...
Tap Ties Day of Dance and Friendship
Sunday, November 6, 2011
2pm - 6:30pm
Moravian College Dance Studio
Johnston Hall, Elizabeth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA

About the art...
The image above is a work in progress shot for what will become the next drawing in my tap dance series. I absolutely love my reference photo - another one snapped at a Tap Ties choreography session. I chose to use graphite for this image because of the subtle tones in the background and floor. Since I am using graphite, this drawing is moving a bit slower than my last two charcoal pieces did, but I think it is going to be worth it in the end.

And for the sake of complete disclosure, I will say that shortly after snapping this photo, I saw some things that I wanted to change so I spent a little quality time with an eraser. That certainly didn't speed up my progress any, but I'm happy with the changes which is all that really matters.

The Fine Art of Savoring Life

"Autumn by the Creek" sketch

Inktense pencils in Moleskin watercolor sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

When I was younger I didn't think much about savoring life. I had lots of free time to spend however I wanted. If a day ended up feeling kind of "blah" or unmemorable, it was no big deal. There was always tomorrow.

Now that I'm older I think a lot more about whether I savored any part of my day. Part of that may be contributed to getting older, and hopefully wiser, but I think a bigger factor is the busy schedule that comes from living with a husband who is never still and two fun-loving pre-teens.

Many of our days are jam-packed with activities, commitments, obligations. The free times are fewer and farther apart, making it all more important to me to savor both the free times and the fuller parts of my life.

Here is a list of some of the ways I savor my days...
- talk with my husband about travel, going after our dreams, successes we are striving for, how our kids crack us up, anything and everything;
- take "Family Fun" outings to amusements parks, the beach, mini-golf, the woods, creeks and streams, the ice cream store, historic homes, any place interesting, beautiful or fun;
- relax on the screened porch;
- spend time with family and friends;
- eat really good food;
- spend time in nature;
- hug the ones I love;
- laugh, dance, act silly;
- create art.

What are some of the ways you savor life?

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About the sketch: I created this quick sketch on Monday. School was closed in observance of Columbus Day, and my hubby took a vacation day from work so we could all have a three day weekend. We went for a short hike and ended up on the bank of a creek. While the kids splashed around in the very cold water and skipped stones with hubby, I perched on a fallen tree and made an attempt to capture the sunlight, the color of the changing leaves and the way they reflected in the stream. A good time was had by all and I savored both the moment and now the memory of it.

The grey area at the top of the sketch is a shadow created during the scanning. Adjusting the colors of the scan was a challenge. The white of the paper was reflecting too much light causing me to lose the yellows in the sketch. This one looks better in real life than on the screen.

Newest Cupcake Painting

watercolor on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Fresh off my painting board is my newest painting of cupcakes.

These little lovelies were baked by my neighbor, who has forever ruined me for store bought frosting. Her frosting is so good that I even enjoy the vanilla. This from a chocolate lovin' girl!

I am considering the image below as an alternate crop. What do you think?

alternate crop

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Virtual Open Studio 2011

I tried something different for my Virtual Open Studio this year. Instead of using still photography, I decided to create a video.

Now I will warn you, no one is going to be banging down my door predicting my astronomical success as a TV personality. But I do think it gives a good sense of how I set up our home for the Open Studio.

And I think it gives a good sense of the proportions of the artwork on display.

Worse case, you can always turn down the audio. Or close your eyes if you start to feel a little motion sickness.

(Now you are really looking forward to it, right?!)

Enjoy!

Relax with a Cup of Coffee

Coffee Break

©2007 Stacy L. Rowan

watercolor on paper

Hi all! Last weekend was my Open Studio and I am pleased to report it went very well.

A nice number of guests stopped by and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with everyone. Some came to buy, some to look and some just to offer their support. I felt blessed by the presence of every one of them.

I am working on a little something different this year in terms of sharing the Open Studio with my blog readers. But it's not quite ready yet.

While you wait I thought I would share my little mug of coffee and a couple of cookies with you. Our weather here has been of the rainy and cool variety. If it doesn't improve soon I will need a nice warm drink to fill in for the warmth of the sunshine.

Open Studio This Saturday!

Zipping in and out quick today without even any new art to share. My schedule is full of things to do that I want to complete before my Open Studio this weekend.

The paintings are hung along with their labels, prints are out in their print racks and note cards* are restocked.

Food is planned and ingredients purchased, waiting to be mixed up fresh.

So how is it that my "To Do" list seems to keep getting longer?!?

No matter how long the list grows, at noon on this Saturday (the 17th), the work stops and the fun begins! I am really looking forward it!

*Speaking of note cards, this week I created a new set using an assortment of my produce images, which you can see below. This set will be available at the Open Studio. If you are interested in purchasing some cards and can't make it on Saturday, just drop me an email. My email address is in the right hand side-bar.

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Stacy and the Giant Peach

sketch of "giant" peach

Inktense pencils in Moleskine watercolor sketchbook

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Yesterday I stopped at a farm stand in our area that I hadn't been to before. I knew it was there and had driven by it on numerous occasions, but it was just one of those places I was going to stop "someday".

Since I wasn't able to make it to our normal farmers' market last weekend and was nearly out of fresh produce, I decided to give this "new to me" place a try. And am I glad I did!

I was pleasantly surprised by their selection. Everything looked so fresh and delicious. But what stood out most were the containers of peaches.

They are some of the largest peaches I have ever seen!

Honestly the largest ones are at least 3.5 inches in diameter. I kid you not. That is a BIG peach.

I wanted to sketch the peach next to some other object that, by comparison, would give you an indication of the peach's size, but I couldn't think of anything that didn't seem totally random. So instead I sketched the giant peach by itself. Which doesn't make for as good a story, but it's all I got.

Not only are these the biggest peaches I've ever seen, they are also the best tasting peaches I've ever eaten.

This good news has me looking up peach containing recipes for something I can serve to my guests at the Open Studio. I found some contenders which I'll be trying out over the next couple of days. Nothing too fancy (because fancy can mean difficult). Just good, delicious peachy-ness.

Man I really hope this "new to me" farm stand still has peaches next week. (Keeping my fingers crossed.)

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About the sketch: This sketch was done in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook using a small set of Inktense pencils. I really like how vibrant the colors are, especially after wetting them with a waterbrush. I added dry pencil on top to give the sketch some texture. I think I like these pencils better than watercolor pencils, but they do take a little bit more care when wetting them, because once they dry there is no moving that color!

About the Open Studio: You can find out more about my upcoming Open Studio here.

New Watercolor - Pears

untitled pears

watercolor on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

My children went back to school this week, and as soon as the house was empty and quiet I made a beeline up to my studio.

I loved the slower pace of summer and really enjoyed having fun with the family, but I also missed my regular studio schedule. I didn't realize how much until I was sitting back at my table surrounded by my paints and brushes.

The above watercolor painting of pears is fresh off the board. I finished it yesterday.

I started it a few weeks ago after buying our first batch of pears from the farmers' market. I grabbed three pears when we got home and took them right upstairs for a painting session.

The pears were long since gone by the time I got back to this painting on Tuesday, but luckily I thought to take a picture of the arrangement on day one.

I hope to have this painting matted in time to have it available at my 3rd Annual Open Studio on Saturday, September 17th.