Warm-up Sketches, a Quote, and a Book

The Best Way to Have a Cigarette -- Sketch It!

Warming Up

More Warming Up

"Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons."

                                                                           --Al Hirschfeld

Enlarged View

My Desk at Work:  A Mixture of Business and Pleasure

I purchased this book recently and am eager to plunge in.  It's all about jump-starting your creativity.  So far I find the author (Kim Piper Werker) engaging, daring, and humorous.

Desire and Frustration Running Neck and Neck

Friday morning:  I had only a small window of time.  I wanted to do art -- sketch and paint something in my sketchbook.  But I was at my office and my psychotherapy patients would  start showing up in half an hour. 

I couldn't do my usual preferred slow drawing.  What I really wanted to do was paint.  Since I sketch in ink first and then paint afterwards, if I'm short on time, painting often gets sacrificed.  And if I don't paint, part of me just feels sad.  Like I went to the party but didn't get to dance.

But Friday I did it.  I made a sketch, focusing on the little girl in the photo.  (See Sktchy app for photo references.)  I sketched fast.  By putting the little girl where I did on the page I ran out of room for her father, couldn't fit him in completely.  (Alas!)

My final version -- ink and watercolor, done in 30 minutes.

It was fun and exciting to race the clock, my desire and frustration driving me to the finish line.  I completed my painting and was ready for my first patient on time.  The paint was still drying when she arrived.  And I was happy.

An Endearing Curmudgeon and a Hipster

An Endearing Curmudgeon and a Hipster

Here are three of my sketches from the week.  It's been a busy week thus far, not as much time to sketch as I'd like.  These were all sketched using  a Micron pen with photo references from the Sktchy app.

Of the three, I like the one below the best.    Drawing the coffee cup in the guy's hand and  getting the point of contact where the cup and his lips meet to look realistic was challenging.

This drawing is 6" x 9".  The other drawings are smaller.  Click on any of them to enlarge.

Have a good rest of the week, everyone, and I'll see you next week!

Art Playing with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Art Playing with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Julie Fei-Fan Blazer and Me at the Weekend Workshop

I spent the weekend at an art workshop at CRAFT taught by mixed media artist and author Julie Fei-Fan Blazer.  I first discovered Julie several years ago when I was looking for art tutorials.  Her style is bold, energetic, and full of bright colors.  Among other things,  Julie is known for her daily art journaling, scrapbooking (see Scrapbook Soup for her TV hosting and instruction), and stencil designs.  These days I particularly enjoy listening to her bi-monthly podcasts "Adventures in Arting," co-hosted with her mother, Eileen Hsu-Balzer.

Originally from Boston, Julie lived and worked in New York City for 17 years before returning to the Boston area.  Without question, she is as lively and humorously edgy in person as she is in her videos and podcasts.  Dare I say salty!  

Julie Giving Instruction

The workshop began with each of us creating stacks of colorful papers which we produced by putting acrylic paint on paper.  We used old credit cards as tools for smearing/scraping the paint  onto the paper.  Gel plates and stencils were also used to create one-of-a-kind mono prints.

My Work in Progress

Later we applied matte medium to collage the papers onto our canvases and added more paint to make whatever our hearts desired.  Julie gave us basic instructions; then we were on our own to take our projects in whatever directions we chose.  I had a blast!  I'm still learning this process and how the paints work (i.e. how to blend colors, how to keep colors from getting muddy-ugly, etc.)  Part of the fun was seeing what other people created.  A spirit of creativity and enthusiasm infused the weekend, and everyone walked away with at least two collaged paintings they'd done.  

Julie created an atmosphere of warmth, self-acceptance, and play.  While initially the thought of attending three 7-hour days of doing painting and collage seemed daunting, the time really flew by.  

Here you can see one of my works in progress.  For this one, I started putting collage papers on the canvas first, then added paint and more collage.

And one more, an abstract, still in process:

This piece started with me painting colors on the canvas first, then adding colorful collage papers, and more paint.

Neither of these paintings is what I consider finished. I'll continue working on each of them in the coming week or so.


Finally, a closing photo of Julie and the rest of us showing off our work:

Befriending Inconsistency

Befriending Inconsistency

I visited an art and creativity center recently where the staff told me they had a rule that people who come there to create art projects are not allowed to criticize their work.  Interesting idea.  While a part of me likes that notion, I have yet to meet an artist who doesn't at least occasionally voice some dislike about a work they've produced.  

That's true for me as well.  Some days I do a painting I'm very proud of -- like the ink and watercolor sketch I did of Vin Ganapathy in my blog post from Monday of this week, or the sketch of the man in overalls at the top of this page.  Other times I create a painting or sketch that makes me want to hide it from myself and others. 

My goal is to develop patience with the process, to accept the fact that creating art -- like learning any new skill -- can yield what  feels like serendipitously lovely work as well as dismayingly disappointing pieces. 

Like the Buddhist idea of "making friends with" the parts of ourselves we'd like to disown, I want to make friends with the fact that the quality of my work is inconsistent.  

In the spirit of that aspiration, here are some of my most recent sketches, imperfect little darlings that they are!

A Debt of Gratitude: Vin Ganapathy

A Debt of Gratitude:  Vin Ganapathy

My Ink and Watercolor Sketches of Vin Ganapathy and Friend

One of my favorite teachers at Sketchbook Skool is Vin Ganapathy.  Vin is a superb illustrator and artist, with a particular gift for doing portraits.  His work has appeared in publications as diverse as The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Magazine, GQ India, and the website Funny or Die.  Born in Gonikoppal, India, and raised in the suburbs of Connecticut, Vin is based in New York City.

My Ink Sketch of Vin Ganapathy and Friend

Three things grabbed me right away when I watched Vin's videos at Sketchbook Skool.  His portraits are full of life, his manner of teaching is accessible and earnest, and his main instruction is very straightforward:  "Draw everyday.  Draw from the second you wake up."  Draw during lunch breaks, he urges.  Draw crowds, draw at sporting events, draw at concerts, draw anywhere that people are gathered.  Finally, with conviction born of experience, he offers these simple words -- "You'll get better." 

Vin in Ink

Vin in Ink and Watercolor

I must have watched Vin's Sketchbook Skool videos dozens of times.  I suppose anyone could have said the same words to me, but when I hear them from Vin and see the beautiful portraits and awe-inspiring illustrations which are a result of his efforts, I believe.  I believe that with time, effort, and self-discipline, I can and will get better.  Thank you, Vin.

From Black and White to Color ...and What I Learned Along the Way

From Black and White to Color ...and What I Learned Along the Way

Helen in Chimenea (pencil and ink on paper)

These are photos of a couple of sketches that went from preliminary drawings to final ink  and watercolor paintings.     

The sweet kitty pictured here is Helen, who belongs to a friend of mine.  What a cozy hideaway she found in this chimenea!

Helen in Chimenea (ink and some watercolor)

Helen in Chimenea (closer to the finish line)

Helen in Chimenea (final version)

In painting this portrait of Helen, I learned that it's helpful when painting a pet to have them in a contrasting background.  In order to get Helen's face to pop, I had to change the color of the inside of the chimenea from the original black to this blue.  Artistic license I suppose? I also had a little trouble getting the shadow under Helen's chin to look realistic.  Will keep working on this!

The sketches and painting below are of a little girl whose photo I found on Sktchy. 

(Ink on paper)

I used only ink to sketch her and realized early on that I'd made her face too big in places.  So I "cheated" a little by using my black pen lines to create more background contrast than I had originally intended.  I ended up being happy using that method  to get more of the look I wanted.

(Ink and Watercolor - in process)

(Ink and Watercolor - the final version)

Holiday - Labor Day Throwback

Holiday - Labor Day Throwback

While I'm enjoying a day off, here are a few pieces I painted and sketched in years past.  Wishing you a happy and restful Labor Day!

Untitled - Mixed Media Collage on Paper 6 1/4" x 9"

Untitled - Mixed Media Collage on Paper 7 3/8" x 10"

"Folks at Barnes and Noble"  - from my sketchbook

"Keys"  - from my sketchbook

"Important Stuff on the Phone"  - from my sketchbook