Sunday Sketching -

Since this is supposedly an art blog, I thought I ought to, I don't know, post some art? Not that I've made much of any in the last three weeks or so...

(And Shannon, I know this doesn't look like you at all. You are hard for me for some reason)

I did manage to sit through church this week, although felt very rusty with the drawing (how does that happen so quickly??) I've *got* to start sketching SOON - there are cover roughs to submit, and workshop sketches to work on. Every day I think that *this* is the day I'll be able to draw... Alas....

I *did*draw some in church though, which feels like a positive stop. Spent the last part of the day drawing mummies for wiggly little 8-year old boys (it did have something to do with the lesson, I promise). It kept us both engaged enough to stick it out. :-)

Maybe I'll be able to do some actual sketching... tomorrow....?

Sunday Sketching -

Not particularly interesting sketching views - lovely Easter service however.

Sunday Sketching -

After a fun life drawing session on Friday, I couldn't bring myself to draw the back of heads today... Instead I was thinking of one of my fairy nieces, and it just kind of evolved from there...

(-All weirdly proportioned since I started with a larger head in the upper corner of my page and didn't decide to put on the rest of the body until after I got going - and rather than cut off her left side, she just got short-armed and small-torso-d...)

I can't tell you the last time I just drew. For fun. With nothing in mind when starting....
And then this strange little thing happened as I thought of the other fairy niece. Maybe I've been unduly influenced by the Manga graphic novel I just read. Or maybe it was inspired by the hilarious looking trailer for the upcoming movie Planet 51 (the "Alien" dog just cracked me up). This is going on the 'must see' list.

(you can see a better resolution version at the official site here).

I may be coming out of my burn-out funk. :-)

Sunday Sketching -

I think I may never draw adults at church again. Not when there are such cute little bodies playing in the pew next to us, or looking back at us from a few rows up ahead...

I want to get better at remembering the micro-poses they assume (since they don't stay still for more than 2 seconds at a time). James Gurney (who still has the best art blog on the planet - even when he's out of the country, like now) had a thoroughly thought-provoking post on what he calls 'The Flash-Glance Method' - where you look at your subject and then quickly close your eyes. The last pose they were in should 'hover' on the insides of your eyelids for a couple of seconds. Hopefully long enough to get some more short-term memory sketching captured. JG's sketches using this technique are fabulous. My memory muscles need more working-out!

Sunday Sketching -

Here's a couple of weeks' worth of church sketching. Those above are about 5 minute head studies.

These were today, ranging from 3-10 minutes, depending on the person. There must be a better way to do this, besides precariously balancing a tiny 4x6 sketchbook on one knee and trying to look unobtrusive. I'm about finished with this sketchbook and then plan on switching to a bright shiny new moleskine (maybe that will be better? It's not really any larger, but any larger won't fit in my purse so well, and draw too much attention...)

Another page out of the sketchbook - this time of my brother, lecturing his college class. He paced constantly, so even though it was over a longer period of time, it was only in snatches that I could attempt a similar pose to the one I started with. Again, I am somewhat hampered by the tiny size of my paper surface and how awkward drawing near the edges gets...

Tell about your favorite 'mobile' sketchbooks! What works for you? Especially in small scale.