Staying loose
 

I have been trying to stay loose and relaxed, yet continue sketching daily before the workshop next week. I had so much fun with this photo I took in April. Vine charcoal on newsprint . . .took about an hour.

Beautiful drawing, very painterly.

Allan

Thanks Allan. ;) I took better pics of it this morning and tweaked just the tiniest bit. My intention was to think values and painting, not drawing, so I used only vine charcoal and my fingers. I really tried to concentrate on shapes instead of features. Vine charcoal is so tenuous, you can only be loose - I like that!

Pat,

What a completely engaging, lovely little piece. Were you working on a toned surface?

I also love vine charcoal, and I agree with all you've said. I recently experimented with LItho Coal, and will post the image in materials when I get a few minutes - you might try it- it heat sets, and becomes unsmudgable (sounds like a Natalie Cole song.)

You are really doing such lovely work.

Hi Chris,
Thank you for the compliment!! It's very encouraging to get this from you!! The paper is just newsprint. I have never heard of Litho Coal but will look for it, sounds very interesting.

Hi Patricia -

Not only good values, but very loose, flowing, "painterly" lines and a well-done drawing overall. Very nice!

Pat,

Your drawing is beautiful, so beautiful in fact I would THROW OUT the newsprint and get some reasonably priced archival paper. Little gems like this are a treasure, and it is worth having them on better paper. Use the newsprint for doodling out ideas or training puppies. It yellows and embrittles rapidly. Just look at a pile of old newspapers to see what I mean.

I'm so jealous of the way you've handled this. It's very fresh and quite possibly my favorite piece of yours. It feels like you were'nt trying to create a woek of art, it just happend naturally. I'm proud of you, keep up the great work.

Hi Pat, I like your "loose" style a lot! This is a little treasure.

Jean

Julie, Sharon, Jimmie, Jean,

I'm so happy to read your responses. I was pretty tickled with the way she happened so quickly and easily. I'd like to think it is no accident but that I am getting something out of the dozens of BAD drawings I do in between the couple of good drawings!!! I was thinking of Ruben's Head of a Boy when I visualized this drawing. The Ruben's poster is in my studio and I have studied it every day for three years - and I have copied it several times.

Sharon, I'll save the newsprint for the puppy we are adopting in two weeks, when I return from Vegas, a one year old german shepherd - Greta, she is beautiful!!! and buy some charcoal paper ;)

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to preserve newsprint?

Jimmie, you jealous of me?????? That's a universal switcharoo!!!! Remember you are MY drawing mentor!!!