Sunday, October 31, 2010
Pose Maniacs!
Here are some drawings from 2 recent sessions on PoseManiacs.org. I feel I've lost some of what I gained in my drawing over the summer. I'm sure what I need is more practice. I've just been too tired.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Eyes
The term at TSA is about half over and I've been getting mid-term marks. Also my work room at home is piled high with supplies and half-finished projects. I have to do 3 collages for Collage class in the next week or two. On Monday we have to bring everything we've made to Art History so she can mark us and get an idea of where we're at. I'm working on a series of collage canvases on the Tale of Genji. I made two linocuts today that I can use. There will probably be some overlap with Collage class.
This week we did eyes in Life Drawing and yesterday in Painting we copied one face feature from a painting. I did an eye from "Blue Boy" by Gainsborough, c1770 -- from a book that included a larger detail of the face. I know it's not easy to tell in my painting so I'll give you a hint -- it's the right eye looking at the picture.
This week we did eyes in Life Drawing and yesterday in Painting we copied one face feature from a painting. I did an eye from "Blue Boy" by Gainsborough, c1770 -- from a book that included a larger detail of the face. I know it's not easy to tell in my painting so I'll give you a hint -- it's the right eye looking at the picture.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Life Drawing
It was an eventful life drawing class this week. The teacher kicked out 3 students -- for the very first time in her 20 years of teaching at TSA. They chatter the entire time like little kids. It's most annoying and depressing.
The other event was no more colour! After a warm-up we moved on to only brown and black. I might miss the blue.
And the last thing was that we used mirrors to draw our own eye.
The other event was no more colour! After a warm-up we moved on to only brown and black. I might miss the blue.
And the last thing was that we used mirrors to draw our own eye.
The Psychology of Colour
I finally finished the latest two week exercise. Next week we begin exercises that are more about composition than mixing colours.
We started with a prismatic colour grid of light and dark, warm and cold colours. Then we were to add white, then a lot of white, then black, a warm chromatic dark, a cold chromatic dark and lastly complements. This is what I came up with. Not perfect but okay.
Then we were to use some of these colours to paint the same composition twice with different or opposite pallets. Remember that the title of this entire exercise was "The psychology of colour." So we were to try for happy/sad or whatever. I did two pairs because the teacher found my first one too simple and with not enough contrast. She's right. My second is more of a mess. Sorry but these pictures are a bit blurry. I should have taken them out of their plastic covers for the photographs.
We started with a prismatic colour grid of light and dark, warm and cold colours. Then we were to add white, then a lot of white, then black, a warm chromatic dark, a cold chromatic dark and lastly complements. This is what I came up with. Not perfect but okay.
Then we were to use some of these colours to paint the same composition twice with different or opposite pallets. Remember that the title of this entire exercise was "The psychology of colour." So we were to try for happy/sad or whatever. I did two pairs because the teacher found my first one too simple and with not enough contrast. She's right. My second is more of a mess. Sorry but these pictures are a bit blurry. I should have taken them out of their plastic covers for the photographs.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Medium
I'm learning to feel. My goal is to feel the words I speak or the experiences I have as I speak or experience them. It's not easy. In the group I learn or understand things in my brain but not in my body. So I need a translator. A medium. A safe place to feel. And luckily I have one!
Ashamed
Colonel Russell Williams said at his sentencing that he was "indescribably ashamed" at what he had done. Also that he had confessed to his crimes to make things less difficult for his wife.
I'm not surprised he would speak of his wife in this way. However I expect that his real worry was not about his wife but about appearing to be a gentleman.
Colonel Williams is so familiar to me. He's so like my father.
Williams is being described as a psychopath. Those things (88) he did that shamed him so much and which he didn't want to be a bother to his wife were two horribly cruel and sadistic murders, multiple sexual assaults, theft of countless women's underwear, photographing assaults and murders and himself in the underwear ... On and on.
Horror. All the while living the a life of a respected top soldier and pilot.
He was most afraid of losing face -- he was ashamed.
Bad boy! Too creepy.
I think of my father bringing flowers to my mother on holidays and anniversaries. But only much later in life so that his daughters-in-law thought he was such a fine husband. And the jewellery he bought which my mother never wanted. He had some rote learning of what women are supposed to like and want but had no idea who his wife or children were.
I'm not surprised he would speak of his wife in this way. However I expect that his real worry was not about his wife but about appearing to be a gentleman.
Colonel Williams is so familiar to me. He's so like my father.
Williams is being described as a psychopath. Those things (88) he did that shamed him so much and which he didn't want to be a bother to his wife were two horribly cruel and sadistic murders, multiple sexual assaults, theft of countless women's underwear, photographing assaults and murders and himself in the underwear ... On and on.
Horror. All the while living the a life of a respected top soldier and pilot.
He was most afraid of losing face -- he was ashamed.
Bad boy! Too creepy.
I think of my father bringing flowers to my mother on holidays and anniversaries. But only much later in life so that his daughters-in-law thought he was such a fine husband. And the jewellery he bought which my mother never wanted. He had some rote learning of what women are supposed to like and want but had no idea who his wife or children were.
TSA This Week
In Art History this week I worked with a linocut made from a drawing in the Tale of Genji. I only used the corner of a house so far. I might add more to this picture and I also have another piece I can cut. I did what we usually do -- which is to decorate paper. I'm guessing that I'll eventually end up with a collage about the Tale of Genji made from all the papers I've decorated.
In Collage I also decorated paper -- this time with paints and stamps. The papers are to be used in our next collage. In Colour I worked away on the latest exercise. I'm not finished so I'll have to keep you in suspense about that. In Life Drawing we concentrated on heads -- which is weird because that was also what we did in Painting. I was happy to learn that from now on in Life Drawing we won't be using the 3 colours. Of course the 2 teachers have quite different ways to describe how to draw/paint a head. I haven't yet figured out how to blend the paints but I was happy that I could make a face out of light and shadow.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Pose Maniacs!
So far this term I've been too worn out to go to any of the open drawing sessions at TSA. My life drawing teacher suggested an alternative, a website called posemaniacs.com. I've tried it a few times and really like it. It's neat because the poses are sometimes from above or below which you don't get with a human model. I begin with 30 second poses as a warm-up and then move to random poses. I draw each post for 3-5 minutes -- no longer because there's not as much detail to capture as with a live model. But it's fun and way better than no practice at all.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Tied-Up
I had a dream last night. I was late getting ready to go to a dinner party with my family and several other people. I wasn't dressed up enough or on time and my father was furious. Scarily angry. I didn't know what to wear. I thought of putting on a tie but I knew I would have to borrow one from my father and then ask him to tie it for me. That was a terrifying thought because it would be much to easy for him to strangle me.
This relates to something that happened last week. Someone I know was wearing a tie and I asked her if she knew how to tie one. She said no but that someone had tied it for her. That set me off into jealous thoughts of who that someone might be. This person was also in my dream last night. She was going to the same dinner party but in a different car. I couldn't find her. I needed to ask her what to do about my father and his rage but I couldn't find her.
This relates to something that happened last week. Someone I know was wearing a tie and I asked her if she knew how to tie one. She said no but that someone had tied it for her. That set me off into jealous thoughts of who that someone might be. This person was also in my dream last night. She was going to the same dinner party but in a different car. I couldn't find her. I needed to ask her what to do about my father and his rage but I couldn't find her.
Coloured Figures
More from the land of tri-coloured Life Drawing. Sometimes this week I had so many lines and angles I ended up adding a fourth colour. The new thing for the week was to have 2 parts of the model's body touch the drawn frame and to map the largest triangle. Here are a few samples beginning with 1 minutes gestures then 5 minute poses and longer until ending with 25 minute poses.
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