The Artist's Magazine

Make your drawings pop!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:10:05 GMT

This past month I've been working on budgets for 2010. It's not exactly creative work, but it must be done if we still want books and magazines in 2010. So I was very happy to spend my Saturday drawing. When I start to draw, I really don't know where my work will end up. This is probably a reaction to the fact that most of the time, I've got more than enough to do, and when I'm drawing, I just unplug and work in the moment. Sound familiar? I really cherish my drawing time because it gives me opportunity to turn inside and embrace my creativity.

My process this week was very simple: Draw a figure using the same pose from different angles. It's an old artist's trick to get the most out of your model. I drew very fast, taking about seven minutes per drawing. For me, the action doesn't stop once the pencil is down. After I blocked everything in, I needed to figure out how to take it to the next level. This week, I really wanted to maintain the simplicity and decided to focus on capturing the head in a square format. I used three colors, one neutral and two complements, yellow-green and red-orange (OK, so not exact complements, but close). These drawings are 7x7 but have a grand sense of scale, a little reminiscent of Pop Art. The bold colors and the layout of the images help make the compositions feel larger than they are. These aren't exactly portraits, more like advanced studies that work well together.

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Drawing or painting?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:03:36 GMT

What defines a drawing versus a painting? How do you classify one from the other? Can we always distinguish between the two? People have been debating this question for years. Obviously, the two are interconnected, and both can be very expressive forms of art. Some artists love the process of drawing, others love the painting process, and there are parts of both that appeal to many artists. For me, drawing is a little more spontaneous and looser; painting takes more planning and decisionmaking. This past week, I found a happy medium using a process that mixes the two.

I confess, not all of my drawings (or paintings) turn out to be exactly how I envision. When good drawings go bad, I find that stopping is a good solution. But sometimes an errant drawing can become the basis for taking a piece in a totally different direction. This drawing started out as a portrait of a woman’s face, but the features weren't as well-drawn as I wanted, so I decided to turn it into a mixed-media piece.

On top of the drawing I randomly applied a thin layer of colored gesso. On top of the dry gesso, I redrew a new figure using conté crayon. I used oil pastels to accent the figure, and graphite and more conté to add darks to the composition. In some places, I blended the conté and oil pastel using a paper stump, and then etched into it with a metal palette knife. Working on a drawing that I already considered ruined allowed me to engage in a liberating, discover-as-I-go process. The drawing has taken on a more painterly feeling with a definite drawing edge, so for me it was win-win. Next time a drawing isn’t going the way you want, take a chance and mix it up by adding some other mediums. You might be pleased with the results.

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The Value of Value

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:39:25 GMT

One of the most beautiful aspects of using graphite is the range of values you can achieve within a single drawing. Dangerous darks, ethereal lights and every value in between—obtained just by varying the pressure on the pencil or graphite stick. This range of values has attracted artists for centuries and keeps pencils in the hands of modern artists. As wonderful as a traditional pencil is, sometimes I like to use graphite that comes in a water-soluble version. This week's drawing was done using a water-soluble graphite pencil.

The drawing of the figure has a loose, quick feel to it—and it should because I completed it in about 10 minutes. The process was pretty simple: draw, shade and brush water over the parts I wanted to have a looser feeling. The washes make the drawing more interesting and provide a contemporary approach to the medium. It has a feeling similar to watercolor, but the graphite washes provide a different sensibility and surface quality. I love how the graphite can become fluid; I was even able to pick up enough liquid graphite with the brush to splatter some across the paper to add texture and another value to the paper. The value ranges are subtle, which adds some moodiness to the drawing that compliments the relaxed pose of the figure. This is a great way to experiment with graphite and stretch your drawing muscles.

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What drawings can do that paintings can't

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:52:48 GMT

Last week, instead of spending time on my own drawing, I got to see the work of several talented artists while in Scottsdale, AZ. Among other things, I was there to attend the Scottsdale Gallery Association's monthly Art Walk. Art walks are a great way for the arts community and art lovers to come together by opening gallery doors for an evening, and I saw some amazing art.

One of the highlights of my trip was the 1st Annual Scottsdale Drawing Event. So many collectors focus on paintings that drawings are often an overlooked art form. Many of the drawings were completed in conjunction with oil paintings. It was astounding to see the same image, one in black and white, the other in full color; each a complete work on its own with a different intensity.

I found it fun to find the slight variations between the works as the composition was altered to best suit the artists' intention and medium. All the work was great, but sometimes I actually liked the drawings better. Drawing has a direct connection to the subject that's not always present in paintings. I think it's the mark-making that only dry media create—each line, hash-mark or smudge echoing the movement of the hand across the paper. You be the judge: Check out this gallery of drawings from the show.

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Integrate your figures in simple compositions

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:12:00 GMT

Drawing figures is a lot of fun because the human body can has an infinite number of poses. Even better is taking an ordinary pose and placing it on an interesting surface. This type of drawing forces my brain to find visual solutions while creating interesting compositions. The ground automatically energizes the drawing because the space has been broken up for me. What a great shortcut!

I created this surface using a 9x12 sheet of red drawing paper and a piece of paper from an old book. The printed paper has a lot of cotton in it, so it’s very soft and takes adhesives well. When placing the collage together, I made sure the proportions were irregular—this is key to making the composition work. If the composition is broken into perfect halves or thirds, the space will be divided too evenly. Sometimes symmetry is great, but I find irregularity much more interesting. When placing the figure, I anticipated how it would impact the overall composition. I was careful to place the figure so the proportions interacted with the collage at irregular intervals.

This composition has only four values, and three of them are in large masses, which gives the composition a more graphic feeling. The large blocks or red, taupe and off-white divide the space and create the setting for the figure. The black adds the detail needed to balance out the large masses of value and defines the figure and the space. There’s a lot of contrast in this drawing, and the drawing is well executed and works as a focal point. In this case the figure almost becomes secondary to the composition, but I think that’s OK, because the rest of the composition holds the viewer’s attention. I also like the contrast between the rectilinear shapes of the collage and the windows balancing the softer lines of the figure.

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Warm and cool: Simple color mixing

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:14:44 GMT

I like to play with color in my drawings. There are a lot of great artists who capture realistic skin tone to create amazingly accurate drawings. This takes a lot skill and practice, which is certainly worth striving for. However, I prefer to be more experimental with my figure drawing and choose a subjective color palette. This gives me the latitude to select the hues and values I want to convey the mood I'm looking for.

When drawing the figure, I like to start with the basic shapes, defining the outline of the model. I make corrections as I go along until I get the shapes just right. I want to capture the posture of the pose, so that the mood and gesture of the model is reflected in my drawing. To me, that's more important than capturing the proportions perfectly. Once I've achieved the shapes I want, I add color.

The lines of the drawing capture the figure and mood of the pose while setting the groundwork for the entire composition. Blue becomes a natural shadow color; the value is darker, which adds depth and rounds out the form. Using the light yellow-green adds warmth to the skin, while providing contrast to the blue. Contrast is a great way to add interest to any drawing or painting, so I always try to add some strong contrast my work. The red hair provides a great final pop to top off the image. One other thing to notice is how the same colors are used in different places throughout the figure. This helps move the eye around the drawing and keeps any one color from garnering too much attention. The red behind the arm balances with the red in the hair; the blue in the hair, neck and arm brings the eye from top to bottom, then back up. The one thing I'd like to fix is the balance between the eyes; one is darker than the other. Next time I'll need to be more precise in my line making.

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Capture the Figure in a Single Line

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:19:37 GMT

Whenever I'm having a difficult time embracing the drawing mode, it's a good idea for me to go back to basics. Using a simple contour line to draw the figure is one of best exercises to snap the brain from the left side to the right. I can always count on this technique to make me stop and look. If I'm not drawing the way I want, I’m not seeing, and sometimes I just need to slow down and really look at what is in front of me. Since seeing is the key to drawing, this simple change of course improves my results.

When using contour line I always start with the most complicated part of the subject, in this case the face. Then I slowly work my way to the outer edges of the figure, looking for the basic lines that make up the composition. Once I get into this mode of drawing, I become more relaxed and am able to focus on the simple shapes, the twisting of the form and the direction of the limbs. I allow my lines to overlap, tracing the shapes until I get them just right.

Aside from opening up my eyes, the thing I like most about contour drawing is the challenge it brings. Creating art is a lot like solving a puzzle. You have to figure out how to arrange the line, shape, form and values. How do you place the figure on page? How dark or how light, how thick or how thin to make the lines? Where is the focal point? And how do you fit it all in without removing the charcoal from the paper? It's a balancing act, that's for sure.

We had a great model this session, and her amazing poses created some very interesting compositions. She also had this great, curly hair that bounced around her head. By keeping the face simple, I was able to balance the active lines of her hair and create the focal point for the drawing. The face almost always becomes the focal point anyway, so it's a good idea to plan your drawing with that in mind. The proportions are fairly accurate, which is just fine with me. The drawing is large (24x18), which let me to capture the smaller features like the hands more easily. After I completed the contour line, I punctuated the drawing with some strong darks. This really increased the contrast and gives the drawing some extra punch.

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Exercise your eye: Learn to draw

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:02:27 GMT

Ahhh, autumn! For many people, that means back to school, and for me it's no different, even though I've been working for 20 years. As the publisher of The Artist’s Magazine and North Light Books, I know a lot about art. Actually, I've been painting for years, and I decided to exercise my eyes and hands by taking part in a local figure-drawing group. The first session was Sept. 12, and I’ve decided to share my thoughts about drawing and making art and some of the conversations that come up during the critiques in our blog.

Although this was the first group session, I've been drawing with some of these people for years. We were lucky to have a veteran model with us, so I was able to quickly get into a strong rhythm. We drew for about an hour with quick, two- to five-minute poses, then another hour with 15-minute poses. I draw pretty fast, so this approach works well for me.

It's always good to know your objectives before starting any work of art. I have some very simple goals for my drawings:

1. Exercise my eye-hand coordination.
2. Engage with the model to capture him on paper.
3. Practice my compositional skills.
4. Record what I see in a quick, simplistic manner.

I'm not too worried about accuracy; these are really just experiments and a chance to draw.

Notice the figures in my finished drawing (top) are of the same pose from different perspectives. I like this approach because it challenges me to incorporate the figures without making them repetitive. By including two figures, the composition becomes more complex and establishes a dialogue between them. I went back into the drawing the next day to create the setting, which connects the figures and makes the drawing less of a study and more of a finished work. This drawing was created on paper taken from an old book doomed to the recycling bin. The printed words added texture to the paper and were a challenge to integrate into the work. I liked the way the text interacted with the figures and decided I didn’t want to use traditional shading or modeling to create forms. Instead I opted to leave the figures unshaded and focused on using color and value to create contrast within the piece. I think it was successful overall and a good start to the fall drawing season.

The drawing sessions will be going on for three months, and I’ll be posting here every Friday. If you have questions or comments, post them below. You can also friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

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