Foreshortening challenges

............Two recent drawing showing the always dreaded foreshortening. The girl in teal shows foreshortening of most of the figure....not severely so, but enough to be challenging. The girl in red just has her left arm foreshortened but it was fairly severe. On both of these, I basically drew it as I saw it. On the girl in red, I exaggerated the hand a bit to make it appear that it was closer to the viewer...which it is by the way but I like the idea of just slightly exaggerating it. Both drawings approx 15 minutes, conte and pastel. Both available.

Colorful Life Drawing

15 minute sketch of my daughter in a colorful top. Conte and Pastel.

Familiar Subject

Approx 15 minute conte and pastel sketch of my daughter at the life drawing class. Sometimes it's nice to turn from drawing the entire figure and concentrate on a head or face...or even the hands.

Portrait Sample

Recent portrait of my daughter from earlier reference. I'm working on a series of new portrait samples with a looser brush, looser background. This 16x20 bust is also on a new canvas for me. It is a blend of cotton and synthetic. I will probably not buy it again but I do like the smoother texture of a "portrait" canvas as opposed to the heavier texture I'm used to.

The Witching Hour...and a half

October is costume month at the drawing class. We're starting with Bracey P as a witch...gotta have at least one witch in Oct. Close up, 15 minute conte and pastel. Also shown is a 3 minute gesture done with fat sharpie on newsprint. Next week, Batgirl!! Same Bat-Blog, Same Bat-Internet.

Etsy Time

Hey, my daughters "Safety Pin Bracelet" got chosen as a feature on this Etsy page...check it out! Also, check out her Etsy store...great ideas for holiday gifts!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c98eb8a94f06d91f8c980ff/color-connections?index=0

Bracey's shop.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/braceypate?ref=top_trail

Red hair isn't red

My daughter was the model for tonights class. This was my favorite even though I had a couple of more I liked. 15 minutes, conte and pastel. Some good foreshortening practice here. Don't avoid things you have trouble with...faces, hands, foreshortening etc...instead, seek them out, position yourself to work on those things you have difficulty with...you'll get better only by practice.

How Bout Them Dogs!

...or should I say, how bout them beads! You'll show your Georgia pride with Bracey's latest creation...a bold, red and black necklace. See more at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/braceypate

Blog worthy Etsy Site

Hey blog friends. I want you to check out my daughters blog and Etsy site. She's just getting started so she could use some followers and visitors. She's got a talent for taking vintage buttons and other items and turning them into unique jewelry pieces. I think you'll have fun looking!!
http://braceypate.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/braceypate

Red Headed Lasses

Just for St. Patty's Day here's a couple of older life drawings of red heads. Laura B is "wearin' the green" as she plays guitar. My daughter, Bracey, is shown seated in a chair. Both of these are 4-5 years old. 15 minutes conte and pastel.
$225 each

Luuuucy!!!!

Bracey came in "I Love Lucy" attire tonight...navy blue polka dot dress, 50's apron, high heels and even a head of red hair. We played a little Sinatra to go along with the outfit. Good poses...good crowd. I like this 15 minute conte drawing..sitting on the edge of a short stool...I rarely draw the chair or stool. On quick 15-20 minutes studies, I'd rather give all the time to the figure. I forgot to bring my pastels so it's without color.

Red Head Final

I didn't do much more to this one. Some detail in hair highlights, some finish in the lower right. The painting is small at 16x20 but the head is larger than life size...something I rarely do. I think it works here...maybe because the actual area showing the face is fairly small. Current title..."Red Head". This painting will be in the next Espresso Lane show for those in the Newnan area.

Hair!

This painting came about as an attempt to paint my daughter's beautiful red hair. It's always been a difficult color for me to capture. My mind always says "Orange!" but its much more complex than that. I doubt the photo here will do it justice but the original has some exciting things happening. I'll continue to fine tune this one. The slight sense of scariness was not in the initial plan but it adds an unsettling element that I like. 16X20 oil.

Monday Night Life Drawing

Some nights you struggle to come up with a good drawing...that's not good when you're doing a demo. Oh well...I did like this one. Bracey(my daughter) in a seated pose...15 minutes I think. Close up of the feet area. I find the feet easier than the hands to draw but only slightly. A foot turned so that you see the bottom is more challenging than one in a more normal position. If you have trouble with an area such as feet, draw them over and over until you figure things out...of course, you'll never fully figure things out but you'll certainly improve and gain confidence.

The Fallen

This is a life drawing of my daughter that inspired the previously shown painting(Obelisk). 15 minute sketch. It had the look of a young widow grieving over a fallen soldier so I titled it "The Fallen". Conte/pastel.

More obelisk...

Detail of current progress. 24X36.

Obelisk

Very early stages of a new painting. Mostly just underpainting at this stage. Some detailed work in the jeans and flag. Model is a combo of two models...my daughter for the upper half. The obelisk is a monument here at Oak Hill Cemetery.