From my Point of View
October 15, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is an older work of me completing a self portrait. You, as the viewer, see things from my point of view. My body becomes dramatically foreshortened and enlarged while my hands and image in the mirror are smaller and lighter in value. This difference allows you to see a steep drop from my eyes to the drawing surface.
Rough Stage with Watercolor for The Pileated Woodpecker
April 23, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the next stage completing the washes of watercolor for the pileated woodpecker. This leg in the journey accomplishes a roughing in of the colors and composition. I currently am using watercolor to allow greater freedom with my drawing and provide more intensity. Do many of you work with mixed media and if so, what are your techniques?
Pileated Woodpecker
March 17, 2014 § 2 Comments
I’m posting sequentially the stages of a drawing of a pileated woodpecker scavenging for bugs in a tree stump. This first posting is the contour. It provides the framework for the drawing. It reveals the light source, a sense of form or depth, and allows my personality to flow out onto the page. Next will come the watercolor washes and finally the colored pencil to give greater clarity to the composition. This bird is majestic especially in flight and is quite reclusive in nature. My daughter and son in law were lucky to spot it in their yard.
Final Version of Edie; Colored Pencil over Watercolor Washes
March 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the final version of Edie; a drawing for Deviant Art. I previously posted the contour or line drawing and the contour supported by watercolor washes. This last stage entails layering colored pencil over the watercolor to give the drawing added impact. I am struck by how sweet this puppy is!! What kind eyes she has!!
Watercolor Washes for the Drawing of Edie
February 22, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the next stage in a drawing of Edie for Deviant Art; a show designed to bring attention to the wonderful nature of Pit Bulls and Rotties. Here, I’ve created under layers of watercolor washes to the colored pencil that will come next. You learn so much about the nature of the dog after drawing her. I now see so clearly her loving personality through her eyes and the power of the dog by the shape of the skull under that fur. Edie’s yin and yang face provides that balance we seek as we see the lights in the dark half and lights in the dark. Still plugging away. Next comes the colored pencil!!
Edie
February 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
I’m posting a contour drawing of a wonderful little girl formerly named Sorissa and now called Edie by her adoptive parents. She has such a smiling face and I was attracted to her black and white characteristics which will contrast with the light source. I am hopefully working to submit this piece to Deviant Art which is show meant to dispel the myth of the dangerous nature of the Pit Bull and Rottweiler. A wonderful example of the warm nature of these animals is Edie. The contour provides the framework for the watercolor and colored pencil drawing. It provides me with so much information about the light source, the form and color of the body under the fur that if I never saw Edie’s picture again, I could complete the work. I’ll show this in stages.
Hazel in the Mirror
December 16, 2013 § Leave a comment
Here is the last in a series of three drawings of my dear friend Hazel. It is based on the subject of reflection and in this portrayal we see the clarity in her mirrored image. At this point in her life, she was in the nursing home and her surroundings had been diminished to a few pieces of furniture in a small room. The once gracious hostess and teacher never lost her dignity and was always inviting and warm. I hope to be able to possess such strength and wisdom.
Reflection
November 4, 2013 § Leave a comment
These are two drawings I completed some years ago that were part of a series based upon the theme of reflection. They are two still life portrayals with the introduction of my mirrored image. I was applying what I had learned about gradations supporting the contour and allowing the idea of our reflections having an impact upon our sense of identity.
Jess and Frankie
October 14, 2013 § Leave a comment
We could be two inches tall as we enter this magnified view of Jess and Frankie, We become part of a sentimental moment when the dog nestles into the arms of his mistress peacefully asleep. Included are the contour or line drawing, a partially completed gradation, and the final drawing in color pencil.
Opening up the Story Line; A Two Part Composition
September 6, 2013 § Leave a comment
With this still life, I chose to depict it in two parts; one in hatching and the other stippling. I enjoy seeing how the character of the composition changes when using different textural techniques.
Dr. Mary McNaughton and Drawing 