attempting to sketch

I've long held the wish that I could draw / sketch.  My artistic commitment to myself this year is that this is the year I tackle that challenge. I had perspective drawing years ago as an interior design student, but I never really "got" it. I've purchased and read a zillion books on it, and while intellectually, I kinda understand, as soon as I sit down with pencil in hand, I'm lost.

So, I purchased a Perspective for Sketching video class on Craftsy.com and took a free sketching class at Daniel Smith last night. The journey begins................

My first effort for my first video lesson was to draw an elevation view of a building. I chose a photo of a door that I took in Paris last fall.

Sketches don't scan very well, but you get the idea.  Below is my reference photo.

I feel like I did a decent job of getting the proportions right - I'm excited to expand my sketching skills this year!

Scroll project continued.

Here is one of my recent posts on the scroll project I'm still working on daily. It is based on my grandmother when she was young. With a middle name like Tempest, you can imagine the character she had -- and perhaps a bit of a fiery personality? I never saw a temper, just recall her as a sweet homespun farm woman with a great zest for life and always laughing. She was also an artist. Dad said when he was little, that she would invite in the Hobo's that meandered the countryside, and offer them egg sandwiches. She was always saying "Forever more!" "Fair to Middlin" and "Land Sakes Alive." As an older woman, she was part of a social group of ladies who called themselves the "Fat Club" because they would get together and eat, sharing "covered dishes" like her badada (potato) salad … but were forever trying to lose weight. A character, indeed. We still miss you Gramma!!

Grandmother as a young girl, Lilian Tempest Kelly, drawn with China Marker, ©Laura Gable

The scroll is coming along. My second strip of paper has about 3 days left, so I am scrounging to find another strip for about 10 days of effort. Any ideas??

Icy River Sketchy (Saturday)

Iced River--Columbia River @ the Richland Y.
I loved the melodious movement of the young branches.

The day sunny and the temps warmer than usual, though still not warm enough for this fair-weather artist to paint on an icy Columbia River shoreline near the Richland Y. I always sketch before painting anyway - gives me a better opportunity to work out composition. As you can see by the boxes inside the sketch, the image kept growing and went from vertical to horizontal format. It's a great view of Rattlesnake Mountain, all lavender and shadowed, peeking above the horizon line while the low water in the foreground was still frozen over. The breeze off the icy surface chilled my fingers in fingerless gloves, and I knew my easel would likely rock about so I'm saving painting for another day. 

My day's goal was to "be in the landscape" and so for about 30 minutes, I was. I did paint in the studio afterwards for a bit too. Will post that painting at a later date.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird in pencil and colored pencil on gessoed page.

a simple doodle, colorized, manipulated

a wild and crazy doodle, original

Wild & crazy doodle, colored & textured in PS

It seems only fitting to end the last few days of the month with doodles, since that's how it began. So here's a wild and crazy doodle for a wild and crazy day full of numbers, errant receipts, and a wasteland that was once a memory which can't seem to remember from one year to the next how to do a simple excise tax form. Whew, glad that's over, and I'm a day early.

The image was sketched with ball point pen on a lined tablet. (I've got enough art supplies, and still I reach for whatever's closest.) I colorized and manipulated the doodle in Photoshop, and then added texture with the crosshatch filter.

Belated "sketch crawl" painting

Long Shadows

"In the bleak mid-winter, the snow lay on the ground." A favorite stanza from a Christmas carol comes to mind as I peered out the window yesterday morning to this most beautiful sight. I love it when the sunlight streams through the neighbor's arborvitaes and onto the glistening snow covered lawn. Hard to capture, but I've made an attempt here in oils for a quick "sketch."  

A song and a page from the sketch book...

In honor of Martin Luther King day, here is a beautiful rendition of James Taylor's song, "Shed a Little Light." It has a very powerful message, and is a great one to hear again and again.

http://youtu.be/HTh8YYzlN5s

peace dove (and apple of great deliciousness).

I'm also posting a page from my sketchbook that is a bit relevant. Today I added the dove, which holds a message of peace. I love the movement of birds wings, especially the white dove. The feathers are almost translucent--a sharp contrast to the softness of the sky. My little dove has a halo, as I felt he took on a saintly quality. "Dream a little dream, and Love to all."

I'm not especially sure why I fill up blank spots on sketchbook pages that are already in progress as with this apple study, and intensity scale that I painted a few months ago. Doesn't everyone have a multitude of sketchbooks, only to work in the one closest at hand when the creative impulse strikes ... or do they fill up one book and then go to the next? No matter how disciplined I try to be, I seem to be the more random artist.

Live and Learning

So after dragging my feet all day, I forced myself to pencil sketch the girl's outline.I hate, hate, hate pre-sketching. Yes, it's all part of the process, and yes I will be grateful for it later on.. but this is the least enjoyable part for me. So I did it really fast, and sort of messy.

Live and learn right? Live now, learn.... uh..  later.

Honestly though, for this painting, which will take many weeks, I can always fine tune it later. But now I've (quickly) moved into the color blocking stage. My favorite. Here I can figure out the flow and feeling.

 My painting style works like a paint by numbers, horrific sounding but let me explain. I paint in the light tones first, with shadows, then I lay on the carefully picked flesh tones, and fabric tones by sight, methodicaly. First I sculpt it, then I paint it and the light tones act as a guide.

So that's how I work, hope I explained it clearly.

Stay Artsy & DFTBA

Sarah Bosserman



Ideas Percolating, Sketches, Cards, Quote

Today, while I let my ideas for another book project gel in my gooey mind, I went about keeping the creative hands busy. So I did a spot of sketching and some painting and some cutting and Valentine card making (oh and one holiday card). It feels fitting to top off this post with some insightful words by Julia Cameron, from The Artist's Way.

"An artist must have downtime, time to do nothing. Defending our right to such time takes courage, conviction, and resiliency. Such time, space, and quiet will strike our family as a withdrawal from them. It is ... An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the time of healing alone. Without this period of recharging, our artist becomes depleted... We strive to be good, to be nice, to be helpful, to be unselfish. We want to be generous, of service, of the world. But what we really want is to be left alone. When we can't get others to leave us alone, we eventually abandon ourselves. To others, we may look like we're there. We may act like we're there. But our true self has gone to ground. Over time, it becomes something worse than out of sorts. Death threats are issued."

Sketch of the nook over my fireplace - note the "Thurston" artwork in the background.

The morning's abstract watercolor cut into circles and ready for assembly

Some of the assembled Valentine's cards (thank you DS Watkins, for the creative concept)

Ok, cheating a bit, this is from last month ... one of our painting class exercises.

Consumed by blog issues yet still inspired to create (a little)

new sketchbook from HeronDance.org

"Bound Up!" a sketch

Just have a little bit today... a new delicious sketchbook from Heron Dance, a quick sketch called "Bound Up!" and some musings on quotes I've recently read and the "art" of being an artist.

Sometimes we've got so much creativity inside, that we can't find the means or the tools to get it out ... or we don't fully set aside the attention and time that it demands. Not all efforts are quick nor do they come with ease, some take longer -- "a percolation" if you will. According to Maya Lin, "It is a process of percolation, with the form eventually finding its way to the surface."

In the words of Martha Graham,
"There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening
That is translated through you into action,
and because there is only one you in all time,
This expression is unique,

...It is not your business to determine how good it is,
Nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions.
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly,
To keep the channel open."

Art Nouveau Spire

Today I did work on my Dragon sculpture, but I'm still in the boring cardboard stage.. so.. I'm sharing this. It's a tall Art Nouveau/Gothic Church Spire.

It came directly from my imagination.

Stay Artsy & DFTBA

Sarah Bosserman



sketching bed

Okay, posting this picture is requiring a little bravery- I don't like it and it's not at all professional or drawn well, but.....as I keep yelling at my inner critic, the point is to keep moving forward and trying more and more difficult subjects.  If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right?!

Jim got me started on this Everyday Matters list and it's definitely been a challenge for me!  The perspective is definitely off and it's a platform bed with the platform extended too far (you can see the line where I should have stopped).  I would very much welcome any suggestions/comments/critiques about how to address my perspective issues.....

Think I'm going to try a different medium tomorrow :)

Curly Top & My Art In a Gallery!!

Today I went back to the Dallas Texas Museum of Art.

I saw Monets, Manets, Van Goghs, Renoirs, Matises, Edward Burn-Jones paintings, Henry Margarets, Picasos, and so much more! I'm so thankful that I now live in a city with such treasures.

After I finally collapsed in front of my fireside after a day of museum walking, I sketched this girl. I used a regular #2 pencil.

Today was also a big day aside from the museum.

I brought my huge 3'x3' painting of a girl (link to her Here) to a winery called Times Ten Cellars in Dallas to see If they were interested in showcasing it for sale. Well, to be perfectly honest, they loved it!

It's now hanging inside, up for sale!

Drop by if you're in the area :)

Stay Artsy & DFTBA

Sarah Bosserman



EDM NOT: Just a sketch.

Took my son to the dentist yesterday and while waiting for him sketched the intersection of Edison and Clearwater in Kennewick from behind these sculpted seals.  They were busy sunning themselves in the early morning sun, waiting for a fish to drive by.   

sketching: lamps

Day 2 of sketching: lamps.

The lines on the lantern seem wonky but wasn't sure what was wrong.... My 15-20 minutes/day turned into 40+ with this one but I didn't even notice as I was so engrossed with getting those darn lines figured out.  Still didn't quite get it, but it's close....

Loved Jim's purse drawing today - I'm already thinking about which of my purses will be easiest to attempt tomorrow! :)

Hikes and a sketch

This last weekend saw very mild temps in my area so my husband and I took the opportunity to do some hiking and sight seeing. We visited the Raleigh Arboretum and I was amazed at the number of plants in bloom. Certainly different from Southern Oregon where I just moved from.



On New Year's Day we hiked at William B. Umstead State Park. It was an especially warm morning. This area is full of quartz which holds a great fascination for me. Must be its sparkly nature.


Yesterday I made a small sketch of some of my findings.

Whale of a Friend

Today

I ran into a wall trying to figure out how to support the paper mache dragon wings.

I have no wire in the house..

So while I was thumping my head against the wall wondering if tooth picks could work, I thought of this..

I was wishing for a friend (preferably with large amounts of wire to spare) who could help me out.

Then I started thinking of how gentle whales are, what a great friend a whale would be.. Strong, sweet, my goodness they even sing! Hmm, the perfect buddy. So I thought about a whale helping out a fishing boat by carrying them into a safe harbor.

So yeah, still figuring out the wing problem, but at least I have my next project lined up.

Stay Artsy & DFTBA

~Sarah Bosserman

( My Other Blog)

Wild Thing, Finished

The Wild Thing is finished! ..my cold, not so much.
This was so much fun to make! Color, pattern and pure uninhibited imagination!
Is it part cow? dog? goat? Lion? duck..?
I'll let you decide what exactly he is.. but his name is Arty, or Arthur.

I used sharpie, and water color pencils

Stay Artsy,
~Sarah Bosserman

The Wild Thing

Oh, dear
I'm sick again. Theraflu, cough-drops and humidifiers surround me as I write.
All I get motivate myself to do was grab a handful of sharpies and sketch pad.
Here's what came out.. my own version of a "Wild Thing".

More to come on the Green House painting when I get better, but while I'm taking it
easy this little monster will occupy my art time.
Stay Artsy,
~Sarah Bosserman

Ivy and Cat Naps

Today was so lovely out! A warm 60 degrees and clear skies!
The whole of my town was out enjoying the break from winter weather.
In fact my family was so thrilled, we grabbed a tiny TV and spent the day watching European soccer matches and sunbathing on our back deck. At one point I actually fell asleep in the warm sunshine. hmmm.. it was a break we all needed.
Taken with the taste of coming spring I began to work on this sharpie drawing of Ivy.
I so enjoyed feeling out the organic leaflets, curves and sprouts!

Tonight as I watch the Grammys I plan to fill up the whole page. I'm starting to think small objects caught up in the web of vines would be interesting. Tea cups, keys, feathers, small bugs.. etc. It feels so good to just jump right in with little forethought on the whole picture. This Monday I plan to re-focus on my attention on the Green House Painting. That blasted huge monster! As with every big piece I create it's a joy and a pain to paint. Hopefully the end result will pay off. until then,
Stay Artsy,
~Sarah Bosserman