Beyond the Line - Drawing for Painters Workshop

March 18, 2010 I'll be teaching a one day class about called "Beyond the Line - Drawing for Painters". The idea behind this class is to show painters why I think it is important to draw a "thumbnail" drawing before I begin a painting.

The drawing in picture #1 really is more about determining my values. This will help me to push back areas I think aren't important and make sure I'm clear about my center of attention. A lot of time is spent with the painting so why not take 30 minutes and to get my head wrapped around what I'm about to tackle. I don't always draw a value sketch and when I don't I seem to fight with my painting more.

The picture #2 is my finished 11x14 oil painting on my easel. I really had some fun with this because many issues were thought out first. Give it a try and see how a value drawing can support your painting.

My one day workshop is March 18, 2010 at Burton Gallery & Emporium in Clarkesville, GA 706-947-1351.

The building in my painting is the Sea Biscuit on the Isle of Palms, SC. The food is wonderful, but it is a small place and if you don't get there early plan on waiting.

You can see this finished painting at the Sandpiper Gallery on Sullivan's Island, SC.

Happy drawing & painting!

My New Drawing Tool - the Iphone

Digital drawing 2"x3.5"

Digital drawing 2"x3.5"

The ultimate thumbnail drawing.... these two drawings were done on my Iphone's 2"x3.5" screen using the application "Brushes". I attended a local life drawing group at the Hub-Bub showroom and decided to experiment with my Iphone.

I read about the Iphone application "Brushes" this summer in the New Yorker. Read the article here. This article spurred me on to get it a try. With no "How to" manual in hand it did require a lot of trial and error. The undo option does help tremendously with the experimentation. I did find a User's guide while write this blog entry so stay tuned for some more experiments.

The screen on the Iphone is 2"x3.5" (the size of a business card) so I use a stylus instead of my finger because it is so hard to see what I'm doing with my finger in the way.

Check this cool video of the process of drawing the first figure.

Practice seeing

6"x8" oil on linen panel

Thought I'd have the "Late Sunday Morning" done by this week but remembered I have a "miniatures" show at a gallery in NC I need to create work for. I also decided I want to get out of the studio and paint those buildings on site for a day. Finishing that painting will have to wait until mid November.

So this week I worked on enlarging miniature things and in the process practiced really seeing....

When I draw or paint I discover things I've never seen before... I noticed alot of things in my travels during the day, but seeing, that's another matter. For the minitures show I thought is would be fun to find everyday items that I use and take for granted. A clothespin for example. Have you really seen a clothespin?

Alot of my work is painted from photographic reference. I certainly would never knock using photography as a tool. Thomas Eakins used photographs as a tool as did many other Masters. The problem happens when the artist hasn't had enough experience drawing or painting from life. You see things while drawing/painting from life you just don't see when working from a photograph.

If you use photographs as a tool try to find some things around the house to paint from life and really see what you might be missing.

Happy drawing & painting!

Edward Hopper

Self-Portrait, 1925-30 Oil on canvas 25 1/16 x 20 3/8 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

A couple of years ago I painted a fellow at a local "landmark" restaurant here in Spartanburg, SC called the Skillet. I called it Morning News. When I paint or draw something there is always a combination of emotional interest and design interest that captures my eye and inspires me. In this case there was this wonderful landmark of a restaurant (I read in a newspaper when I first moved back home that the building/shopping strip the Skillet was located in would eventually be torn down and redesigned and rebuilt.) and the great design of the figure against the background and counter.

To make a long story longer.... when a friend saw the painting in my studio she remarked that it reminded her of Edward Hopper. That comment piqued my interest so I (alway the student!) did some research on Hopper.

In 2005 I had the opportunity to visit Hopper's childhood home in Nyack, NY when I was attending at week workshop with Burt Silverman in Upstate, NY, so I of course knew of Hopper. As I researched him more I did feel a connection with some of his subject matter - the world that he lived in - the hotels, motels, trains, highways, restaurants, theaters, cinemas and offices around him.

Early Sunday Morning, 1930 Oil on canvas 35 x 60 in. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

I decided to paint a group of building in Spartanburg's downtown area (one of which was my Step-father's Drug Store which was the first painting I painted upon returning home, Heinitsh Walker.) which are inspired from Hopper's "Early Sunday Morning" I've created sketch in my Moleskin Sketchbook with waterproof uniball, then I colored it with watercolor. On the easel is a 15"h x 30" painting which I'm trying to photograph the process.

Hope to complete the oil painting by next week and post the process. So on the the easel.... happy drawing, and painting. Be inspired and learn from the Masters

Village Tower

OK, finally here is the finished oil painting. The size is 30"h x 15"w and is oil on canvas.

I had a studio near the Old Village in Mt. Pleasant for a couple of years and I saw this great old water tower everyday. I've been wanting to paint it for awhile. One day as I was walking in the Old Village back toward my studio I looked up and saw this perfect composition. Boom! Like a hit on the head.

This painting isn't the typical "pretty" painting. What is attractive to me is the design. Underneath my paintings my goal is to have a good design, if it happens to be a beautiful thing, like a tree in bloom with a lovely bird feeder, that's icing on the cake.

Those types of paintings might not be the most "salable", but I have to paint something I believe in.

I entered this painting into the Oil Painters of America 2009 Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition Of Traditional Oils. I'll keep my finders crossed as this is a highly competitive exhibition.

Happy drawing & painting!

Mt. Pleasant Waterworks

I've started a new oil painting. This is the thumbnail drawing I worked out before I started the painting. On Simmons St. in Mt. Pleasant, SC you'll see this old watertower watching over the old village. I had an art studio just across the street from this tower and got to see the sky do some wonderful things to this tower. Finally, now that I've moved up to Spartanburg, I've decided to paint it.

The day I made some sketch notes for this painting a thunderhead was moving in. Past plane trails were also etched across the blue sky. A Redtail Hawk lives up there so I felt the plane trails could symbolize that for me. What interests me about this is not only the very cool old watertower, but also the fun design possibilities. Stay tuned for the up load of the finished painting... should be next week. Happy drawing & painting!

A New Commitment

Today I'm beginning my second blog. 2007 I started my first blog, Drawn to Draw. This was my first adventure into the blogghisphere. I learned alot and still have a world to learn about blogging.

My main objective was and is to share my love of drawing. Thumbnail Drawings is my new attempt to "share the love". The definition of a Thumbnail Drawings (or sketches) are, "Drawing quick, abbreviated drawings. Usually, they are done very rapidly and with no corrections - you can use any medium, though pen or pencil is the most common. Thumbnails sketches are usually very small, often only an inch or two high." The thumbnail drawings I will share with you will run the gamut. I'll post small sketches, full page drawings from my sketch book and watercolor with drawing also from my sketchbook. These drawings are my inspiration for studio paintings which I will also post.

Ideally, as with the title of the blog, my vision for this blog is to write small posts about small drawings. I also hope to post on a much more regular basis.

I hope you will following me on this new commitment and journey

Happy drawing!