Waiting for 'Action'

Here is another sketch from the movie set. During four hours of mostly waiting, I had plenty of time to find willing (unwilling?) subjects. I think this was just before the hot tub scene....that sounds more interesting than it really was.

On the Movie Set

My wife has a role in a movie....it's a lark. You've heard before that movie making is 'hurry up and wait'....it's true. I came as an extra but ended up drawing most of the time so I thought I'd share two of them. These are just fun to do. The lines prior to adding the tone are pretty simple. It's the values that bring out the form.

Ferry Waiting

Just missing the ferry that Monday was frustrating....but once over my frustration it bacame an opportunity to draw for twenty minutes. This looks more complicated than it is. The illustrations in my book, Value Sketching with Markers, show you how simple a drawing can be before you add values. The values create form and give a sense of solidity. I still find it amazing and a great way to 'paint' without all the fuss. Just a few pens and some paper.

Morning at the Dock

A week ago, after dropping someone to catch the early morning ferry, I grabbed a cup of coffee and wandered down by the harbor. The sun was backlighting the ferry repair yard and the resting boats. If I had had time, it would have made a good painting. As it was, I settled for a quick drawing in which I tried to capture that lighting effect.

Because the 30% marker wasn't quite dark enough to make the buildings and trees on the horizon dark enough, I went over it again and think I got what I wanted.

Marker to Monotype Followup

As a followup to the Marker to Monotype workshop demo:

I've included the drawing and painting done in the mountains last October. Compare orginal drawing, subsequent painting and monotype (from the last blog entry), and note that each is a different expression of the same scene. Thought you might find it interesting.

That day in the Cascades was one that is hard to forget. Not only was I painting with one of my best friends, but a weather change came over the mountains looking like one of those 'just before the end of the world' scenes we see in the movies. I've never seen so many different cloud formations boiling over the peaks. If God had spoken at that moment it would have fit right in.

Marker to Monotype

On Sunday was the Marker to Monotype Workshop. Participants turned their marker value drawings into prints.

The prints shown here are demos from that workshop. The still life is loosely taken from the demo drawing of the day before (see previous entry). I don't call it a good print, but it does make the point of how to reinterpret drawings.

The bottom landscape print is better, also taken from a marker drawing I did on location in the Cascade Mountains last Fall. The drawing preceeded a painting which is now framed and in a gallery.

As usual, I learned a lot from the people taking the workshop. It's so interesting to me how the same materials in different hands can yield such differing and unique results from every person. Drawings from the previous day and other marker workshops were turned into new artistic expressions. I was exhausted yet very gratified.

Marker Workshop Outdoors

In the afternoon we drove to a park where I did another demo sitting outdoors on the beach. Also, here is a photo of some of the folks enjoying themselves on a sunny Saturday. I had a great time.

Drawing or painting outdoors always presents its own difficulties. Changing tides, moving sun and shadows, wind, bugs.....they all contribute their share to make the experience exhilarating when it works, and frustrating when it doesn't. Despite all that, everyone did remarkably well.

Marker Workshop

Here are two demo drawings of the same subject I did for last Saturday's Marker Workshop. The one on white paper was done in an 'artistic brain' kind of drawing.....sort of a modified contour method. The second, on a toned paper, is the usual combination approach I talk about in my book.

It's amazing to me how quickly people learn to draw using markers. In just a few drawings they are already simplifying shapes and values and turning potential confusion into beautiful artistic pieces. It's gratifying to see their progress.