Learning to Draw, Chapter 22

This is Scooter as photographed and drawn by Kim. It is her first drawing. Really! She has been working on it for several months, diligently trying to sort out the proportions and stripes and toes and whiskers. It is upside down because this is the view I have when I am helping Kim. Sometimes I have her work on it upside down so she isn’t distracted by the schooter-ness of Scooter and she can just study the proportions, edges, textures and values.

If you turn both your photo and your drawing upside down, you can often see the angles, proportions, shapes and values more accurately.

When you are learning to draw, you can be fast, or you can be good.

Learning to Draw, Chapter 21

Olivia is drawing this pick-’em-up-truck from a photo of mine. There was a little bit of ambiguity around the door handle. The magnifier/loupe/linen tester/bug identifier is so helpful when the photo isn’t giving up its secrets. I peered through and said – “Oh! The gas tank had a sticky-outy thing with a round cap on top that we are only seeing in profile and it is right next to the door handle”. Good thing I was born in the ’50s so I could explain it to Olivia (although October of ’59 hardly gave me much experience in that decade.)

Know what you are drawing because if you don’t, those who know will know that you don’t know.

But Wait. . . There’s More!

These 2 “$4 Lawn Job” pieces will be in the Richeson 75 exhibit. I am a bit puzzled over why the bridge is in the book but not the exhibit and these 2 are in the exhibit but not the book. Life is full of mysteries!

Redwood & Dogwood, 9-1/2 x 6″, pencil, $400

Wood, Wind, Waves, 11-3/4 x 7″, $500

$4 Lawn Job, Part 4

Our lawn mowing boy spent a fair amount of time thinking about what Mr. Persnickety told him. “No one has ever done a $4 lawn job for me.” He decided that he would be the first. I’ve forgotten much of what the boy did, but it did involve some sort of a roller device to flatten any slight bumps and there was a nap in the middle of the day so he could continue on in the afternoon. When he had finally exhausted every possible method of perfecting that lawn, he knocked on the door and announced to Mr. Persnickety that he had done a $4 lawn job. Mr. Persnickety was skeptical and began inspecting his work. After going over every inch of his yard, he agreed that the boy had indeed accomplished the impossible and he paid him his $4.

What does that have to do with my art? Hang on, I’m getting to that part! You may have noticed that I don’t participate in many competitions or shows that are juried and judged. Earlier in my career, I tried those. After several rejections, (one show was a consistent winner – Madera Arts Council Ag Arts) and after reading a great deal about ways to build an art career, it seemed best to just focus on the local market.

Then, along came the Richeson 75. This is the first show I’d heard of that separates dry media from oils from wet media, which means pencil isn’t competing against painting.  Something told me to try this show, and I knew I was facing my own $4 lawn job challenge. (REALLY! That is how I thought of it!)

First, I chose my best subject and found the best possible photo of it. Then, I cropped it to the Golden Rectangle proportions, drew it carefully, shaded it, took it to my students to evaluate, layered a bit more, lightened here and darkened there, put it under a magnifier and sharpened all the edges of the bridge, studied it, changed a few things, and finally, sent it to the Richeson 75 in the Landscape, dry media category.

Rappity, tappity, bingety, BANG, BOOM!!! chhhhhhhh (that last noise was a cymbal.)

Rural Dignity, pencil, 6×9-1/2″

It will be in the exhibition book for the Landscape, Architecture and Seascape 2011 show!!

$4 Lawn Job, part 3

Our lawn-mowing boy in the story was satisfied with the $2 job for awhile, and then decided to see if he could do the mowing job for $3. This time he mowed carefully in one direction, then mowed carefully in the other. He probably trimmed the edges and dug out some weeds. It took a bit of fancy talking, but he convinced Mr. Persnickety that the job was indeed worth $3.

When I read the story, I couldn’t figure out how he could possibly improve on that massive effort at perfection. I thought he ought to be satisfied that he was able to do a $3 lawn job; after all, Mr. Persnickety had warned him in advance that no one had ever done a $4 job in the history of hiring neighborhood boys to mow.

This is just how I felt when I began drawing collages. It took a long time to plan, a long time to lay out, and a very long time to shade. Didn’t seem as if there was any place to improve after that!

$4 Lawn Job, Part 2

After our boy in the story mowed the lawn, he went home to puzzle out how to earn $2 next time. After some thought, the second time he mowed he probably went over the lawn two times, a bit more carefully and perhaps in 2 different directions. He told Mr. Persnickety it was a $2 job, he was paid, and both were happy.

In comparing this story to my drawings, this is my version of the $2 lawn job. Still have pencil, desire,  and skill. A neighbor/friend/customer suggested that I back up and show the cabin in its setting. (Thanks, Janey!) I was a bit worried about tackling trees, but knew I could figure it out with enough practice. Eventually I got comfortable with the added “growies”.

$4 Lawn Job, Part 1

There is a story from my childhood about a boy who went to a neighbor looking to earn money. The neighbor, whom we will call Mr. Persnickety, said he could mow the lawn. The boy was to supposed determine if he had done a $1, $2, $3 or $4 job and tell Mr. Persnickety. If the man agreed, he would pay the boy that amount.

I’ve never forgotten the story. In applying it to drawing, my early work would be the $1 job. Have pencil, have some skill, have great eagerness, will draw. It is probably the equivalent of making one quick pass across the lawn with the mower. Here are 2 of my early drawings. I had no idea how to handle trees or shrubs, and if someone asked me to draw a building, I drew it. Just it. Nothing else but it. Start at the beginning, finish at the end, sign, get my dollar and go home.

Optimism in a Garden

The Hidden Gardens Tour was a booming success on Saturday. Zillions of people came, and the weather was perfect. I was supposed to be painting plein air, which means “on site”, but really probably means “OHMYGOSH This Is Impossible”. I did paint but probably more words were spread around than paint was applied. Wow, what a gorgeous place I got to be!

The plan: take photos in advance, and do the first pass over the canvas of about 8 paintings. On site, move about every 45 minutes and work on a new painting. By the end of the day (a five hour time chunk), have 8 paintings almost completed. (Please don’t hurt yourself laughing nor snort coffee out of your nose onto your computer)

The reality: 1 painting finished in advance of the day, 2 sort of finished during the 5 hours. changed location once. Lots of conversations, visiting with old friends and making new ones, lots of just dabbing at the canvas thinking “I’ll just have to fix this later”,

Some people asked if it was my place – I said “In my dreams!”One woman asked me if she could use my bathroom –  I said “Sure, but you’ll have to walk a mile to get to it”.  It was just a very very nice experience, and when it was over, my feet hurt but my heart felt happy.

The 2 lower paintings got sort of done-ish, and the wisteria was completed last week.

The Real California

This week you’ve seen some beautiful green and flowered photos of Three Rivers. These are the sights that inspire this California artist, and I love sharing them with you.

While I am working in the green hills, my other half is at a higher elevation with an entirely different climate and color. Every work day, he puts on green pants, drives an hour up a gnarly road (or more, depending on conditions and an endless construction project) and climbs into a yellow machine to fight the white snow. (See how I think in colors?)

He doesn’t always work alone. And in case you are wondering, the square thingie on the back of the Big Yellow Machine on the right is called the doghouse.

That’s our friend John up on the snow bank. He is the co- owner/publisher/reporter/photographer of the local paper. He went along to photograph the snow removal operation.

And a Third Walk to Remember

Spring is the height of beauty, stunning views, super-saturated color, and altogether inspiring scenes in Three Rivers. When it is taking place, it seems to be the only season that counts. When it is over and I still want to paint it, it feels fake, out of place, inauthentic. That is all the more reason for this California artist to go ga-ga over this glorious time of year! We had a late cold storm last week and the low snow called me out with my little camera.

Looking downstream on the middle fork of the Kaweah River

Looking upstream from the same bridge. The snow is covering the foothills; the clouds are covering the real mountains.

One mile downstream from the bridge is the best patch of Owl’s Clover, castilleja something or other.

This is called Dichelostemma  capitatum; I thought it was in the brodaeia family, but my wildflower books might be wrong. Its common name is Blue Dick. I don’t know why Richard is depressed, but he certainly is handsome!