Big Old Country House, Done!

Done? That word brings biscuits to mind, or perhaps a tri-tip. “Completed” is probably a better word for a custom pencil drawing.

Because of the influence of my drawing students, I decided to put clouds in the sky rather than oranges or walnuts. (Oranges in the sky? Walnuts in the sky? Riders in the sky?)

Because I love our flag and love to add color, Jane and I decided to add a flag to the drawing that wasn’t there in person.

Because I want the colors to be right on the flag, I experimented on a piece of scrap paper on the drawing table.

Because it is a huge drawing, I decided to sign with my huge name. (When I paint, all I can manage with that uncontrollable paintbrush is “J. Botkin”.) I don’t know why I got into the habit of not capitalizing, but now it is an established habit.

And because it is so vulnerable, just a piece of paper, until Jane and I decide a retrieval/transfer date and method, it has to remain flat on the table, covered by tissue paper. (The drawing has [t]issues?)

The most difficult part of the entire drawing was getting a good photo. It was too bright outside, too dark in the studio, and so no matter what I tried, it had to be photoshopped to be worthy of showing to Jane. It is just too big for the scanner, so all that fiddling around had to be done.

Enough teasing. Here is the Big Old Country House custom pencil drawing, 16×20″:

Using pencils, oil paint, and murals, I make art that people can understand of places and things they love, for prices that won’t scare them.

Big Old Country House Drawing, 2

Another day at the drawing table, and only 2 photos in progress. Watching this part is a little like watching paint dry, or watching grass grow.

Because of pruning back the shrubs on the left, I needed more photos to show what is behind them. The shrubs on the right are also being pruned in the drawing, so more photos of that side of the house will help fill in some blanks. The very tall valley oak tree on the right is a bit of a mystery too, as is the mass of confusing growth behind it. I can’t figure out the detail on the front door, and the shapes of the windows are confounding me.

A field trip is in order for more photos. Let’s go!

The front door is wider than it appears in my drawing and has more detail on the screen than I could see in my earlier photos.
Nice detail on this window. I missed it entirely. It might not show in the angle of the house that I am drawing, but more photos than necessary are a better “problem” than not enough.
Is this thing important? I’d better ask.
Now I can see that the window over here is square and centered. (I saw the square part in real life – may not have been able to capture that in a photo without crawling into a shrub.)
How many trees are over there??
It splits into 2 massive parts but from a distance, appears to be 2 separate trees.
Wait a minute. There are several trees over there, and one is a pine.

Good thing Jane isn’t in a big hurry for this drawing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHELLE LEDBETTER!!!

Big Old Country House Drawing, 1

After finishing the 3 small custom pencil drawings of 3 small houses from 3 small photos, my confidence returned to begin the big custom drawing of the big old country house, working from about a dozen big photos, enlarged on my laptop screen in order to see the details clearly, drawing while looking under my big magnifying glass.

Big job. Good thing I love to draw.

These photos represent 2 days of working on the picture. 

You can see in the last photo that I pruned the bushes back on the left in order to show more of the structure. It was a little tricky to figure out the size and placement of the window on that segment of newly exposed wall. Working from multiple photos is full of challenges, because I leave behind the security of being able to measure directly from a photo. Instead, I look at one that shows a particular item, put it in the drawing, and realize that I don’t know where it truly belongs in relation to the things that don’t appear in the photo where I got it.

See? Can’t even explain it simply. Guess you’d have to be there.

The goal is believability AND with a piece of custom art, recognizability.

 

Involved

Success breeds success. After finishing the two custom pencil drawings, it seemed easy to just finish the third. 

Yeppers. Still procrastinating on the giant pencil commission of the big old country house. Productively procrastinating, because I really do like to finish things.

I started out taking photos so I could show you the steps, but then I got so involved that I forgot to stop and take more pictures.

It would have been easier if the tree in the foreground was pruned before the photographer took the shot, but alas, no one was thinking about the fact that someday, some pencil artist might want to know what was behind the branch. I decided it must have been hiding a dormer window.

There are quite a few erasing tools showing up in those 2 progress photos. I used to think that erasing meant I was just an incompetent artist; eventually I have learned to accept it as part of drawing.

Nothing left to procrastinate with, so it is time to become involved with the giant pencil drawing of the big old country house. 

Inspired

The custom pencil drawing of a big old country house was intimidating, so I quickly completed a smaller commissioned pencil drawing. It went so well that I was inspired, even eager*, to begin the second piece in the series of three.

That big window on the left (a sun room?), the shadow cast by the door overhang, the slightly opened window on the right, a hint of stepping stones leading from the drive to the front door, and of course the car in the carport are the details that add charm to this little house. The only change I made was to straighten out the sidewalk.

This was a very satisfying job. Two down, two to go.

*Have you noticed how many people use the word “anxious” when they mean eager? 

Using pencils, oil paint, and murals, I make art that people can understand of places and things they love, for prices that won’t scare them.

Intimidated

I began working on the 16×20″ commissioned pencil drawing of the big old country house. It is a challenge, due to combining several views into one scene, and due to the size. It is intimidating, so I decided to warm up to the task by working on the little old houses from the single little old photos.

No people will be included in the drawing. Can’t see ’em, can’t draw ’em.

That was fun and maybe even a little bit easy. Not too easy, because some of it just had to be guessed at. There is a mop drying on the roof, a broom leaning up against the front window, and the handle of a hoe or shovel leaning against the wall. I don’t know what those vines are or what is supporting them. The shingles on the roof were hard until I figured out how to duplicate the pattern. Grass, in case you are interested, is just organized scribbling.

NEXT! I love to draw, particularly architectural subjects. But you knew that, didn’t you?

Using pencils, oil paint, and murals, I make art that people can understand of places and things they love, for prices that won’t scare them.

Custom Pencil Drawings

A friend’s mom was visiting from Georgia. She brought me these photographs.

Each one is the only existing photo of a house that no longer stands.

Each one will become a 9×12″ drawing.

Each drawing will be better than the photo, at least that is always my goal. 

There will be no visible wrinkles either.

 

Soldiering on with Drawing Lessons via Email

C sent me this, requesting help with some specific areas.Oh how I wish we were together in person! But my o-so-wise dad taught me this: “If you put a wish in one hand and spit in the other, which hand actually contains something?” So we shall soldier on.

First, I did this:

Then I wrote up these notes:

P.S. It costs a fortune to have a transplant, and while insurance covers much, there is much more that it does not cover. If you feel generous and inclined to help my friend, Rachelle, this is the best way to do so: HelpHopeLive.Org

Painting the River

There is something new coming to Three Rivers, but I don’t yet know any details. Might be a simple retail shop where one can pick up local art, maybe some tchotchkes. This is why I wanted to get those little Three Rivers paintings looking better. This is also why I started a new river painting.

This is painting session #1. I want to do this in many thin layers, striving for perfection. But why?

It might be an overreaction to how I felt about the blurry Kaweah Post Office painting. It might also be some residual from having drawn this exact scene in pencil with a touch of colored pencil a handful of years ago, a commissioned piece. I want to see how close I can get to perfection with paintbrushes. I’ve already decided to leave out the tree on the left side, but like everything I do, more will be revealed in the fullness of time.

My show “Still Here” is still there, at Arts Visalia, that is. The phone # to make an appointment to see it is 559-739-0905. TWO DAYS LEFT, Thursday, noon-5:30 and Friday, noon-5:00. I will be there on Friday, April 30, and will take away the unsold pieces at 5 p.m.(MB, I will be sending you your painting next week!)

 

Drawing Lessons Via Email

My drawing student, C, and I continue working together on the horse named Buck, who I called Mr. Curly. 

She scanned her drawing instead of taking a picture with her phone this time.

C also asked me about the eyes, and after doing a bit of measuring, I could see that the one on our right is a bit low. I wrote up some instructions for her:

Then I decided that drawing various parts of Buck, showing the layering differences using 3 pencils of varying hardness (4B, 2B, and HB) might be helpful.

My show “Still Here” is still there, at Arts Visalia, that is. The phone # to make an appointment to see it is 559-739-0905. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon-5:30 (5 on Friday). I will be there on Friday, April 30, the last day; the work will be removed at 5 p.m.