Category: drawing

An individual matter

De gustibus non est disbutandem – “it is useless to argue over matters of taste” somehow sounds better in Latin. (My Oh-So-Wise-Dad used to say this in Latin because it was more fun that way.) 😎 For years I have drawn in pencil. Many of my drawings have been reproduced, and then I put in a small hint of color to mimic the look of an old hand tinted black and white photo. Yesterday a customer requested a few of my reproduction prints of citrus. This customer requested that I brighten and strengthen the color. There are several choices in this situation: 1. Tell the customer to forget it, that it is the way it is because I made it that way. 2. Tell the customer yes, but it will cost. 3. Ask the customer how much color she would like, and get out my colored pencils and just do it. Wisely, understanding that taste is an individual matter, I chose option 3. (Dad also said, “You kiss their fanny and take their money”.) And, I am so appreciative of folks who still prefer pencil art to oil – it helps me to not think that the last 15 or so years were wasted!! And here is another thing: Putting bright color into the print makes me wonder – should I have been doing this all along? Just because I was timid with color doesn’t mean everyone else thinks that is good. . . hmmmm . . .(that is the sound of my brain humming along)

current portrait

This is B & E, a brother and sister. About 4 years ago, their mom had me draw them sitting in their yard. Now she wants a piece to go with the previous one, so we walked all around the yard, and the same setting was still the best. We changed the background this time, and of course B & E look different! The verdict isn’t in quite yet; there may be a few more little changes, but this is the portrait at this time. A funny thing happened 4 years ago. While drawing B, I made his jaw a little too square and his neck a little too wide, and instead of a 14 year old, there was a very handsome 18 year old! Of course I made the adjustments, but here we are 4 years later, and this time my accidental prediction is true. With E, she was beautiful then, and she is even more so now.

On with the collage project!

Remember this? You only saw the sycamore, and it has been awhile. (July 30 blog entry) The house isn’t finished, because I can’t see what I need to see in the photos and will have to go take some of my own. The river scene on the bottom isn’t finished either, because it is time for me to start fixing dinner. It would be very easy for me to be a workaholic, but I try to keep this tendency in check. So, with that having been said publicly, I will end this ramble and get into the kitchen! See you tomorrow at Mooney Grove for the Tulare County Historical Society BBQ!

Portrait Process

Another portrait may be finished. The mom has to see and approve. She knows the “children” (they are teenagers) and I merely know what they look like in the photos. There are such subtle differences in faces, and the tiniest difference, the mere point of a pencil width off, one edge of one smile line just a smidge too hard, one miniature spot of shadow just a tad too dark, and I have drawn the guy’s cousin! Here is how I draw faces: 1. photograph the subject one to three dozen times 2. choose a small handful of possible pictures 3. let the customer decide 4. get prints made of the ones that will be used (sometimes it takes many photos) 5. pray like crazy 6. start drawing 7. pray some more 8. turn it all upside down and compare every 1/8 inch of photos to drawing 9. pray again 10. compare the photos to the drawings 1/2 at a time vertically 11. compare again horizontally 12. make microscopic changes 13. pray some more 14. show the customer and wait to hear if it is finished. This is the short version of what is involved in a portrait. I cannot bear to put in writing what the long version is – I might need to go lie down for awhile with my thumb in my mouth if I write it! Since the Mom hasn’t seen the portrait yet, have a look at this nice man I drew 2 years ago: (okay, I never actually met him, but he looks nice!)

New Camera!

This is a photo taken with my new camera, even before I wrote the check! This was an important test of my new Canon Powershot ( with a whole series of letters and numbers which I have not yet learned). The ability to photograph art is as important as the ability to photograph scenes from which to make art. I learned a new word in techno-speak while buying the camera – it is not an “eye-hole” – it is a “view-finder”. Good to know (i guess). Anyway, the camera has been bought, and I can now get on with the business of art without that annoying twitch under my eye.

And speaking of making art, this is a commissioned pencil portrait. She was a pleasure to draw, and now I get to draw someone else in her office! (I think this is the sort of face that is referred to as a “natural beauty”.)

And the winners are. . .

Worth It – oil – 2nd place in Dairy

Staying Power – pencil – 3rd place in Farm Machinery and Structures

In case you might have forgotten, the show is Celebrate Agriculture With The Arts. It is the Madera County Arts Council annual juried and judged event, at their Circle Gallery. The opening reception and awards presentation is Thursday, September 18, and the show will hang from then until November 7. The pieces that placed will then travel to other locations, including the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California (nee “The Farm Show”).

Of course there are other winners, but unless we attend the show, we won’t know who received awards for which pieces! It is a wonderful show, one I learn from each year that I participate and visit.

Why?

There are four main reasons for choosing the subjects I do: 1. Someone pays me. 2. This will most likely sell. 3. A show is coming. 4. OH! How Beautiful!

Someone Pays Me: this is called a commission. It is good to please people, to create for them with their input. It is almost a guarantee of happiness all the way around, and that is too good to turn down. Besides, I love to draw and paint, and if you have been reading my blog, you know that I would rather draw something ugly than be a secretary or waitress!

(No, this is not ugly!!)

This Might Sell: oranges are the best example I have. Since learning to oil paint, I have painted at least 34 still life orange pictures! This makes me wonder if all the practice at painting oranges has caused them to be better than any other subject, which increases the sales, which provides more practice, around and around and around.

There’s Nothing Like A Navel, oil, 18×24, framed, $495

A Show Is Coming: People like to have choices, like to see new inventory, and like to do business with businesses that are successful (i.e. selling!). We all like to see variety in colors, styles and prices. I know that the little things sell, but I also know that the big things make my displays look more impressive. This means I have to paint like a machine to create all these choices. I can do this.

These 3 oil paintings are patiently waiting for me to continue, now that The Mural is finished!

OH! How Beautiful!: Almost everywhere I go, I take my camera. There is beauty everywhere, and I have learned (the hard way, of course) that if something is looks good, TAKE THE PHOTO NOW! These aren’t always subjects that sell, but they are irresistible to me.

A Thinking Place, colored pencil, 14×18, framed, $350

Fast or Good?

His Other Car, graphite, framed 14×26, $450

If you are learning to draw, you get to decide which you want to be: fast or good? There are people who crank out drawings faster than I can instruct them on how to avoid difficulties. They end up with a stack of pictures that they hate in a few months time,.

There are people who spend an entire year on one drawing, and at the end of that year they have one picture they are quite proud of.

The end result is the same: both types of students have learned many new skills in drawing, both draw much better than when they began, and each is learning at his own speed.

So, if you have been drawing less than maybe 10 years, you get to decide if you want to be fast or good – me? I get to be both! (remember, I am talking about drawing here, not painting!)

Talent?

A friend stopped by while I was working on the mural. He said, “There is definitely some talent going into this project.” Not having the grace to accept a compliment, I immediately responded with, “Not really. It is mostly hard work, desire and determination.” We had other business to conduct, so it didn’t develop into a discussion. However, I pondered this for awhile, wondering if I am talented, or if I am just determined. (Dad used to call me “bull-headed”. Not sure if he was praising, warning or reprimanding. . .) It has been observed that an innately gifted athlete who does not train very hard can be beat by a less gifted athlete who works very hard at his skills. Seems the same can be said for almost any area of accomplishment. There were people I knew in high school who were very gifted in the area of art – their portraits were recognizable, their perspectives were always accurate, their lines just seemed to flow and they never seemed to have a shortage of ideas. How many of them are artists? I can only think of one, Kenny Cardoza. He was the best on-site sketcher I ever witnessed as a teenager. Despite his inherent gift as an artist, he works as a respiratory therapist in addition to painting murals. Here is a link to see the one he painted for Exeter: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM34QJ When I teach people how to draw, I always preface their first lesson with “Drawing is a skill, not a talent”. Think about it like typing or “keyboarding, if you are under age 25. Everybody can learn to type. Those who hit 90 wpm are the talented ones. Those who only hit 30 wpm are still typing, aren’t they? Drawing and painting are similar. And if a 30 wpm typist practices constantly, he might one day outdo the 90 wpm guy. I was one of those, but I got fired from a job for too many mistakes. (It was a stupid temporary job, nothing important. No, it did not scar me.) The point is, I knew I could fly over the keyboard and not need to focus, so I didn’t bother to focus. Besides, it was boring. . . yawn. In art, I always knew I loved it, but I was never the best. My work got criticized, sometimes harshly (no, that did not scar me either!), sometimes in a helpful manner. I could see when things were wrong but didn’t know how to fix them. Mostly, I wanted to get better! The point is, I have worked very hard, seen much improvement and am now earning my living this way. There might be some talent involved, but I believe more of my success is due to determination, hard work, a willingness to learn and a refusal to give up.

Favorite Parking Place, colored pencil, framed 14 x 18, $299

Portraits

Today I had an appointment to begin a portrait commission. This means taking photos of someone who is not accustomed to having a camera in her face. We had to laugh as I said, “I’m not a photographer and you are not a model. Shall we begin?”We took photos all around her office, looking for different types of lighting, trying different angles, and just getting used to the whole camera-in-the-face experience. It usually takes awhile for a person to relax into body language and expressions that are natural.

The next step is for me to sort through all the photos and narrow it to about 5 choices. The customer gets to see these and decide which, if any, are pleasing. Then, I order prints and begin the drawing process. My goal is always to achieve the best likeness possible.

Each drawing starts out quickly, and a person is emerges from the paper. The problem is that everyone has the same stuff on his face (with the exception of various forms of whiskers, vision correction and perhaps moles), so how do I make it look like the right person? It is quite possible to work like crazy and accidentally draw the guy’s cousin, whether or not he has one! So, after getting a human face on the paper, then I begin the laborious process of turning it into the right one.

Here is one that succeeded quite well, if I do say so myself! I followed this lovely child around her yard, and at the end of the session, she ran to this swinging chair and said, “This is my favorite place to sit!” I could tell by the delighted and delightful expression on her face! It got a bit complicated when she asked me to draw her with my cat, Zeke. So I asked a neighbor of mine to pose with Zeke, who was Not Happy about the process. Then I went through my photos of Zeke (I have a zillion or two, because I LOVE my blue-eyed boy!) and found one that worked.