More From the Drawing Table

When we last looked at this challenging pencil commission of a Texas scene, it looked like this.

When I don’t know where to begin, I just pick something that is somewhat concrete, something with a photo to follow, rather than work on the things I have to make up. So, distant trees, grass, and tractor. Yeppers, I can draw those.

Next, the Texas state flag in color. This was fun. Luckily, I was somewhat obsessed by that flag while in Texas last year so I had several photos. I had to flip the photo horizontally so that it flies into the scene rather than the more conventional left-to-right orientation.

Next, I tackled the close fence and gate, and then looked up Texas bluebonnets online. (I was in Texas too late for the bluebonnets; guess I’ll have to go in April next time.)

Because this is a bit of a made up subject in the drawing, I took it only this far, outlining them for the customers to approve or make suggestions. It’s too risky to put the color in until I know the size and placements are what the customers like. In commissioned pieces, I am simply a hired pencil.

While waiting to hear back, I put in the sky, tightened up edges, lightened some parts, and darkened others. You can see that I left the lower right corner empty. If the left corner is approved, I’ll be able to somewhat duplicate the sizes on the right side.

This last drawing is scanned. . . the paper is a little too big for my scanner, but I might be able to make it work if the customers want to reproduce it as cards or prints. (I hope they don’t, but I am willing. It will mean a lot of time messing with the scanner and Photoshop Junior.)

P.S. Just heard from the customers, asking that the deer be erased, which I am more than happy to do. They also instructed me about the flowers, which we’ll discuss tomorrow.

Back at the Drawing Table

I told you that I have a very challenging drawing commission. Well yippee skippee, I finally had a pair of minutes to concentrate on the project. It is almost more of a design problem than an is-this-even-possible problem, like those tiny faces back in the winter. (Visible as Item #10 on Ten New Things Learned in February)

This is one of several many photos provided by the customers.

Nothing to do but just pull out some pencils, a sheet of 14×17 “ paper, and see if I can lay out the basics. (Crying or pulling out my hair would have been unhelpful.)

This commission would not be possible without the extensive communication with the customers. I am combining about a dozen photos, adding and moving all sorts of things, figuring out sizes and placements that are believable and pleasing and make sense to the customers.

I moved from my drafting table to the desk behind me because the morning light coming in the window made it impossible to see my laptop screen. Yeppers, this techno-resister now draws more from her screen than from paper photos. (I even drive an automatic car now, but still prefer manual and do NOT own a microwave, so there.)

In figuring out how to make sense of the tractor size and placement, I outlined it on tracing paper and then started moving it around the drawing to see where the size and placement made the most sense.

A friend used to visit me regularly in my studio and ask, “How in the world do you do that?” My answer was usually, “One quarter inch at a time.” This drawing might be more like an eighth inch at a time.

Yep. Those are Wilsonia books on the desk. Want one?

Because all my art was in Tulare while I was working on this commission, I was able to stick it on the wall for taking photos to send to the customers with each new batch of questions.

The gate in the foreground looked too small so I did the tissue thing, making it bigger, and then sending it to the customers for their approval. I also asked about the flags because they had asked for the American flag on top and the Texas flag below. While in Texas last year, I learned that Texas is the only state that flies its flag at the same height as the American flag because they used to be a sovereign nation. Texans are very proud of their state, and I posted about how that lone star appears in all sorts of unexpected places.

The bigger gate was better (because this is Texas? Nope, because it looked correct). And the American flag got ditched for just the lone star flag, now flapping into the scene.

This was the result of a long uninterrupted (HALLELUJAH!) day at the drawing table.

Who knows when I’ll have another day like this? Looking forward to it. . . there are trees, a tractor, grass, a flag, and Texas bluebonnets waiting for my attention, but these lovely customers are not pressuring me at all. And after drawing for about 8 hours straight, (okay, a couple of breaks, and a lot of staring and questioning), it was time to stop before I got careless and did something stupid. (You are shocked?? Sorry to disappoint you, but I do stupid things sometimes.)

Custom Art Job—A Map

The owners of a ranch used a hand drawn map to show visitors (for various reasons) how to find the right pastures, and they decided that a pretty map would better serve their purposes. They brought the hand drawn map along with a county map showing property lines and buildings.

Think, think, think. How do I do this? I started by tracing the country map and transferring it to a large sheet of drawing paper. Then we went over it together to determine property lines, fence lines, troughs, internal roads, gates, and to list what else would be helpful to add.

When all those things were figured out, the lanes were named, the pastures were numbered, and all the gates and water troughs were located, I walked the property a second time for a sense of what belonged in the margins to prettify the map.

When all the drawings were in place, I scanned it in 2 parts, because OF COURSE it was too big for my flatbed scanner. Then hours and hours using Photoshop began. (I seriously underbid this job. . . so what’s new?) When it seemed finished, I emailed the owners to see how it would print for them, since they often need to hand one to a visitor. (Duh. That’s why they had me do this job.)

The owners thought it was great, but needed to make a few corrections and changes

We decided that the heron looked weird, the word “faucet” on the legend needed to be replaced with “trough”, a fence line was missing, the map and words needed to be darker without changing the drawings, and, get this, I drew the wrong horse at the bottom left corner.

What?? Seen one, seen ‘em all (and I think most yellow flowers and most babies look alike too.)

So with coaching from these horse experts, I turned Mr. White Nose into Hopper, a black horse (yes, I can tell the difference in horse colors, just not features).

There were many layers of tissue paper, sketches to figure out what might fit where, copies to correct, piles and piles of papers when the job was finished.

Here is the final map of the Bar-O Ranch. Really challenging job, very satisfying results, lots of new experience in problem solving and design that I probably won’t get another chance to use. However, if you know of anyone who wants a pretty map, I’m the one to call.

An Old Drawing Reappears

Someone I’ve never met called and actually left a message. I returned the call to learn about someone (Let’s call her AF) who bought an old home and had seen a pencil drawing of the house. The seller was supposed to leave it behind, but took it away. AF had the foresight to take a photo of the drawing, and then she sleuthed around until she found me.

It took a bit of conversation until I figured out what house she was speaking of. She was hoping to be able to buy a print of the house, but when she told me it had the date of 1995, I told her that I didn’t even own a computer back then, much less a scanner.

However, sometimes when I have prints made, I keep one in my flat files. I told AF that there was a possibility that I had one.

The bottom drawer of my flat files is very hard to open, so I rarely fight it and as a result, don’t know what it contains. But the label indicated it might contain the desired print, so I wrestled it open.

AHA!! EUREKA!! Here it is!!

I couldn’t get the drawer to go back in so I made like a snake and bellied up to peek inside. Look what was shoved behind that bottom drawer! I had occasionally wondered where these drawings were, but as someone who loses things regularly, I had other missing things to occupy me.

I called AF to let her know I found the print. She was quite excited, as was I. Before packaging it up for her, I scanned it for you.

I remembered that the customer had only the bottom portion turned into notecards, and just two weeks prior, one of my drawing students brought one to me that he found in his mother-in-law’s stacks of stuff. (Weird.)

Turns out, that card was the drawing that AF had seen at the house, and she had no idea that the drawing was an intricate collage of many parts. She has connected with my original customer and will get an explanation of everything included. (Obviously I drew this before instigating the rule of No Faces Smaller Than An Egg.)

I love it when things turn out like this, with the added bonus of finding missing items for myself too. (Who cares if I talked myself out of a drawing commission? That’s not as important as actually helping someone.)

Because I Felt Like Drawing

In 1990, I drew the Exeter Woman’s Club. (Yes, that is the correct name—I just work here.) It was part of a set of notecards called Tulare County Landmarks. No one can find the original drawing. All I have is this scan of a notecard with a hole punched in the corner.

The club asked to use the drawing, and had an old scan or some other format, not really up to my standards. But I didn’t mind and gave my permission. (It is rare that people know the copyright law which is that the artist holds the copyright, so I was impressed and thankful that they asked.)

They are celebrating a big anniversary (100 years?) and plan to publish a cookbook. The president of the club and I are longtime friends, and we began discussing the cover of the cookbook. I couldn’t stand the idea of a shoddy reproduction of my old drawing (not that it was great 35 years ago), so my friend went spelunking, unsuccessfully, in all sorts of places trying to locate the drawing.

Because I hit a slow time (feast or famine in the art business), I asked her to send me a photograph so that I could draw it again. She complied, and I dove in immediately on a rainy day.

Before finishing, I scanned it without a background, since that is how I drew it 30 years ago.

Then I drew in a dramatic background and scanned it again.

My friend asked me to make a couple of adjustments, which were easy to do. Here it is in its final form. After growing the new shrubs into a hedge with my pencils, I photoshopped the palm trees because of a strange request to shorten them by 1/4”. (As I said earlier, I just work here.)

I love to draw (But don’t ask me for a freebie, okay?)

P.S. My friend did NOT ask for a freebie—I offered. She did ask for some modifications, and I happily complied.

A Little Help From My Friend

It is important that we are kind and complimentary to one another in drawing lessons. It is equally important that we are honest.

AH is my friend and also one of my drawing students. Since she owns dogs, she saw something a little wrong in my drawing on the dog with the black head. I own cats (or perhaps they own me, because they are certainly manipulative and bossy), and haven’t had a dog as an adult.

Her suggestion was accurate and helpful.

I made the correction and finished the drawing. (I bet you can’t even tell what was wrong!)

Thank you, AH!!

And now we return to my bosses.

Tucker
Jackson
Pippin

The Emerging Drawing Continues

While I was waiting to hear if JM approved the house, I began one of the dogs. Just like on the itty-bitty-face drawing, I am leaving a gap between the different subjects to fill in later.

(This picture is overexposed on the left side of the house because my giant magnifying light is washing it out.)

No emailed instructions arrived, but I had time to keep working on the drawing, so I kept going.

Finally, this was as far as I felt comfortable going without further input from JM.

The dogs’ names were Timber and Tahoe, they were part wolf, and that’s all I know about them.

What a treat to be able to draw this, to pay off my old debt, to reconnect with my old friend, and to just use pencils, my favorite medium.

A Drawing Slowly Emerges

Many years ago, there was a fabulous little place in Lemon Cove called Foothill Fruit. The owner was a terrific baker and sandwich maker, and some mornings I woke up just ravenous for one of her scones and French Roast coffee. I worked there for a few brief months (it used to be necesary to get a second job during my slower winter months in order to pay my taxes—thank you, Sacramento). When I was no longer working there, we were on trade: Trail Guy (his name was Road Guy back then) and I ate, and I would eventually do a complicated collage drawing of her dogs and her home.

This is the only photo I can find from Lemon Cove right now. I didn’t want you to fall asleep with so many paragraphs of just words.

I used my film camera to take some photos, and then I did a few sketches. The owner, whom we will call JM, couldn’t make up her mind as to how she wanted her dogs and home depicted. Then, she moved far away.

This debt in the form of an undrawn picture bothered me quite a lot. She and I weren’t close friends, but we were on good terms and enjoyed each other’s company. I couldn’t figure out how to reach her (this was pre-internet), so I filed the notes and photos under “Incomplete Jobs” or some such thing.

At an oil painting workshop in January of this year, one of the participants asked me if I knew JM. Well, saw off my legs and call me Shorty! The participant put me in touch with JM, I dug out the photos, we started emailing, and she approved this sketch.

You know I can draw so this doesn’t scare you, yes?

If I hadn’t just completed that commissioned pencil drawing with all those little bitty faces, this would have been very daunting. However, I was feeling ultra capable and competent at my craft. Cocky, perhaps? Nope, just confident. (Confidence is a smile; arrogance is a sneer.)

The house photo is very dark so there will be a bit of guesswork on the details. The fact that JM no longer resides in this house gives me a little extra freedom. Maybe.
It is going very slowly. It’s been awhile since I drew such complicated architecture. Accuracy is important in rendering architecture, even if there is a bit of guesswork in the shadows.

I emailed this to JM to ask if there was anything that needed to be corrected. Stay tuned. . .

One Dubious Improvement and Two Beginnings

This painting seemed too bright. After studying it awhile, I decided to only tone down the brilliant green in the distance to push it farther away. (“Push it” visually, not warp the canvas.)

Four Guardsmen, 16×20”, oil on canvas

This is after:

Hmmm, that’s a pretty subtle difference, perhaps even dubious*. Might want to try that again later. In addition, the photography colors are significantly different.

Never mind. Let’s move ahead, shall we?

This painting looks scary in its beginning stages unless you happen to see it while galloping by on the back of a fast horse (or see it the size of a postage stamp on your phone).

After these fairly dissatisfactory adventures in oil painting, I returned to my pencils. This one has a story, which I’ll tell you when I know the ending. This is the sketch I sent to the customer to see if it matched her design expectations:

To be continued. . .

  • Dubious: ”Fraught with uncertainty or doubt”

About Pencil Drawing

Here are a few thoughts about drawing with pencils. First, have you noticed that when galleries tell the medium used in making a piece of art, they say things like “oil”, “watercolor”, “acrylic”, or “pencil”? “Pencil”???? Isn’t that actually graphite? In a sense, calling a pencil drawing “pencil” is somewhat like calling a painting “brush”.

Never mind.

The drawing has been temporarily removed from the blog because it is going to be a surprise for some people.

When the customers retrieved their pencil drawing with all those little bitty faces, they wanted to know how in the world I was able to make those tiny visages legible.

The way I got those tiny faces was with little itty bitty adjustments while working under a magnifying glass using these tools, working for many hours on nothing but those faces, refining with each pass, turning the photos and the drawing upside down in order to evaluate the shapes, the darkness, the blurry quality, and then mimic what I saw.

That teensy eraser came into being about 5 years ago. (Okay, if it feels like 5, it was probably 8 or 10 years ago.) How were we able to draw without such a tool?? There were other eraser sticks, but none so tiny. We relied on erasing shields to isolate small spaces, which were never small enough. Now, with the Tombow Mono Zero, we sometimes want an even smaller eraser.

Those sharpeners by Blackwing are designed to give a long point, using 2 different blades. First, use the hole on the left for a looonnnng lead (not actually lead—Pb—but graphite). The hole on the right makes an extremely sharp point, unless the blades have worn themselves dull, which mine have. I had to break out my new one, which I had been holding back on using because it cost $14!! For a pencil sharpener??

Since I no longer have one in reserve, it seemed prudent to buy another backup. Now they are $16 on Amazon. SIXTEEN DOLLARS FOR A PENCIL SHARPENER!

Sometimes it feels good to just sketch quickly, without anything other than a Blackwing pencil I usually keep with me, using any available blank piece of paper. It is a different kind of challenge, which is probably good practice.

Yeppers. Time to raise my prices.

P.S. SIXTEEN DOLLARS FOR A PENCIL SHARPENER?? I’m struggling with this concept, which you may have noticed.