Beginning drawing workshop at a “new” place

Stem & Stone, a neat little shop in Three Rivers, sponsored a beginning drawing workshop. Their store is too small to accommodate a big table with people around it, so we used the Bequette House at the Three Rivers Historical Museum.

I love old buildings, with all sorts of architectural details lacking in modern structures. Although I’ve seen it for many years, Sunday afternoon was my first peek into this quaint little house.

The large table easily sat the six participants and could have handled two more.
The rocker in the far left corner is calling my name.

Out of respect to the attendees, and because I was too busy teaching to don a photographer’s hat, I only took photos of the building.

A good time was had by all. Now I’m wondering if I can just go into the Bequette House and sit in that old rocker by windows with excellent light and just read or knit and enjoy the atmosphere, away from the annoying intermittent tech troubles.

More About Drawing Lessons

It is said that the best way to learn something is by teaching it to someone else. Hard to do that if you don’t understand the process yourself.

Because my students get to know one another in group lessons, they often help each other. This thrills me, because I eavesdrop and get to witness that they are really and truly learning.

Finished! This was an ENORMOUSLY challenging drawing.

Next, it goes home with me to be scanned and Photoshopped for possible reproductions, either as prints or cards. All the color has to be removed before the printing will look right.

Speaking of ENORMOUSLY CHALLENGING, look at this little guy (also photoshopped for the purpose of good quality reproduction )

There is a one-day beginning drawing workshop planned for January 11, in Three Rivers. You can register at Stem & Stone. (Stemandstone.3r@gmail.com or 559-731-4881.) Class size is limited to ten people.

Calendars available here, $25, includes shipping.

A Peek into Drawing Lessons

Since 1994, I’ve been teaching people how to draw. Private lessons, group lessons with individualized help, and workshops. My drawing students are wonderful people, and I am so proud of them!

We don’t meet in December, so students try to get their work finished by the end of November. Some do, some don’t. Some need to finish by Christmas, so I’ve had them come to my studio for help. I’ve gone to their homes to help when we are off during summer, and I’ve had students scan or photograph their work and send it to me for help. They are wonderful people and I love helping them.

Obviously, this is a very experienced student. She came to me initially because she was a watercolorist who wanted more realism in her paintings. After a few graphite drawings, she moved into colored pencil. That was about 20 years ago!

This student picks Very Hard Very Detailed photos to work with, and she NEVER gives up! If we weren’t lifetime friends, I’d be sure that she just chooses these subjects to test my ability!

This student fights with perfectionism. Perfectionism is winning, for sure! She is never in a hurry and thoroughly enjoys the process. Every so often she will announce that she isn’t going to take quite so long or strive quite so hard for perfection. It makes us laugh.

This is work by my newest student. She joined lessons to learn how to paint better. Drawing is the basis for all art, and if you learn to see things realistically and learn the “tricks” of drawing, your other art will improve. This is her second or maybe 3rd drawing with me; I think she is close to finished with this perfect little face (yes, she has captured a likeness!)

I have room in a couple of classes, and if enough people (four) want lessons and can come from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons, I will add another class.

Did I mention that my students are wonderful people?

You can see the work of two other students on this post from early November.

Calendars available here, $25, includes shipping.

Drawing with Pencils

I guess you could draw with chalk or a paintbrush or your finger on a fogged up window, but drawing with pencils is what I do.

Student work

It’s also what I teach. A returning drawing student had one month free for lessons before embarking on a new chapter of life. We dove right in, and she stayed for several hours each time rather than the normal one hour weekly lesson. The final one took place in my studio, which is where we started about 12 years ago when she was a wee fourth grader. I made an exception to my usual 6th grade minimum age requirement because she was an exceptional child and private lessons meant much more help and attention.

Here’s a drawing she did in about 5th grade.

Here is the drawing she just completed.

She has become an exceptional adult. To quote another one of my drawing students who has known her through the years, “She’s all that AND a bag of chips!”

Protecting identity, because this IS the World Wide Web.

Central Calif. Artist Work

This is a commissioned pencil drawing I finished in July. I haven’t posted it because I didn’t know if the intended recipient reads my blog. (If you recognize yourself, please pretend to be surprised when you receive the drawing!)

Cats in the house

HEY! WHY DO YOU THINK YOU CAN WEASEL YOUR WAY INTO OUR HOUSE??

Drawing Workshop

Upcoming!

Besides loving to draw, it makes me happy to help other people learn to draw. A friend named Anne Brown has been asking me for many years to give a workshop up here, and since she offered to host it and for whatever reason I now have some time, (OH, because I’m not preparing for a solo show since I still have paintings from the last solo show, phooey but yea), we scheduled this drawing workshop.

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

Drawing With a Friend

A long time drawing student who has become a friend hit a metaphorical speed-bump in life. Her body has betrayed her; one of the symptoms is weakness and a tremor in her dominant hand. We’re not going to talk about diagnosis or the emotional wallop, only about our time together drawing. She is without a doubt the best student I have ever had.

When she stopped coming to lessons, she had 2 drawings that were almost finished. People who don’t draw, or who don’t draw as well as she does, might have thought the drawings were finished.

She asked if I would finish the drawings for her. My first thought was that I would be happy to help her in any way, and of course I would finish the drawings. After thinking more, I proposed that we work on the drawings together. She could do the parts that she is able to do, and then she could tell me exactly what else she would like to be done.

It was just like drawing lessons, except this time she was doing the instructing, and I was following the instructions. After many years of drawing together, this went like clockwork; we were like a well-oiled machine.

Almost three hours flew by, and these two drawings are the result.

Breakfast Blossoms
Steppin’ Up

The Hour of My Usefulness

Last night was my presentation “How To Draw” at CACHE, the gallery and museum in Exeter. This was more of a talk than a demo, about a subject upon which I could bloviate for hours. Alas, it was just one hour, 6:30-7:30, because I know people’s attention spans are limited. Besides, I was missing dinner.

There were about 20 men, women, and children, all attentive and interested. I told brief stories, showed examples, explained the steps I use to draw, explained tools I used, and handed out one exercise for people to try. Everyone drew! I love helping people draw, and I think everyone had fun. Nope, I know everyone had fun!

The funniest moment was when I was standing behind a couple of participants, looking at their work, getting ready to advise on a small matter or two, when I felt something weird. Twice. I said, “Hey Dwight, something just dripped on my head!” Dwight is the president of the gallery board, and he quickly moved to the end of the room and climbed a ladder to the roof! Charlie is a board member, and he was right on Dwight’s tail. (They both got some drawing done in spite of the disruption.)

THANK YOU! I truly felt useful last night.

P.S. It was free. If anyone asked about how to pay me, and one did, I said to donate to CACHE. If you were there and are wondering the same thing, donate to CACHE. (Something has changed on my website AGAIN, and I cannot find the tool to make the link to CACHE be clickable in this post. https://cach-exeter.org)

SIMPLY HOME

Lower Dry Creek Road, 12×16, SOLD

Walking in Three Rivers

Walking isn’t as easy as it used to be. I walk shorter distances more slowly than I used to, wearing Crocs instead of these shoes, which I now have listed on eBay.

Until the time change, my friend and I walked in the dark. Sometimes it felt adventuresome, as if we were getting away with something. On the days when her schedule isn’t tight, we still go 4-5 miles, although that’s nothing compared to when we trained together for a 1/2-marathon. Still, we are happy that we can walk and can do so in places without traffic, traffic lights, or sidewalks.

In the predawn light
During daylight hours
In the predawn light
During daylight hours

One day recently, Trail Guy and I poked along our street where he pointed out a peculiar sight on our neighbor’s lot.

Not real, mighty peculiar, and completely without an explanation.

I found a small sparkly on the ground, which I ended up securing to the fence of the former day care at the Presbyterian Church.

While admiring the view from the Catholic church, I wondered what the bright red was in the distance. It most likely is a truly spectacularly bright tree. We weren’t so fortunate when we chose our own Chinese Pistache trees, nor when they created volunteers on our lot.

I’ve always admired this barn across the highway, and being November, I also admired some red trees in the distance.

Walking more slowly and going shorter distances does increase one’s awareness of the surroundings. That is a good trait for an artist to cultivate.

P.S. Yeppers, two churches in our neighborhood, neither one “ours”.

SIMPLY HOME

Walnut Orchard, 10×10″, $200

CACHE Gallery hours are Fridays 1:30-4:00, Saturdays 10:00-4:00, Sundays noon-4:00.

Tuesday, November 12, 6:30-7:30, I will give a demo/talk called How To Draw at CACHE. It is full.

How To Draw

How To Draw is the title of my upcoming talk/demonstration at CACHE, Center for Art, Culture, History—Exeter!

So many people have an interest in drawing, but it is often assumed that it is a talent which either you have or you don’t.

Is typing a talent? Is driving a talent?

Nope. All these things can be taught, and they can be learned. Sure, some people will type 25 wpm and others will type 90, because people have different interests and aptitudes. Some people will become bus drivers and others shouldn’t be given licenses, but all are driving.

These tools are helpful, but they won’t teach you the basics of drawing.

Some people have had awful experiences with artists posing as teachers. (I had one of those who told me, using these exact words, “Just because you can draw doesn’t make you an artist.” Well, just because you can use words doesn’t meant you can communicate well either, so there.) I want to help those folks.

Jackson wouldn’t put up with that sort of rudeness from anyone.

Some people are learning to paint but aren’t happy with the results. If you don’t know how to get your shapes correct, don’t know anything about perspective, can’t see proportions, and don’t understand values, of course you won’t be happy with the results. I want to help those people.

On top of all those basics, painting requires learning about color.

Some people just love to learn new skills. I want to help those people too.

This antique store is across Rocky Hill Drive from CACHE, and the late afternoon light is often just perfect on this picturesque store.

Do any of these descriptions fit you? Want to come to How To Draw?

Nope, you won’t be able to draw like this for quite a few years.

THE THING: Tuesday, November 12, 6:30-7:30 How To Draw at CACHE. Contact me if you are interested, because seating is limited.

P.S. It is free.

SIMPLY HOME

“Blue Bowl, Yellow Lemons”, 10×10″, $200