Monday 8 July 2013

Portrait Gallery Sketches

No update since February. That's just scary. Locked in some of the worst work overtime known to man and  despite life drawing most weeks, having very little to show for it. I've been drawing all the time though, mostly learning things, as much as I can and sometimes this leaves me with very little to put on the blog.

Trying to learn new things in drawing is interesting, I've found that my skill level takes a big hit as I try to wrestle with some of the new ideas. You think that you would just get better in a nice straight line but I've found I get way worse. I'm not surprised people hold onto bad habits rather than trying to break them.

This week I got a fairly successful life drawing, might put it up, might not but it marks an end of a very long plateau. I switched from drawing on newsprint to drawing on proper paper and because charcoal behaves quite differently on the two surfaces, this hit me for six. I just wasn't feeling comfortable with it but gradually this seems to be getting easier. I find that if you come up against a barrier you have to face it. I could never draw at an easel, so in the end I bought one, didn't let myself draw any other way and now I prefer it to sitting. I also couldn't draw open handed, again.... force yourself to do it and it becomes second nature.

So here's a page of museum sketches, this was done in a rare day off hanging around Edinburgh. Happy (ish)  with these; as you can see I struggled with the brow line on the bottom left but all and all an enjoyable day's drawing.




2 comments:

Mark said...

Nice work cap'n, very nice. You can see a certain amount of surety in your hand, like you're 'getting your eye in' quickly.

R A B said...

Lovely studies, interesting update mate...pushing yourself to improve rather than just draw whatever u like is tough, respect bruv! :)