Life Drawing at TSA

Finally, went to a life drawing session at TSA (Toronto School of Art) last night, and only because my niece (who's 20) said she'd go with me. She found the short poses difficult and erased all her drawings but three! Oy! She is very talented and wants to do an art degree.

The model was older, I estimate about 70. I don't aim for a likeness, rather looking intently at the form and letting my hand draw. Anyway, thought I'd share. First session since 2006!

The room was packed, nearly every table taken. While I hadn't planned to create backgrounds for my sketches, I found myself hurriedly sweeping coloured conte crayon over the next page in between poses. Then quickly rubbing with a paper towel to blend and wipe the excess pigmented dust onto the floor behind me with paper towels!

The conte crayons are similar to chalk pastels, brightly coloured, though a little less dusty.

These are the sketches as is, untouched, simply photographed in late afternoon sunlight, and slightly colour-corrected to more closely match the originals . There are more, some I don't like, some awaiting colour.

All Life Drawings, 28cm x 35.5cm, 11"x14", India ink, conte crayon, 100lb archival paper.

 Four one-minute poses- I've always liked drawing them as a crowd.

This was the final 15 min pose- I liked this drawing as is, so did another drawing of the same pose in the next slide.

Or view as a slideshow...

                              

Background2

I have a wooden print block such as you might find in Bali for hand-printing fabrics in a random pattern, solid wood, carved, round, an article of artisanal beauty. It's been on a shelf 20 years. I've never used it before. Last night I swept iridescent acrylic paint over its carved surface and pressed.



My intention is to draw a figure or figures in ink over this background with some paint, perhaps daubed on with a sponge since the water-based pastel background will lift off the triple-glazed canvas sheet with water because it likely needs weeks to dry to a permanent finish.


background2, 18" x 24" canvas sheet, water-soluble oil pastels. (This photo was taken in full sunlight -the iridescent pewter and silver grey print markings are darker with less light.)

Background1 is here (with no Balinese block imprints).

                              

Exquisite: Marius Joppich's 'Glockenspiel'

Royalty free music for professional licensing

Delicacy and fineness. Listening, an excitement grows, awakened, joyful. I travel vistas of the heart. Travel into time itself. The world is ringing with sweet depths in my ears. The drums come like spirits dancing on the waters. I can hear the breath of the musician. Intimate, complex, dexterous. Life and death dance. Gentle shaking rattles and drumming and bells and cymbals, regal and yet also building with an underlying repetitiveness that is trance-producing. We enter other states of consciousness. Music through which the jungles sing. One of the best tracks I've heard in awhile. Thank you Marius! Exceptional.