Two Recent Sketches

Two recent drawings.

This one was done at a life drawing session. Graphite, watercolour paper. A pose of maybe an hour and a half or a so. Getting proportions takes the longest and I think one arm is not quite. Otherwise, ok. I had thought to darken the highlights and shadows from memory, but, as it's on watercolour paper, to leave it lightly done in case I get inspired to paint it. 

This one is in my 'new' Daily Sketchbook, which is not really about drawing so much as doing something every day, or most days. I worked long enough on it for a quick sketch from a YouTube site but in the photo can see that one arm, oh ballpoint, you are so unforgiving and so un-erasable, and one hand especially could have been drawn with more care. 

Is it only the artist who sees these things, or does everybody?

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Interview on The Artis with Ivy Reiss

direct link: https://youtu.be/c3EbMGXkqN0

"The Raging Muse": My interview with the delightful, smart and beautiful Ivy Reiss, editor-in-chief of Artis Mag Nineofive, on ThatChannel.com on October 19th. As you chat on air, you feel Ivy's interest, compassion and skill and find yourself opening up.

We begin with my book, Tidal Fury, and a performance of my poem, 'The Medusa' (with green fog). I talk about creativity and a muse who is as dangerous as lightning.

We then move onto my novella, Fugue in Green. I reveal things I have not revealed before. We explore questions on what constitutes memoir and autobiography and I stress the importance of having some experience of what you are writing about, 'core elements,’ that give the writing authenticity but which do not necessarily constitute life writing. I read a key scene from Fugue in Green. We finish with mention of writing aids, like NaNoWriMo.

Ivy guided the interview beautifully and I am happy with it. It was an honour to be on Ivy's The Artis television show.

For more information on these books, go to my website: https://brendaclews.com
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Quick Sketches

Some newsprint drawings played with. 18"x22", this week.
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Progressing, bit by bit...

This is drawn, I think, with a 2B in a .9mm technical pencil. It's on it's way to becoming, I hope, a watercolour. Quite large - 14" x 20" or 36cm x 51cm, Aquarelle Arches, 100% cotton, 300g/m or 140lb. I've done the shadows and the beautiful wrinkles in the skin lightly in the drawing - knowing that soft graphite will bleed into the water and paint.

Not sure whether to make it a very detailed, more realistic watercolour, or allow the paint to run freely for a more suggestive rendering.
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Couple of Ink Sketches

Some test ink drawings with Franklin-Christoph flex (top image that I half rubbed out) and fude nibs (bottom two figures) with a F-C chocolate ink on Strathmore cold press Watercolour paper, 9”x12”.



A poet, drawn today.



I dare not name him in case he doesn't like the beginnings of this ink sketch.



A beautiful black woman on the subway - I didn't feel like trying to darken the skin tone with ink lines, too finicky and easy to overdo (and, anyway, I'd have to do it from memory). She didn't see me drawing her, and I hope she forgives me.
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Could be a preparatory sketch, who knows

A preliminary sketch or maybe this is all I'll do, who knows. It's in the small pocket sketchbook, 5.5"x3.5". I finally got a Franklin-Christoph flex nib and Marietta #20 pen and had to try it out right away. On a more absorbent paper, I can get very fine lines, as well as thicker, but not on this paper. It's a Franklin-Christoph chocolate ink, too. So there's a 6H pencil - this paper cannot do anything lightly and that graphite hardness offers the lightest lines so far. And a Pilot gold gel pen. I haven't put in the shadows yet. I don't think the paper will allow the extra fine nib on the F-C pen to draw delicately enough, and more gel pens is very hard to do. I could pencil it in, but that seems boring. Oh, yeah, the eyes - well I am deeply into podcasts on Greek literature (Homer's Illiad currently) and so their sculptural aesthetic must have influenced. I'm almost afraid to ink in the eyes since there is no option for delicacy or mistake. We'll see. I haven't drawn in so long!

This is an iPhone pic and probably the scanner is better, or a DSLR with direct sunlight. But, ya know, snap it, post. Neva look back!

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Finally have a few paintings sketched in, ready to go. This one is floral, 30”x36”. Hope to break through the block plaguing me for the last 2 years soon. #sketch #painting #art #charcoal #artistoninstagram #flowers #sketchforpainting

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