Draw Tyler

From my sketchbook - detail. Copyright Michelle Taff

For the last two weeks I've been really interested in drawing faces. It's a skill that doesn't come easily to me, and I've been saying I would practice more portraiture for a long time. Below are a few examples.

From my sketchbook - detail. Copyright Michelle Taff

From my sketchbook. Copyright Michelle Taff

From my sketchbook. Copyright Michelle Taff

From my sketchbook - detail. Copyright Michelle Taff.

The first two pages I drew from photos uploaded to the sketchy app. The second two, well they're everywhere. Enough said (unless you can't tell who they are...???).  I really like the idea of drawing political figures and also wish I had the skill to draw caricatures. Something else to work on. I will say, my faces generally look like human faces, but rarely do they look like the photo or the person I'm drawing. Plenty of work still to do.

But this week I got really into the idea of sketching my town, and started with a trip downtown, stopping at the Children's Park on the way. This is a really fun project but way more work than I anticipated. If I want to be accurate anyway. Hopefully I don't get sick of it. To keep from getting completely bogged down in the minutiae of drawing places I started a series of small works. This is something I can complete in a relatively quick time and will give me something to sell down the way.

From my sketchbook. Copyright Michelle Taff

From my sketchbook. Copyright Michelle Taff.

Small works.  Copyright Michelle Taff

Also I started back to work on a couple of paintings I started last month and then abandoned. They are NOT completed in a relatively quick time. They are mind-numbingly slow process works. But I can't seem to help but pick difficult subjects to paint. I guess I like the challenge. Here is a work-in-progress shot of Chinese cabbage. Pretty thrilling I know. But... the heart wants what the heart wants... 

Painting in progress. Copyright Michelle Taff

Why does technology have to be so frustrating?

     Why don't I update my blog? Every time I try to log onto this little blog, I can't find the pathway. I have to take a very circular route and use different emails and passwords than I use for my website, which I also have a hard time logging onto. I get too frustrated. Usually I just don't have time to mess with it. What's a girl in the 21st century to do? Not blog...? So if I ever find my way here I load too many pix for anyone to look at. Hey I never know if I'll find my way back!

     I am taking an online sketchbook class, and have been trying to be better about daily drawing. Still not in the sketchbook everyday, but considering I make LOTS of art everyday in class, this few little pages represent a LOT of extra time.

Here are last week's offerings:

And from the last few days:

I do feel like I've gotten out of the habit of drawing. My first instinct is to pick up a paintbrush. That's a good thing too considering I want to paint for the rest of my life! Have a great rest of the week!

Summertime is Art Time

     At least I hope it is. I'm trying to make art, like crazy!!! I've had a couple of failures and a couple of not-quite-right pieces, like the one above. But I had a blast making it and want to do more. What do you think? It is based on the pour art of Holton Rower. Sorry I don't have a website to link to, but google him, check out his work. He is AMAZING!!!

     I have actually been working. I'd like to show you, but I'm not quite ready yet. I finished a gift that my daughter commissioned this afternoon. Darling, but I don't want to ruin the surprise for her friend though, so I'll wait to post. Also I am trying to make some little drawings that I can print on cards. I'm not sure there is a market for greeting cards with my silly drawings on them, but I'm going to give it a go. Four, possibly five drawings are finished but they will be posted when I'm ready to sell. In the meantime here are a few sketchbook scans:

These last two sketches feature the cute boutonnieres (apparently I spelled that word wrong on the drawing) from Mara's wedding. What? Yes, my daughter is married, and I am officially old. Also they feature some of the gifts given to John and me by the two Chinese college students that stayed with us in May. Awesome guys.  Here they are, Dwight first, then Eason. If you are able to read this in China, guys, know that we think of you often and miss you!

A New Sketchbook for a New Year

A zoo rhino based on a photo Kinzey took when she and Caleb, Carsen, and I went to the zoo while they were visiting just after New Year's. She has a close-up (I'm sure that's the technical name for it) lens on her camera and she got better pictures than I did. This guy will start off the new RED moleskine that John gave me for Christmas.

These shoes went into the clothes and closet moleskine. Just a little (read a lot) off proportionally. Here's another, older shoe sketch in the book. Have I shown you? I didn't think so

I like shoes.And lastly a couple of drawings from a class sketchbook from last semester. We had specific assignments, that's why they have numbers on them. These two sketches are on facing pages but this book is a little too big, can only fit one side at a time on the scanner.

This is for the birds

Whew! Been awhile since I've posted, or even visited this little spot. I don't have just a ton of work to post but there's enough to make a too-long post. I find lately that I'm reluctant to share online. I'm paranoid, I guess, about copyrights and such, but also I tend to use my sketchbooks as journals and I really just don't feel like putting all that out there. Now if we were sitting at my kitchen table, I'd have no problem with you looking through any of my books, but there's something disturbing about the impersonal nature of blogging. Maybe it's just a phase I'm going through. 

That said, here are a few sketches. Strangely enough I uploaded them in the opposite order they were created. It'll be just like traveling backward in time. Like Dr. Who. First up, a saucy flamingo painted in my watercolor sketchbook with gouache. As the journaling notes, I've fallen back into the bird habit. Hard. I thought I'd moved on, but here we go again. I may never finish that longhorn painting on the easel.

...and a Sooty Tern, for you consideration. Ballpoint with acrylic and gouache accents in moleskine

...and a couple a dancing Pelicans... acrylic and gouache in moleskine

I'm dying to learn the art of graffiti . When I worked at the bank I used to sit in my car at lunch and look at the train cars stopped in the rail yard across the street and marvel at all the graffiti. How do they do that? Make art with spray paint in minutes all the while looking over your shoulder? Cool. I want to study it more. Clearly just trying to write my name in this stylized manner strained my brain. Ballpoint pen in moleskine

 

Okay first of all, I don't really draw people that well. Okay. That's settled. I know I need practice so from time to time I practice with my own face. And anytime someone sees these self portraits I hear how they don't look like me. I can't really tell. Sometimes I know they don't and sometimes I just don't care. I drew a face. I used mine as a guideline. We'll leave it at that. Ballpoint pen in moleskine.

These last two offers were done during and just after our ski trip to Santa Fe. We had a great time. Loved the city and I think we will definitely go back. However, I'd never skied before and it was a bit (just a bit) of a traumatic experience for me. Above, acrylic and pen in moleskine. Below, uniball in moleskine.

So...that's enough for tonight. I'm thrilled to have more time to draw and paint and hope to post a little more regularly. It really is a good motivator. Hope you all have a fabulous rest of the week. 

Behold the Mighty Longhorn

Well, mighty might be an overstatement, but they're pretty darn interesting. I was given the idea, or the challenge, of painting a longhorn over dinner Christmas night and have been thinking about it (mostly thinking--can't seem to find time for anything else lately) ever since. I know what it looks like in my head but haven't been able to devote enough time to getting it out on paper. Here is my version of watercolor, trying to stay loose and a tiny bit abstract.

Here is what turned out to be a cartoon version. I'm ok with that, but not to worry, this is not our final direction. Point of note, I used India ink to sketch him in and work the background (which is not at all forgiving, thus the cartoony-ness) which makes it look shiny. No bueno

This is a sketch trying to learn the ways of the cow. Well, at least I got the horns right. Hope to rough in the painting tomorrow. Canvas is prepped and waiting.

Happy First Birthday, Little Blog

I actually started this blog a year ago on Christmas, but that was just the setup and trying to figure out how it works. On December 29th I actually posted my first little painting. My goal was to draw more, paint more, see more, and be more grateful for my wonderful life. I'm going to call this year a success. I've painted more than I ever have, filled sketchbooks and gained enough confidence to want to take on more complicated projects. Now if I could only find a little time.

These two sketches are from earlier this month. The only things I've done this month in fact. Below is a sketch for Christmas ornaments and the only ornament I actually painted. It needs a little finishing but I lost interest. This one will go to my friend Glenda who collects mouse ornaments and gave me the idea.

Happy New Year Friends! I'm so excited to start 2012. Best year yet. Wait and see!

Stuff and Nonsense

I plan to spend my weekend with this bad boy, or a reasonable likeness of him as I try to lay it on a canvas once and for all. I'm tired of thinking about birds and rocks. Time to exorcise that particular demon. Acrylic in moleskine.

Here are a couple of mediocre and pretty silly sketches from the last week or so.

Trying to draw people. NOT my strength by any means. Poor girl has a chin for days, but I like her foot ok.

Ink and watercolor in watercolor sketchbook

Ok, another trial tonight. A little bit better but still disappointing. You know what really stinks? My sister took up sketching like a month ago and is a hundred times better at drawing faces than I am. Clearly I need some professional help. I think a figure drawing class is in order. Or at least a little more practice. Mechanical pencil in moleskine.

November sketches

From the clothes and closet sketchbook

Sketching things in my room while I was watching the tube. My sweet Gussie...

This is a badly executed sketch. Unfortunately I drew the bird in pen and had a hard time fitting the telephone pole in around him. Hey that's why I sketch things out before slapping paint on a canvas. Usually I use a pencil first and my hands-down-favorite tool, a big pink eraser. Inelegant and poo-pooed by real artists but a true friend to me.

Oh, for the Powers of Regeneration...

I'll settle for a cup of Darjeeling