"Dancehall Evening" - original figurative oil painting of two-steppers

This 7 x 5" oil painting on Ampersand Gessobord was a delight to paint.  There's nothing sweeter than a two-step and I think it's great that dancehalls are still going.  

I've somehow ended up with a bunch of 5 x 7" and a number of 6 x 6" panels so I've tasked myself with painting lots of these dancers, plus some tangos.  I guess I got a good buy on them. "Sale" is one of my very favorite words, so Hackberry Street Studio will be sporting a lot of these paintings!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

 

"Life Drawing Sketches" - original charcoal drawings from life

I used Strathmore Toned Blue Mixed Media paper and General's Primo Euro pencils for these sketches.  They're timed poses so it's that great training again where you don't have enough time to "finish".  Such fun and so challenging! Re General's Primo Euro pencils, I'm really worried they'll be discontinued.  They have a smoothness that glides across the support which makes them a dream to draw with.  If you haven't used these fabulous pencils before, give them a try!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

"A Little Ink Drama" - original ink drawings from life with a bit of white chalk

 Here are a few drawings from a life drawing group that had a great model.  All of her poses were so good and she could hold the long ones as well as the short ones, too. 

 The thing about drawing from life using ink is that it's a great drawing teacher - the marks are there to stay and we can learn what we did wrong - well maybe not wrong, just not what we intended.  While they can't be changed (although marks can be modified in interesting ways with non-waterproof ink) I always learn something from my ink drawings.  Mainly, though, I love ink drawings because they show what you're thinking - or how you react to the model - at the moment you put pen to paper.

I used Itoya calligraphy pens and Derwent Line Makers on Strathmore Mixed Media paper and added a little Derwent Chinese White drawing pencil on the front figure because I thought I got the shadow under her neck a little dark.  Did I cheat a teensy bit? Artistic License😉.  Thanks for stopping by! 

"More Country Music" - original oil pastel portrait

This 5 x 7" oil pastel is one of two of this "pose".  The other is an oil on stretched canvas that's still in progress.  I really do love country music and am painting some of the views I've had while at rodeo dances.  Matter of fact, I also love rodeos and this past summer got some good sketches while at the rodeo in Junction, Texas.  Most of the work I did was of barrel racers, but also got some bronc rider sketches, as well.

This drawing is really kind of left "raw" and not as finished as it could be.  This approach is what I love about oil pastels.  It's such an immediate type of media and I love capturing "moments" with it and just going with my reaction to the model (whether posed or not). And when I'm through drawing, I have a piece that's loose and not overworked.  Overworking is something I tend to do.

"Country Music 2" was done on Ampersand Pastelbord with mostly Sennelier oil pastels, plus a few Neopastels and CrayPas Specialists providing assistance here and there. 

 I'm experimenting with framing these small oil pastels painted on Pastelbord using Econospace plastic spacers and deep rabbet frames.  (That's "rabbet" not "rabbit", 😄which refers to the depth of the frame.)  Finding a deep enough rabbet is difficult unless resorting to frames for canvas works, so that's what I'm doing

If you've never used Econospace, it's easy to use and I really like it, especially for smaller paintings and drawings.  Click here  to visit FrameTek to see Econospace.  The company also produces Framespace, which I think is good for larger pieces.

And thanks for stopping by!

 

"Experiments in Drawing" - drawings from life and a color experiment

Here are a few things from yesterday's drawing attempts.  The one at the top with all the colors was one I did using a Caran d'Ache set of Oliver Jeffers colored pencils from Jerry's Artarama.  There are 10 pencils in the set and they aren't really colors that I would necessarily associate with a portrait, but I decided to try using different colors than usual.  I LOVE the colors and I had such a good time with them even though I might have gone a bit over the edge.  

The ink drawings are two-minute life drawings and I don't really know what I was trying to do in the one on the left, but I look at it and smile.  I guess I was using too much water with the ink - my pen was an Itoya Calligraphy Doubleheader.  They are just great.  Not made anymore, I fear, because I have not been able to find them anywhere but Amazon, and they don't have many left, so I laid in a supply!  

For the rest of the art day, I painted two 7 x 5" two-stepper pieces in oil and left them alone until tomorrow to see if I still love them.  I guess so much for my watercolor Wednesday, but it will return one Wednesday soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

 

"A Quick Painting from a Life Sketch" - Life Sketch and Painting

 I did this quick little painting from the charcoal sketch of the model.  Initially I was going to do the whole thing which would include the chair the model was sitting in etc etc, but I ran out of interest and became involved in doing ink drawings of cowboys playing cards.  And possibly leading to trouble. 👀  

The painting is on 6 x 8" Canson mixed media paper.  Am anxious, though, to use my acrylics on Gessobord because I think I'll be more pleased with the brushstrokes.  This was interesting to do - next time I'll make color notes about skin, eye and hair color.  As always. so grateful to the models.   Thanks for stopping by my blog.

"Motherhood" - small acrylic portrait

Well, a couple of days late for my watercolor piece, but this is sort of watercolor since it's acrylic.  Excuses, excuses. 😏 I have a few really small 4 x 4" Ampersand Gessobords and used one for this painting.  Reminds me of many nights with my little ones when they just couldn't get to sleep.  It's tough to paint any detail - for me, at least - on such a small surface, but I see artists who seem to do this very easily.  I actually had a good time with it but won't attempt it again for a few weeks, I think.  I'll probably be doing more two steppers, since I have a number of requests for those pieces. Thank you for stopping by my blog - have a great Saturday!
 

"First Weekly Mostly Watercolor Wednesdays" - Figurative watercolors

Here are two fun things I did while trying to learn to do watercolor.  Since it's such a challenge for me, I've decided to dedicate each Wednesday to watercolor - or mostly watercolor, because there's ink and even a bit of colored pencil in a couple of places.  Gotta remember just to let watercolor sit there and dry - don't fiddle with it - maybe requiring a bit of a personality change?  I do like the dance couple, especially her "pose" as if thinking 'how did I get into this'.  Will try to replicate these figures in oil - always tough because it's easy to lose the original feel of the pose, but I like this little piece so much that I'll keep working on it. 

Have been looking at watercolor how-tos on Craftsy and info on watercolor - transparency, lightfastness, granulation, etc.  really an interesting

medium, but I doubt I'll ever master it - just improvement is all I'm really seeking and the pleasure of learning something new.  And thanks so much for stopping by!

 

"Sleep" - original oil pastel portrait

Models often go to sleep on the job.  Just imagine how boring modeling can be.  A bit surprising, though, when it happens during a short pose.  This model was wearing a hugely fluffy garment and maybe got a bit warm.  Anyway, she snoozed a little.  I totally don't mind if a model takes a little nap when posing - I might well do the same if I were the model and completely still for 20 minutes with really quiet surroundings. This piece is done on Strathmore mixed media paper that I painted over with gray acrylic, then used oil pastels for the drawing.  It's about 5 x 4".  Thanks for stopping by!
 

"Tie Down Roper" - ink and watercolor figurative sketch

 I did this one rather quickly on 6 x 8" Bristol board - not allowing myself to "finish" it.  My favorite way of working! The calf ropers keep the rope they use to tie the calf's legs - I think it might be called a hooey (but don't hold me to it) in their teeth.  It was sheer luck to get this view!  I'm such a rodeo fan but was never much of a horsewoman - I just admire the athleticism of the participants and the horses.  The rodeo in Kimble County, Texas, will be coming up next month - an event not to be missed!  Thanks for looking!

"Fooling Around with Radishes" - original acrylic, wax pastel, colored pencil, graphite and oil pastel panting

Some of my radishes from earlier in the summer made it as subjects for an 8 x 8" painting on Gessobord.  I thought they were pretty and just arranged them first this way and that.  I then drew them loosely with graphite, then painted with acrylic and topped the whole thing off with wax pastels, colored pencils, and oil pastels. The kitchen sink, you might say.  

This exercise in using mainly drawing tools convinced me that I'm basically a drawer - okay, draftsman, sketcher - not so much a painter - and am always trying to figure out ways to use oil paint in my drawings on board because they won't need to be framed under glass.  My latest idea is to cut oil sticks (not oil pastels, but actual oil sticks) into smaller pieces to make them easier to work with for drawings.  The main reason I seldom use oil sticks is their size.  Years ago, Winsor & Newton had 'slim' oil sticks, I think they were called, and they were great, but then they were discontinued, which was such a disappointment.  I find it really difficult to use these bigger sticks.  They're just too fat!  So now I'm going to try and draw with smaller pieces of this medium.  My oil stick 'collection' includes R&F, which is just wonderful,  Sennelier,  Winsor & Newton, and Shiva.  Surely I can find a way to make this plan of mine work!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

"Fiddling Around" - original oil pastel figurative drawing

I loved doing this very loose 7 x 5" oil pastel on Pastelbord - maybe because her activity (or lack thereof) is one of my favorites. 😊  This little piece is very raw - I didn't smooth anything and it's very much like the quickly done original pencil drawing I did while watching a girl at a table with her friends.  She was in her own world while the other girls chatted noisily.  I used lipsticky Sennelier oil pastels - what a joy they are to work with!  I guess I spent a teeny bit more time on her face and hair and allowed - particularly her left side - to just sort of 'happen'.  If you spend even a small amount of time on my blog, you know that's my favorite way to work.  Thanks so much for stopping by my studio!
 

"White Rose" - original miniature acrylic painting of a rose

I have tons of roses blooming in my backyard - I would love them in the front, too, but the deer would demolish them. 😕 So the backyard furnishes me with many subjects for painting.  This one is a Climbing Iceberg.  I'm trying to work with acrylic more often since it has a number of pluses - I love that it dries so quickly.  So maybe more acrylic paintings in my art future.  This piece was done on 4 x 4" Gessobord.  Thanks for stopping by my blog!
 

"Green Bikini" - mixed media figurative

I bought some cold press 8 x 8"watercolor paper at Hobby Lobby and was just trying it to see how it would work for oil pastel, but ended up doing mostly watercolor on it.  And you know, I'm no watercolorist!  I think it would be really good for tight watercolor work - meaning the watercolor didn't spread much - at least,  that's how I plan to use it.  (I don't really know watercolor terms, but it was easier to control on this paper.) I love Hobby Lobby and while I used to be able to find sheets of very "different" drawing papers, like one with inclusions or interesting surfaces, haven't found them lately.   Not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but I'm a paper addict.  You should see my studio.  Paper!  All kinds!  Everywhere!  I'm trying to organize, but what a task!  

I did this loose drawing with Derwent Line Maker 0.3.  This ink isn't water soluble, so I could do some  watercolor over it, and worked a tiny touch of oil pastel over the inside of her hair.  Worked well for OP by the way.  She actually began life as a nude, but I gave her a green bikini.  I love green - it may be my favorite color.  And I love Line Maker.

Alas, due to my not being much of a photographer, this piece looks warmer that it really is.😟

Thanks so much for stopping by - great to see y'all here! And I love your emails!💚

Which Pose to Choose?

I was trying to decide on a "pose" for a flamenco painting - so I went through a few of my drawings to find one I liked.  The first one I did from life and was quickly drawn - much lighter because I was using a smaller nib and I was scribbling furiously to capture the dancer's motion.

 But the second one below is one that I did while looking at the first drawing - because I didn't really like the position of the dancer's left arm in the first drawing.  My take is that the first one is much better and has more energy to it.  (All the lines on her arm help me when I'm dealing with foreshortening.). The second drawing seems so still by comparison.  I do like the lines on it, but I had more time to incorporate a variety of lines with that one.

So I guess this post is just about me telling myself once again that drawing from life is the absolute best way to record movement!  Will paint from the first one - maybe move her arm a little and paint quickly while I listen to music for flamenco dancing.

Yesterday afternoon was spent at South Llano State Park near Junction, Texas, drawing trees.  I thought I had done a pretty good job with a cedar stump and was going to post it today.  But no.  It looked so ridiculous.  However, I will get brave and post the next tree drawing - am lately interested in doing dry point etchings of trees.  Stay tuned.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

"Sketch of Marilee"

Here's a 7 x 5" Pastelbord sketch of the model Marilee that I did using Caran d'Ache pastel pencils.  I do love this medium  - the only problem for me with soft pastels is the framing.  And I really really love to work with the pencil version!  We didn't have as much time as I would have liked, but that's always my complaint and I think "not having enough time" pushes us to work faster, which is good practice.  Anyway, it was fun drawing her and I appreciate your stopping by my blog!
 

"Jacob" - portrait drawing from life

Nothing more interesting or challenging than drawing from life.  I've participated in life drawing groups  for many, many years and I never tire of them.  A lot of this piece was done using the side of my oil pastels which contributes to a looser drawing - and I'm so pleased with how this portrait turned out - my approach was to begin with shape and when nearly complete, I added a bit of line.  It was fun doing a drawing this way - maybe it's my new method.  Painted with Caran d'Ache and Sennelier oil pastels on 5 x 7" Pastelbord.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

"Flower Sketch" - original oil pastel drawing of a flower

 Trying to get sketches of the last flowers in the garden, I did a quick sketch of this one, a floribunda rose while I had some light.

Done on Bee 6 x 9" watercolor paper which I coated with gray acrylic paint then applied lots of Caran a'Ache and Sennelier oil pastels.  A fun thing for a Saturday afternoon.  Thanks for stopping by!

"Three Guys" - pen and ink drawing from life

 I was running out of room on my page so just drew over previous drawings.  I love doing this sort of thing.  The drawing is on 6 x 8" paper from a Strathmore Bristol board sketchbook.  It's useful sometimes to use a smaller piece of paper than usual and crowd everything on it. A big piece of paper can be a bit intimidating, so for warm-ups I often use a sketchbook this size or maybe 8 x 10".  Plus you never know what will develop when there are overlapping figures. 

On this one I used an Itoya calligraphy pen with two tips (mostly used the smaller one), an ultra fine Sharpie,  and a Derwent Line Maker that was included in a little painting/drawing kit that I received as a gift.  Mine is a 0.3 and I really like it, and would like to try a couple more sizes.  

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

"Monday's Model" - charcoal drawing from life

Lately I've been indulging in life drawing sessions on Zoom and am loving it!  This drawing was done  with General Pencil Co. Peel 'n' Sketch charcoal and Primo charcoal - both SO wonderful - on Strathmore toned paper.

It's kind of a different experience using Zoom since I can connect with a life drawing group anywhere.  In this case, instead of my studio, I was in my kitchen, of all places.  And although this was a 40-minute pose, there seemed to be a few distractions that cut into my drawing time (possibly due to my usual disorganization😉),  but it's still a great way to get life drawing time in without having to drive.  I highly recommend it!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Black and White Variety - drawings from life

Here are some of my life drawing efforts - mostly quick pieces, which are my favorite.  I learn a lot from this kind of work even if I don't finish and there are mistakes because it sharpens my drawing skills.  I used Sharpies and charcoal on these fun pieces.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sketch of Janie - original oil pastel portrait drawing

 This loose drawing is one I copied from a more serious piece that I did in a life drawing group.  I was getting ready to send the first one to File 13, but gave it another life here.  I allowed myself maybe 10 minutes and went crazy.  Done on sanded pastel paper with mostly Sennelier and some Caran d'Ache and CrayPas Specialist oil pastels, it's about 7 x 10".  I never stop loving my oil pastels - more artists should try them - whether drawing or painting, they're up for anything!  Thanks for stopping by!

Chess Game - Original oil pastel portrait drawing

 Kind of intense game between these two and I had to make my move while I could.  I'm always so happy to have models even if that's not what they had in mind!  I scribbled this one on 16 x 20" Canson Mi-Teintes board with Sennelier oil pastels.  It was so rewarding to draw quickly without thinking - just one's reaction to the model(s) is really deeply satisfying.  Same way with the "Seated Nude #45"  that I posted a day or so ago.  Somehow looseness (is that a word?) in artwork is so gratifying for

me.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

Seated Nude #45 - original charcoal figurative drawing

More loose and fun for me than usual.   About 6 x 5" on toned gray Strathmore paper.  I'm working on some 4 x 4" paintings and other   

pieces that if they work out okay, I'll post in a couple of days.  Drawings are my thing, though, and I'm really enjoying doing these.  And there are life drawing groups online that I've been "attending".  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Drawing Practice - Original charcoal figurative drawings

 

Every day I draw something - here's from yesterday.  The day before that it was two or three landscapes.  I'm kind of hooked on the male torso from ancient times - someday, maybe, I'll do it perfectly.  Maybe.  The first of these is an improvement on a drawing I did in a drawing group.  The last is a copy from a book - and I admit it needs some work.😀 Thanks for stopping by and looking at my efforts!

More Jivers - Original Figurative Drawing

 This 11 x 14" charcoal and ink drawing on Bristol board was a challenge because of the woman's turn of her leg - always kind of tough to depict, but I'm happy with how it turned out.  Just put on the music and drew these two jivers - much fun! I teetered on overworking this piece but held off - thanks for stopping by!

"My Favorite Season" - original ink and watercolor figurative drawing

Quick drawing of this slugger - so much fun to draw from baseball games - was in Baltimore the other day to see  the Orioles play KC!  And Orioles won - Yay!  I even love the sounds of a baseball game.  I'm guessing the new rules are making it easier for people to watch now that games are a little shorter.  The length never bothered me though - there is so much drama going on that it's just great to watch - or listen - I also love baseball on the radio!  This little piece is 8.5 x 5.5" on cold press watercolor paper, using a Sharpie with a bit of watercolor.  Thanks for stopping by! 
 

"We Demand to be 'Just' a Drawing!" - ink and charcoal figurative line drawing

 Here's a drawing that I love but simply cannot paint.  Painting from this piece just eludes me.  This happens a lot - I guess because when I do the drawing, so often I'm actually looking at the dancers (in the dark, I just move the pencil or pen on the paper without looking) and the drawing actually captures what I'm seeing. Painting it later just doesn't seem to do it justice sometimes.  Too stiff, maybe?  You can see a few lines I drew later to see where to place on canvas.  Anyway, I love this couple because they're determined to be what they are and I support them in being a drawing and never feeling they must be represented in paint.  All of this said by a Lover of Drawings!!!!! It's about 10 x 10".  Thanks for stopping by!

"Sketch of Alexis" - mixed media portrait sketch

This drawing is one of those "catch them while you can" drawings.  Not often enough do I have a live model all to myself! Alexis is a model I've drawn from before, but this time it wasn't in a group setting. For this fun drawing, I used acrylic with touches of oil pastel and charcoal.  The acrylic did 95% of the work in this piece.   It's done on acrylic paper by Strathmore - a really tough support that I love - has a definite pattern to the paper that really works when using acrylic and I even like it for other media (obviously).  The size of the paper was originally 12 x 12" but I cut it down to about 11 x 6" and did something else with the rest of it.  One of the most fun things is using scrap pieces to do something experimental - and sometimes it actually works!  Thanks so much for stopping by!
 

"The Violinist" - original charcoal and oil pastel portrait drawing

Totally loved doing this drawing, beginning with vine charcoal
and then moving to Caran d'Ache oil pastel.  The (unsuspecting) model was in a quartet I was lucky to see and being close to the musicians, I zeroed in on this violinist. It's totally a memory drawing, but I think really pretty accurate.  I love drawing musicians as much as I love drawing dancers.  Gotta have music to dance, right?  The support for this piece is the carton board (carton is supposed to have an accent over the "o" but I don't know how to do it) from Guerrilla Painters.  I love this stuff.  It's great for oil pastel, charcoal, oil, acrylic and others, too, I'm sure.  If I use it for oil, I use clear gesso so I don't lose the beautiful color, which would happen if I used regular gesso.  With oil pastel, I just draw directly on the paper since OP contains a different type of oil that won't damage the support.  And the carton will then be bonded to museum board for extra strength.  Thanks for stopping by!