Recent Sketches and Drawings

These don't have much in common except for the fact that they were done in the last couple of weeks.

Details from Architectural Heritage Center with Urban Sketchers

Orchids

New Coffee Shop

View from Laughing Planet SW

Winter Birch, Jamison Square

Hoffman Hall, Womens' Stage, PSU

Figure Drawing

Behind the Museum Cafe

Tulips (Winter Therapy)

Day 23: Gesture Drawings

I spent three hours at Hipbone Studios doing figure drawing today, but since my sketches of the long poses aren't really postable,  here are some short gesture drawings.

The model had some really good poses...

This punch felt like it was coming right at me...but still I drew...

I don't think the human body can really do some of these moves...

and here's a longer one, complete with lots of errors...

but it's all practice.

November Remnants

Here are some miscellaneous sketches from this month. These first two are sketches of clay sculptures by Glenn La'Fontaine. They are in the Native American wing of the Portland Art Museum.

Here are a couple from a sketchcrawl with the Urban Sketchers Portland group. The first was sketched from the window of Stumptown Coffee on Belmont and the next was sketched in an intersection nearby.

The following are from my figure drawing class at PNCA and from a drop-in session at Hipbone studio.

And that's the end of the sketches for November.

Body Beautiful

The Portland Art Museum is having an exhibition of Greek and Roman sculptures from the British Museum. Since I am taking a figure drawing class now, I thought it would be a good idea to practice on some well-lit, motionless forms. I'm trying to see and draw the planes in forms.

A week ago, I sketched Hercules and the discus thrower...

Then I sketched some facial parts...

 Today, I went back and sketched the discus thrower again. (That's a tree trunk, not his leg in front, btw)

Next, I decided to just focus on his torso...but those contours by the ribs are backwards and his waist is way too narrow...

I decided I needed to focus on torsos, so a drew a youth...

 When I put my drawings on this blog, errors just pop off the screen at me. For some reason, they're much easier to spot than when I look at my sketchbooks. Now I have lots of things to work on next time I go back to the museum.

These are from my figure drawing class at PNCA... Week 2:

Week 3:

A few of these lines are instructive lines from my teachers...

I definitely need to work on the neck next time!!

The torso seems a bit twisty, but I kind of like the arm...

Lots and lots to work on!!

Sketching with the Portland Urban Sketchers

The Portland Urban Sketchers met at the Canvas this week. The model wore an unusual dress of recycled orange cording material. Most of the time, I chose to ignore the dress.

By the end of the evening she was getting tired, but not this tired.

      And here's a previous sketch from the Canvas, when that model wore a very tiny nurse costume.

You never know what the Monday night model will wear at the Canvas, but it's always a fun (and cheap) place to sketch, eat, drink and meet others who like to paint or sketch.

Figure Drawing Class

I recently took a 4 week drawing class at PNCA with Bonnie Allen called, Drawing the Costumed Figure. Both of these models have been art students, so they really knew how to pose. Here are some of my results.