Tuesday, June 4, 2013

I've been trying to climb out of a little drawing rut I've been in lately and convinced myself to go to Sketch Night at the NY Society of Illustrators this evening. I was talking to a writer friend of mine afterwards and she commiserated with me on the need to shake things up a bit every now and then.  Drawing from the imagination is not the same as drawing from life and writing book reviews is not the same as writing a short story. But the critical thinking needed to write a book review can help inform a work of fiction, the same way drawing a real person can help you better depict one who is wholly invented.
I am not saying that one night of drawing the figure repaired things for me entirely, but it was refreshing to use a different part of the brain again-- the one that observes rather than the one that imagines. Both are so crucial in this line of work, but it is easy to forgo one for the other, leaving that neglected part of the brain to dry up a little. So here is a single drawing out of only three or four I did tonight that may or may not represent a light at the end of the tunnel.


PS: Sometimes the best models are the ones who aren't posing.




23 comments:

  1. Very true about having to use both imagination and observation to create great designs.

    I hope this guy knows you drew such an awesome picture of him. :)

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  2. I always assumed you drew the people who walked by your studio in your art!

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  3. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Peter. I sometimes try working with different/unfamiliar media as a way to shake things up if I'm in a slump -- usually pretty effective for me, but will keep your approach in mind as well. Wishing you a speedy "recovery"!

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  4. Oh there is definitely light at the end of that tunnel! Lovely sketch. I see a bit of Egon Schiele in there...

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  5. well said, beautifully observed and drawn

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  7. Love your work. Keep enjoying life as you do. When you do so, your drawings spread love and fun all over. Thanks!

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  8. I like how you see that the artist is very relaxed and enjoys his drawing. Great sketch. I used to draw from imagination for many years. It just feels more free and flowing. But since some years I use references too and they are a good guide and it makes drawing easier for me, because i don´t have to come up with everything by myself. Thanks for sharing your sketch and the though.

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  9. يسعدنا و أن نقدم لكم شركة الحورس لتركيب طارد الحمام والطيور بالرياض نحن شركة ممتازة جداً و ذات خبرات و عناية فائقة فى اعمال مكافحة الطيور و الحمام و القيام بعمل و تنفيذ تلك الطوارد المعدنية على أمثل وجه فهى تعمل على طرد الطيور و هروبها و ليس نعمل من اجل قتلها لان معظمها هذه الطيور قد تكون للزينة و التربية فتواصلوا معانا لكى نخلصك عملينا الكريم من جميع الروائح و الفضلات التى تتركها تلك الطيور والحمام عند تواجودها على المبنى فوداعاً لتواجد الطيور على النوافذ والاسوار الخارجية للمبنى .
    طارد الحمام

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