Classical style drawings

Have been continuing to practice my clssical drawing techniques, here's some recent examples:

This one is from life and took about 1hr 15mins. It utilises grey paper, graphite and heightened by white chalk. There no smudging, only directional hatching to indicate form. This is a technique favoured by many of the old masters.

This one was done yesterday at the National Galleries of Scotland. There was an 'Easel Sketching in the Gallery' event that I took part in. Basically there was a model and easels set-up for volunteers to draw. Took about 20mins, but was tough because there was quite a crowd (about 30-40) bustling around watching you work!! It uses willow charcoal and white chalk on a warm grey paper. Reasonably happy with my effort considering I wasn't warmed up and was under pressure!

Finally I went to the back stair of the gallery where there are many classical Roman busts (Mix of marble and plaster casts). Picked this one to do a sketch off in my journal, using just a new mechanical pencil (HB) I bought. I really liked the fact that this pencil was always sharp! There was quite an audience again as visitors walked past, many stopped to see what I was doing and asked a few quesions. Quite a challenging afternoon!

Ryan

Life paintings

Wow September came and went so fast- I never posted anything. That doesn't mean I wasn't busy painting and drawing! I'm still going to my weekly life painting/drawing group at Whitespace. I'm now using acrylics to paint the long pose (about 1 hour 45mins). I'm painting on little boards only 9x12inches, to allow me get a degree of finish within the time frame. These boards (MDF from DIY store) provide a good painting surface, they need to be gessoed (3 coats) before use and I then paint neutral gray mixed with acrylic texture paste medium to provide a more interesting paint surface and to get rid of the white gesso- replaced with a midtone. Here's the one I did last week

Rebecca 9x12 inches Acrlyic on board And here is tonight's effort

Justin 9x12inches Acrlyic on board I'm using a new viewfinder that I got, It's really helping me think about the composition before I start and keeps me focussed on scale too. With many of my tutored life classes I'd done previously, there was always pressure to make sure you got the WHOLE figure in to the picture- which really hampers creative composition I feel. The viewfinder let me try out different cropped compositions to pick one that is interesting before I start. Also I'm working with a limited pallette (yellow ochre, raw sienna, burnt sienna, Burnt umber and black and white) I'm finding this works great for me creating believable skin tones and creating a moore harmonious painting. Ryan

Cast study

Cast study
pencil on paper

At last I can post pictures again thanks to a new digital camera! No life classes at the moment as the Whitespace studio is being used as one of the many venues in the Edinburgh festival. Been working on this to keep my drawing studies up

Ryan

2011 Self Portrait

I've decided to set myself the challenge of doing at least one self portrait a year. For one as a model, I'm free to hire and can't complain about the sitter not sitting still!

Rembrandt was famous for his self portraits- probably more-so than any other artist. What he left was a series of work that not only charts his progress as an artist, but also his progress through life as you gradually see him ageing and in various moods as life throws things at him.

http://www.rembrandtpainting.net/rembrandt_self_portraits.htm

check it out

Any way here's my effort! A rather quick one at about 2hrs



Self portrait 2011
Pastel on Sennelier card
8x10 inches

This weeks life class

Female figure sleeping pose

Pastel on Sennelier pastel card

10x12 inches

This was the sketch from the long pose (about one hour 30mins). It was a bit of a struggle as the model moved her arm and shoulder position quite considerably at half time. Its part of the challenge of life drawing/painting that you are painting a living 3d thing that i not static. I had to totally re-do that section !

I forgot to post the week before's work too! again it was a toughy with a lot of fore-shortening to deal with

Male model prone position

Pastel on Sennelier pastel card

12x12inches

About one and a half hours again

Ryan

New life drawing / painting group

I managed to find a new drop-in untutored life drawing/painting group. Its really good to do a class untutored as I can work in whatever media I want and try to develop some of the techniques and ideas I got from Leith School of Art. It's a 3 hour class with an hour of quick sketches followed by a longer pose for the remainder of the time (about an hour and a half after breaks).




Here's what I got done for the longer pose

Model with red chair and reflection

Soft pastel on Sennelier pastel card

8x12inches

Welcome

Welcome

Linocut print

4x7 inches

My second attempt at linocut printing. Getting a bit more confident at this as it was quite challenging to get some of the detailled bits. Did an edition of 25 which was tough work without a press- as each one has to be hand printed using the back of a spoon to burnish the image!

On another note I got my portrait painting from Julie Mardell- I'm really pleased with it she's done a great job. The portrait swap was great fun- I'll definitely do another one. Anyway here is the painting!

Ryan - by Julie Mardell

8x12inches

Oil on canvas

2010!! Happy New Year

Cast shadows

Soft pastel on Sennelier pastel card

8x10 inches

The first post of 2010! Another portrait that excited me due to the strong light and cast shadows.

This was the first time I used the Sennelier pastel card. Its more expensive than the Murano paper I normally use with pastels. The card has a grain on it that resembles sandpaper (but is easier on the fingers) and is really good for adding layers of pastel. I managed to build up a fairly thick pastel layer without feeling the tooth of the paper was clogged up- this sometimes happens with the Murano paper.

Ryan

Becka

Becka
Oil on canvas
16x20 inches

Here's the final painting done from life. Finished it quite a few weeks ago but work committments have made posting tricky

Ryan

Oil life sketch

Here's the first part of a three-week project we're doing at night-class.

Becka (sketch)

Oil on paper 6x10 inches

We had an interesting approach to our colour pallette. first we made a 'parent' colour Yellow Ochre and titanium white. Then we mixed this into a range of primary (yellow ochre, Alizarin crimson, Ultramarine blue and Lamp black) and secondary colours (derived from mixing our primaries 50:50).

Then we were limited to this pre-made pallette for sketching out our composition idea for a final painting. This took 25 mins so have ready made colours helped from a speed point of view!

Over the next two weeks we are painting the final image

Ryan

Leith School of Art term 2

I've been busy beavering away at my life drawing and paintings course at Leith School of Art. Term 2 is in mid-flow and again is high paced and challenging. The emphasis this term has been mark-making, and I've really been enjoying the use of different media and the new effects you can create.

Here's some recent portraiture work that illustrates how the different media are influencing the marks and approach I make to the same subject

Charcoal and chalk

Oil bar and graphite

Ryan

Weeks 5 and 6

Wow I have neglected posting again! Here are some more works from my ongoing Leith School of Art course.


Week 5- Brush and Ink on paper. Trying to capture the effect of the strong light on the torso

Week 6- Acrylic on paper- we got painting this week with the tutor restricting us to black and white to concentrate on values.

Need to photo the next one soon!

Cast shadows -Week 4 study

Cast shadows- Week 4 study

Charcoal on paper 33x22 inches

This week we had a wee bit longer on our main pose so I got more of a finished image. We were instructed to try to use the side of the charcoal stick for the first 30 mins with no measuring and using shading to define edges. Drawings by Seurat were used as an example.

In the last part I used an eraser and some lines to redefine parts that were in need of more resolution.

Ryan

Leith School of Art week 3

I know what you're thinking, where is week 2- I was on holiday OK!!

This week we studied the etchings of Rembrant, drawings of Degas looking at mark making and using directional hatching marks to show the different planes of the body.

Fiona seated

Charcoal and white chalk
23x33 inches

Ryan

Leith School of Art week 1

I've not been posting much recently as I've been doing evening classes at Leith School of Art. We've just finished the first half of term 1 (6 weeks) so I'd thought since I've got a week off I must catch up with my blog!

http://www.leithschoolofart.co.uk/

I'm studying figure painting and drawing with a great teacher called Andrew Paterson, whose life-size oils are amazing!

http://www.andrewpatersonart.com/

In the first week we did a lot of quick sketching and loosening up exercises, culminating in a 45min final pose in charcoal. We had to draw looking directly at the model (and not at all at the paper! more difficult than you would think) this lasted ten minutes before we could even look at what kind of mess we made! Amongst the jumble of lines and marks, the loose basis of the drawing.

Next we had to attack what we had done with the rubber, which smudged, merged, softened and lightened our original image. Then for the last 30 mins we got to work proper! Tring to keep some of the sponaneous mark of the under drawing and refining it. As it was the first week I was definitely rusty and was knackered at the end!

Life study week 1

Charcoal on paper 23 x 33inches

Self portait in soft pastel

A quick self portrait! Done while watching the football so about an hour

Soft pastel on Murano paper
15x12inches

Working on another abstract classical piece so did this while waiting for paint to dry!

Quick Self portraits in charcoal

Self portrait

Charcoal on light grey murano paper

16x12 inches

Wanted to get some drawing practice in so decided to have another crack at the portrait and since I'm the only one who's willing to model- it's me again!

This one was done in about an hour and a half

This one took about 30 mins- considerably faster sketching, again charcoal on light grey Murano paper

16x12 inches

Portraiture really is one of the hardest disciplines there is. Trying to acheive a likeness is tough work, but a great challenge.

I'm waiting for some oil paintings to dry on the easel and enjoyed getting some drawing practice in meantime!

Cheers

Ryan

Fiona back view

Fiona back view

Acrylic on board

6 x 8 inches

A small painting worked up from my previous ink sketches from my recent life class (see below). Mixed marble dust and a little impasto medium into my acrylic for this to add a bit of textural element to the brushstroke.


Ryan

Life Class sketches

Life Class sketches

I just did another Life class through the National Galleries of Scotland- which have been really excellent.

For the first 1/2 hour we go up into the gallery and look at the master paintings, with our tutor pointing things out. Then we have a 2 hour life class working on the techniques discussed.

There is a great exhibition of on at the moment of drawings, which were the studies for major paintings. Edgar Degas, Seurat, Raphael, Poussin all are represented here. I was taken by a sketch by Poussin done in ink and wash, the finished painting was also on display. (will try to get a link)

Here were my attempts in this medium- quickly done ~5 mins each. We used sharpened willow sticks to dip in the ink and draw. The wash of diluted ink was applied with sponge. These unusual implements really made you consider line and mark-making. First one on the left I put down to learning the marks made by the tools!! I think they improved!


15x12 inches

Ryan

Female Life study

Female Life study
Soft pastel on Ingres paper
12x15inches

A painting I've worked up from my recent Life drawing classes

Ryan