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Thursday, October 2, 2014

Free Hands in The Dark

                            





                               

It's dark when I get up. Very dark. I hate it.  Even though it's still daylight savings time, the sun is missing and I miss it--but thirty minutes in front of my SAD light with ionized fresh air stimulates pupils and spirit. It's a time to draw free hand. Generals graphite and charcoal  pencils are the medium for this quiet time.  The last few mornings I re-visited a couple of references I did before in paint. I do like those two little girls I've done several times. I think they will be a large painting some day soon. This gal's head was the most fifficult. Practice, practice, practice!  

                              

Hard to believe that this disheveled lass is the same gal as the one in the Venetian experience.  Amazing what make up and a hairbrush can do. 

21 comments:

  1. Je bent geweldig vind het zo knap gedaan lieve groetjes Danielle

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  2. Love the sketch of the young girl! And thank you for reminding me - must borrow my sister's SAD light. I am missing the longer daylight, too.
    Kathryn

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    1. I put off buying one for years. Now i' m glad I broke down and did get one on eBay. The light and the ionization of the air do make a difference. I'm much more upbeat than I was left in the dark. Ellis thought it was a snake oil scam. He knows better now. Thanks. The way the light hits her face made drawing her a real challenge. I've failed a few times. I am getting close enough now to think about another painting.

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  3. Love the sketches. You have a heck of a great eye!

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    1. Thanks Julie. Nice of you to say,. The more we draw, the sharper the eye. The reward of doing.

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  4. LOVE the sketches, Linda!!! The little girl's expression is priceless!!!

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    1. Thanks Hilda. After all that grid drawing, it was a pleasure to just draw.

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  5. You are brave to put the "disheveled lass" up--lol! It is true, makeup and hair change everything!
    I love your charcoal drawings. I agree with Julie, you do have a "great eye".

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    1. Thanks. I have to hunt down some new heads. Mine is getting boring. But that's all I had in my graphite/charcoal pencil box I relocated at my SAD station. --met a gifted graphite artist at a recent exhibit. The only graphite he used in his work was a #2B. Outstanding!

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  6. Well, hair brush or not, I love that photo Linda :-)

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    1. Thanks Agnes. That means a lot coming from a pro. I thought the lighting and the disheveled head 'said' gloom nicely. I still haven't picked up a remote. This was taken with my iPad.

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  7. Great sketches Linda! Glad the SAD light helps!
    Take care
    Michael

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    1. My doctor told me to get one years ago out of the blue. I had said nothing other than I hate the winters--the dark, the gray ,the snow--just like everybody else I knew. I didn't think I had any disorder; I thought who doesn't? Nevertheless, I looked into them and was shocked to see how much they were. I forgot about SAD lights. Ellis was right. They are a 'snake oil' scam. The more winters that passed, however, the more depressing the dark and the weather became--till last year when I looked the lights up on eBay and was delighted to find the recommended brand for eighty dollars, not two hundred and fifty. I bought it. I used it and it made a difference. It brightened my spirits. My energy picked up. I passed the shopping info on to my doctor. And while he said to start using it when we 'fall' back, I started using it when I felt my energy slipping and my mood darkening about three weeks ago. The thirty minutes I sit in front of it, is a perfect time to work on free hand drawing. The time flies. If you are at all affected by the darkness of the winter months, I do recommend getting one. I bought SunTouch Plus. The plus is the ion switch that makes the air smell outdoor fresh. I just finished a session while drawing my son. Very pleasant starting the day this way.

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  8. Love those drawings....and how you don't waste a minute. As for hairbrush and makeup.....I don't own either, so I am as your photo, 24/7! Nowt wrong with that!

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    1. Not a damn thing! I have definitely changed from a gal who never left the house without make-up to one who gets up and goes. Don't forget, I grew up in the fifties when women wore kid gloves and pearls under their ruffled aprons while Father Knew Best. It was hard shaking that off. But there are times when I like pulling out my model self to surprise fancy clients who thought they knew me. I like watching their expressions. Nasty.

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    2. Oh, yes! I have a fantasy to have myself made up just to see, and to surprise folk! I grew up in the 60s/70s still with a father who knew best...(bully). I remember he wouldn't let me out of the house with bare legs! Wonder if that is why I prefer nudist environs?

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    3. EBAY! --Go for your fantasy! It'll be fun. And it all washes off.

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  9. I really like the portrait of the little girl, such a sweet expression and great contrasts dark/light. The second one has a very difficult angle, but you pulled it off beautifully .

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    1. I seem to go for difficult angles--and pose different than the normal portrait pose. Thanks Jane.

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