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Sunday, December 13, 2015

Moving Beyond Sketching



A lightbulb went off in my head, as I labored on this drawing off and on, on holiday:  Scumbling is not only a painting process!  Scumbling is also an important pencil technique and stubs are a necessary tool I mostly ignored  This baby has been a drawing revelation.  She is still in progress and will be for a while; drawing on the beach with a brilliant glare bouncing off the sand, I find I need frequent breaks.  Between the glare off the sand and the white drawing paper, my eyes tire quickly. Not the greatest location for working out in the plein air, but a great spot for realizing I am interested in doing pencil drawings with a greater amount of finish than my sketches.

The last couple off weeks i was a lot less serious.  I splashed around with watercolors--trying to stick with forms and the rhythm of colors.  These are all views of Across The Pool.  









12 comments:

  1. I adore those watercolour 'doodles ' I wish I could be so free and expressive! But the drawing is something else. Those eyes are scary. Is she scared? surprised? happy astonished? What?It's brilliant.

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    1. You know me, I like going between highly controlled and free as a bird. It keeps me balanced. The baby is definitely a challenge with those eyes, that mouth and her velvet dark skin. I want to do her justice.

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  2. Oh Linda!! That drawing is absolutely beautiful!! LOVE it and really look forward to seeing this finished. The eyes are amazing...SO SO realistic! and of course, the watercolors are wonderful!!!

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    1. Thank you. She swept me off my feet. I had to give those eyes a try so I did something I rarely do I used someone else's' reference. And I feel badly. The photographer's name was no where to be found. The watercolors were fun. Light studies on the beach instead of burying my nose in a book.

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  3. Nice paintings Linda, nice and colourful. I can`t wait for the portrait of the baby to be finished. Enjoy your Holiday Linda. All the best.
    Vic.

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    1. Thanks Victor. Not taken seriously, just splashing color and working composition. Merry Christmas to you and yours and Happy painting in 2016!

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  4. What a beautiful drawing, what a beautiful face! Love your splash around with the watercolours too, especially like the last one.

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    1. Thanks Helen. Everybody should splash around on the beach. :-))

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  5. Bonjour chère amie,

    Un visage qui se peaufine peu à peu et qui déjà laisse entrevoir une belle frimousse aux yeux des enfants que j'ai connus au Sénégal...

    Très belles aquarelles également.


    Gros bisous ♡

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    1. Senegal you think? Nice to know. She's pushing my patience. I can't work on her too long. Slow and steady. I left home with her and will probably bring her home with me still in Progress. Meanwhile the watercolors help me relax. Thank you. Hugs and Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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  6. The first one (in B&W) is too good.

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    1. Thank you Haddock. I favor the black and white myself. It's what I know best. But color is where I need to spend some time freeing up. Short sessions with color and composition are always a delight and hopefully have some benefit.

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