FF Tree Studies

I've become less ambitious in my tree studies. I'm drawing branches and trunks for now. This is a Hophornbeam with snow. It was outside Peg's study window on Monday. The "hop" part of the name refers to the fall fruit, which resembles the hops used in beer. It's also called "Ironwood." A new friend I think I'll recognize anywhere.

GLEANINGS ON THE WAY

"Trees are at every season among the loveliest of living things. To draw them successfully you first need to understand the form and structure. You can most easily learn to do that by observing and sketching leafless branches in winter. It takes a lot of practice and patience. Move from parts of trees, to single trees, and then to groups."
Norman Battershill, "Draw Trees"

FF Tree ID's

This is one of the buildings at Lutheran Hospital. I found the trees way more challenging than the building. I remembered TK's trees leaving some light on the trunks. Heretofore, mine were all black broom sticks. I tried to be accurate enough so that I could identify the trees from the drawing. That's when I went back to look at some of Micah's. Wow! Not only the kind of tree, but the individual with its personality.

So I have set for my own goal to draw 50 tree pix, trying to get to know them personally.

KEEPING AT IT CHALLENGE "Posting Posts"

Two things:

1. I've found it hard to "keep at it" of late. But "Everyone's got five minutes." The mutual encouragement and a deadline of our challenges helps me. So, whoever wishes, let's do another one--Micah's notion of posting posts. The challenge is to draw a picture that contains a post. Large landscape, close-up detail, anything at all as long as it has a post of some sort. "Post-Saturday" is a week from this coming one, April 4.

2. How about a real "Sketch Crawl"?. Let's meet one day to sketch together until we are bleary-eyed, foot-sore, with drawer's-cramp, only pencil stubs left, and we all have to crawl home. Well, at least let's try if for a morning. Can we find a day we can all get together for breakfast in downtown Milwaukee, and go from there, drawing whatever our eye grabs until noon? I'm thinking about sometime in May, after we get back from Atlanta.

OUT OUR WINDOW

The grays are smudged with my finger. I wanted a picture of 5 tones, pure and solid rather than gradations. Couldn't get the flat grays I'm looking for. I think it's the paper. I'll have to try something smoother, like Bristol Board.

OUT CHARA'S WINDOW

The perspective on the far roof seems wrong. Have to go back and see. Still looking for grays. Tried HB and even H. I often use my finger for a smudger to get gray, but I want a gray with simple pencil strokes. A fresher look, not overworked and labored. Too much searching here. I'm hoping to find my lighter tones with gray pencils--the H numbers.

OUT THE CAR WINDOW - KT 2

Same house, different day, different time of day. I'm still looking for gray. What caught my eye here was the brightness of the white house in the sunshine. The encircling grays and black windows help that feel. I resisted the urge to tone the sky, a thing I often overdo.

OUT THE CAR WINDOW - KT 1

This is another quick Kwik Trip view. Same old house from the same spot. In my sketching of late I've been looking for gray. How to make a good gray. Smooth and even. The shadow on the white house is close to what I want. It's done with an HB.

posting posts

this week, apparently, the theme was those wonderful cement milwaukee lamp posts.

last week

last week, we did some 3 tone thingies. didn't get a chance to upload. wish i had an uploader monkey.

More Jonah

It's been a good sketching week. I've got a bunch of quick scenery doodles done, but i haven't posted any of them yet. BUt then i continued to rework my jonah scene. I'm still not happy with it yet. I also started playing with new images to share the message of Jonah's big fish. One of the old images i reworked to include a muskie, the wisconsin state fish. I thought that makes it a little more personal? I really need you guys to help me design a little jonah that fits into the picture that doesn't look like a fly, or detract from the larger image. what do you think. Critique the whole design concept please.

FF SNOW ROOFS

This is another Kwik Trip drawing. It was a contour drawing, but it was the snowy roofs that caught my eye, so at home I filled in--made up--the shadows.

the progression of a vision

Ok. Jonah is near an dear to my heart for a number of personal reasons. I love him because I act a lot like him. And God, like Jonah, used a really bad experience to make me break my will- or maybe better bend my will to his?

So i have this vision in my head. It's not quite out yet. Here is the progression.

Please note the key ingrediants i need in this image: A pirate ship lookin boat- but not so pirate"y". Arrrrrggggg! Choppy waves and sea foam, but smooth stylized lines for water. A giant fish. A helpless Jonah. ALSO i would like to have clouds in the back ground, showing the storms breaking.

Help me out here guys. Take your own shot at this image. I'd be interested to see what you do- or even copy mine and add to it.

ITERATION

What attracted me was the oval face in all that hair. And that black V of her blouse. I wanted to do a non-Caucasion without making it a caricature. Hard.
I've been tweaking this for over a week. Gave her a hint of an ear. Still don't like the look. I may have to overwrite it with my 14th iteration.

Faces are hard. They look back at you. Usually with much disapproval.