White Pitcher

Even though this still life is fairly simple, it has always been one of my favorites. It used to hang in a light wooden frame (that matched the bowl here) in my kitchen, and I couldn't keep from pausing to look at it. Oil on canvas board, 11 x 14".

Little Doggies

Pug

Bull Terrier

Chihuahua

Boston Terrier

Jack Russell Terrier

Daschund

Six stylized illustrations of small dog breeds. Initially sketched on paper, then scanned in and drawn in Adobe Illustrator with the pen tool, using vectors. It may look simple, but actually took many many hours to get the shapes of the lines just right.

Quickie

 Have you ever watched a cat trying to catch a red laser light? It is absolutely hilarious. Our Asher was highly disturbed when we first introduced it- because he couldn't hear it or feel it under his paws. He would run away from it abruptly or hiss. Now he realizes it's a game and goes just wild. He spins in circles after it like a dog chasing its tail, or leaps high up the wall. Sometimes he lets out a short sharp meow. When he's had enough he lies down panting and looks away, or hisses at the light.
This sketch caught him crouched in stalk mode. He had just started to wiggle his hindquarters in preparation to pounce. Graphite pencil.

Shaft of Light

Shaft of Light Triangle Bombing in the City.
Gouache on illustration board, 10 x 10".

I am feeling the urge to get back in to pastel painting once again, dive into the subconscious images and wonders that unravel themselves slowly from my head into my hands. Strokes of color across textured rippled undulating paper weave, smudges and sneezes included. It should be easier here at my new apartment in spite of the small space because of the wood flooring. I can just sweep or mop afterwards. The small grains of colors won't work their way into the carpet, but slip and slide across the varnished floor, climbing up onto the currents of air to drift in blind circles, settling on whatever they can...

Staffordshire Bull Terriers

A portrait of three staffordshire bull terriers I did for a woman who babysits my mother's dog. Graphite pencil on bristol.

Folds

At some point early in the learning process, an art student must learn to depict form, the illusion of shape on a two-dimensional surface. That means drawing many boxes, spheres, cylinders and other basic shapes under a bright light, sitting in the half gloom bent over your paper. After getting a general grasp on contour, edges, reflected light, core shadows, reflected cast shadows, highlights, etc. more complex forms are introduced. Like folds. For some reason I always worked away at my folds until they were larger than life, with more volume and presence than the meek drapery sitting in front of us. I don't know why. Maybe I was trying to so hard to get the illusion of real dimensions on my paper that I over exaggerated every turn of the form.

Charcoal pencil on paper.

Redhead

This is the same model from yesterday's post, The Jacket. She was seated in the chair with the props on the table. The wall decorations, floor pattern and tablecloth design were all invented into this painting. Oil on canvasboard, 16 x 20".

The Jacket

White and black charcoal on toned canson paper, 18 x 24". Drawn from a model. I always liked the slight exaggeration of her features resulting in this drawing.