It's great to be back in the saddle after being away from sketching for sometime.
It doesn't mean I haven't been sketching at all, I have, but just not regularly in my personal journal. So here it is in all its raw form.
These were all done at a class I took from Marilynn Brandenburger at the Spruill Center in Dunwoody Georgia. I took the class to better hone my skills on mixing color, page layout, page balance (writing and images/sketches). All of these areas are part of what I do daily at work so I was glad for the opportunity to go to something local. (My employer was willing to pay for the class.)
Marilynn did a great job of stepping us through the process of blocking, layout, inking, and color balance. One of the bonuses was her education on tools and process. There were several in the class planning trips to other countries and wanted to sketch their journeys. One student is going to Jerusalem. So Marilynn even covered the logistics of a minimum travel sketch kit, what to bring and what to leave at home.
She started showing how to sketch and paint a humble radish. Then we went back to our desks and tried to do the same. Next we advanced to sketching an entirely different item, something we had not seen her sketch or paint (mine was a potato chip bag in my lunch). Next we took our sketch skills on the road and went into the "museum" outside the doors of the classroom of the art center. We tried to sketch sitting on little stools and balancing our tools on our laps. I found this to be most difficult. I really had to simplify my sketch kit down to the bare minimum. Next we sketched from a picture. Then finally on the last day we went into the wild outdoors and tried to sketch sitting in the shade. (The wheelbarrows and rake sketch.) One challenge, among others, was that water dries very quickly outdoors. I had to work fast. I couldn't dilly dally. Get the essence down and move on. "It's only a sketch!"
The running joke was: "Sketch quickly the bus is leaving for the next town."
As we tweaked our sketches and labored over small elements of the sketch she kept saying:
"Remember that you are just doing a sketch and not creating a masterpiece."
She taught us to get the essence down within 30-60 minutes.
"Your travel partner and tour group will not wait for you. It's only a sketch."
If you live in the area and are interested, here are her classes for 2010.
...dave
I draw like other people bite their nails. - Pablo Picasso
4 comments:
Happy to see you've returned to sharing your illustrations. Love them.
Sandra:
Thanks. More to come. Since the class I've done a sketch a day. Stay tuned.
...dave
These are wonderful, Dave! Sounds like Marilynn conducts a great workshop.
Yeah, it was great fun and she had many suggestions.
...dave
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