New Classical Drawing/Sketch

This is charcoal on brown paper.  I was looking at old masters and being inspired by them.

George Bridgman Copies

This is another George Bridgman copy.  I love how much his drawings can say.  

Happy Halloween Sculpture

This was a sunset shinning through the window.  Kind of creepy but fun for Halloween.

George Bridgman Copies

I have made copies of George Bridgman's book (Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing form Life).  I use charcoal on tinted paper to copy gesture and line quality.  I love George Bridgman's ability to take the human form and describe it simply.  

Wing Spread Egret (Anatomy)

So I was taking pictures when a huge white bird decided to fly over my head.  I just watched in aaahhh until I realized that I had a camera in my hands.  I tried to focus, and snapped a shot as fast as possible.  I think it is an egret??  I will call it an egret until I am proven wrong.

Since the sun is above and light is shining through the feathers you can see the feather pattern.  Plus you can briefly see the wing bone structure.  This would be good for a bird anatomy class.

Learning from Nathan Fowkes

Nathan Fowkes came and did some lectures, I was able to go to some of them.  He answered many of my art questions that I have had for years.  Nathan did a demo of a landscape that was awesome.  Here are some of my feeble attempts of trying to apply some of the knowledge that he shared.  This is his blog: http://nathanfowkes-sketch.blogspot.com/

Dirty Socks Sketch

This is a pen sketch that I found the other day.  Dirty socks anyone???

aaaahhhhh there's a Beetle in my Sketchbook!!!!

I was just looking through some old sketchbooks to get some ideas.  I found this drawing that I did about three years ago.  I remember really enjoying this drawing.  It's fun to look at old drawings and measure your progress.

PS I love smoother paper in my sketchbooks.

Early Morning Landscape

It's about time I post another photo.  This is one of those pictures that you take and later it catches your interest in a different way.  It reminds me of an old oil painting that has lost some of its color and is turning a brown, yellow color.  

PS (There is a hidden image in this photo that surprised me while I was looking closer at things)

Bridal Veil Falls Provo, Utah

This is an oil painting of Bridal Veil Falls.  I really enjoyed this painting.  At first I was a little scared of all the detail but it turned out nicely.  

Charcoal Tree Sketch

This was done this morning.  I was so excited to go drawing.  Then after a time my hands couldn't move or draw because it was cold.  Thats when I decided the drawing was done and that it was time to go home and get some breakfast.  

PS I saw a three black minks.  They are fast little critters!!!

Pen Sketch of Trees

More trees.  I love trees.  This one was fun.

Goat Leg Anatomy

Basic goat leg anatomy.  I wish I had a goat that I could look at!!!!  

Another River Sketch

This one I tried to go with a dark tree.  I don't think I like this approach.  It looked better without the tree darker.  It is so fun to experiment!!!!

Saintly Pirate

My wife says that this is a saintly pirate.  He has been getting more and more innocent looking, as I have been adding more and more glazes.   I am realizing the importance of having a really good base drawing under layers of glazes.

Provo River Trail Sketch

These are teaching me so much.

Pen Sketch of the Provo River

I saw some fish while sketching.  Maybe I should be fishing??

Faun Sketch

I spent some more time on this today.  The drawing is looking much better.  Does anybody have goat friends that I could use????

Clouds in Smithfield, Utah

I am addicted to fun clouds.   These clouds had interesting values, great shapes, and overlapping.  This is not a normal blue sky.

Pen Sketch of Trees

I did this at Fircrest Park in Salem, Oregon.  My hope is that pen sketches will eventually help me to paint better in oils.  It is tricky trying to decide what has emphasis, and what detail should be left out.

Patriotic Sculpture by Niki Covington

Usually I just post my own art.  This is a sculpture that my friend Niki Covington made called "The Spirit of Freedom".   I thought it would be appropriate for this month.  If you go to his blog you can read some patriotic messages.  http://njcovington.blogspot.com/   

This is for the 4th of July

This is a pen drawing from my sketchbook.  Happy 4th!

Crazy Clouds in Oregon

So this is one of those moments when you are glad that your camera is near.  

Andrew Loomis Creative Illustration

I have been reading a book called "Creative Illustration" by Andrew Loomis.  This book has been a great help.  He discusses how to better work from a photograph although he suggests that getting a real model is the best way.  Anyway in the book Andrew suggests that the reader do a copy of one of his photos.  So this is a pencil drawing that I did of a photograph in his book.  (This is one of those books that I wished I owned.)

Stained Glass Box

Here is a stained glass box that I made with the help of my wife's grandma.  Working with glass is fun and relaxing.  I like the slight variations of red...ish...pink in the blue glass.

Charles Bargue and Gerome copy Drawing

So this is a horse head that I copied in pencil.  This is form the Charles Bargue and Gerome  Drawing course book.  Doing these drawings has trained my eyes to see better.  I was under the direction of Ryan Brown and Niki Covington.  Ryan has an art school called The Center for Academic Study & Naturalist Painting (CAS), in Springville, Utah.

More Italian Copy Drawings

Here are two more copy drawings I did from the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Oregon.  I tried a new experiment.  The bottom sketches were done in front of the Italian drawing.  Then I would abandon my sketches and go to the next room where the upper image was done from memory.  I don't think they are as successful as the last ones.  I only had two hours of time, I wish I had all day.  The security guard kept eyeing me.  But.... he also provided me with a chair to accomplish my experiment. 

Landscape Paintings

I have been learning much about depth

while doing lots of landscape paintings.

Pirate Sketch

This was a mini pencil sketch for the pirate charcoal drawing.

Frederic Rodrigo Gruger

So today I went to the Special Collections at the University of Oregon in Eugene. http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/ They have some original Frederic Rodrigo Gruger drawings and a bunch of originals from other artist of his time. I can't post the pictures that I took there, but I can post some pictures from his book that I would highly recommend. UVU has this book in its library.

Seeing the originals of great artists is so inspiring. The brush strokes, smudges, old white gouache that has turned blue, pen and ink!! I have been a big fan of Gruger for a long time. I pick up his book at least once a week. These are a few pictures from his book.

Real Italian Copy Drawings!!!!

I heard the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Oregon http://www.willamette.edu/arts/hfma/exhibitions/library/2011-12/timeless_renaissance.html was having a collection of real Italian renaissance drawings. Before this exhibit I have never seen a real renaissance drawing in person. These were collected by Count Alessandro Maggiori (1764-1834). I also learned that one could go and do copies of these drawings. I was so excited to go and do some copies. So these are some copies that I did of the drawings. Sorry I don't have photos of the real things. You will just have to imagine that I did a good job. I am so thankful for the museum in letting people do copies.

Why do copies??? If you have a purpose in mind you can learn much. If you have no purpose you are wasting your time. I have others that I will post maybe????