Sunday, February 19, 2006

Sketching my little girls

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Here are some sketches I made Friday night - there were quick. I've yet to get their likeness just right- it is hard to get their features just right when they always move. sigh... I guess I keep trying.

Mimi's curls get a little out of control on the upper right hand sketch- oh well, I got carried away.

Bert Dodson in his book "Keys to Drawing" says that restating lines are to be consistently used to gain confidence and skill- but I'm not sure if it adds authenticity or just screws up the sketch.


Oh, and I finished up this first handmade sketch journal I made last summer- (I've begun to use the new sketch journal I made in January). Approximately 81 sketch pages I drew- It was a lot of fun and this sketchbook seemed more special than any I had before made. It seemed like the first sketchbook really. I have really grown with each sketch I made and they seem so alive to me. They have their own life and look unique from anyone else's. I haven't worried that they aren't perfect drawings but have been concentrating on trying to convey the emotions I felt at the time. This is a goal I don't know if I will ever attain but desire to communicate my thoughts and feelings into these quick records of my life in a way a skilled writer uses words.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What sizes are your journals?

Puhiava said...

There is a lot of thought that can go into this. You could use the golden mean and create a "perfect ratio"- a 5 x 8 or 6 x 9.6 would be a great ratio but I'm too pratical. Basically it is taking a 22 x 30 sheet of watercolor paper and subdividing the sheet to maximize the paper use. [I know in the metric system an A2 or A3 size is a very nice proportion better than our system]

My sheets of my daily sketch book and color study book is about 5.5" x 7.5" (8 double sheets) - exactly the size of a 22 x 30 watercolor sheet.

My figure sketching Journal is 7.5 x 11 landscape. This is a very nice size but a little cumbersome.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the answer.
I have a hard time beginning to sketch because I got hung up on the paper/sketchbook size! I have loose sheets that I cut to 7x10; a good size, but a bit large to take with me, not to mention the fact that the sheets are loose and without a hard cover...
I am trying 6x8, which just seems to small for me (am interested in sketching urban streetscapes), but which still might be good since the chance of me taking it with me would increase.
/Lamy