sandy
~ May
2008 ~
Welcome Back to my Summer
Sketching Series!! |
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Thursday, May 29th, 2008 ~ My Daily Sketching
blog
My Daily Sketching blog, Drawing Everyday
/ Sketching Everyday will be starting up again in only a few
days! Last week, while googling some images of the Snowshoe Hare,
I was pleasantly surprised when I came across a wide selection
of my own animal sketches taken from my Drawing Everyday Blog.
They got me thinking of how much I enjoy this method of sketching
with pencil and watercolor!
Some quotations on Drawing:
"What do drawings mean to me? I really
don't know. The activity absorbs me. I forget everything else
in a way that I don't think happens with any other activity."
~ John Berger
"Make a drawing, begin it again, trace
it; begin it again and trace it again." ~ Edgar Dega
"Snow Bunny" ~ 5.5" x 7.5"
original watercolor, $149.00 - Available from the Rijks Gallery
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Sunday, June 1, 2008 ~
WELCOME BACK TO DRAWING EVERDAY!
I've been really chomping on the bit and could
hardly wait to get back at it! Today's sketch, "WILLIAM"
THE HIPPO, is of a reproduction of an Egyptian Hippopotamus which
is the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art's Unofficial Mascot. He's
so cute. It's no wonder he's the best seller in the museum's
gift shop!
Read my "William" story and see
step by step photos of this sketch in progress at my NEWEST Squidoo
Lens, SKETCHING EVERYDAY ~ SIX
SIMPLE STEPS TO SENSATIONAL SKETCHES.
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Monday, June 2, 2008 - Little Old Rabbit
The really neat thing about sketching is that
your subjects are all around you. There are no limitations. Just
about everything is sketchable! Today's post is a quick study
of an old concrete garden ornament that I inherited from my Aunt
Milly.
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Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - Cardinal on a Pine
Cone
This is either a very small Cardinal or a
very big pine cone! Tonight here's a quick sketch for you of
a little figurine my sister in Florida just gave to me. When
sketching a small object, be sure to raise it up to eye level
by putting it on a box or other pedestal. If you don't, you'll
be looking down on it, like in the drawing I did yesterday.
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Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - 30 Second Sketch
Part of the purpose of this project is to
convince some of you out there that drawing is not all that difficult!
This sketch, taken from the picture I posted two days ago on
my web log, took me 30 seconds!! Maybe I'll add some wash tomorrow.
(I added an antique effect in iphoto.)
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Thursday, June 5, 2008 - Seeing Differently
Since I've started up my daily drawing blog
again, I've been seeing things differently. Today I noticed more
beauty in my life and have become more aware of visual details.
I think it is a benefit of this discipline. Sketching also provides
a time to go within; whether for a minute or an extended amount
of time. In drawing, we can carry on a happy, intimate dialogue
with ourselves. I got a little carried away on this one. That's
OK because I was having fun and with sketching you don't always
have to stick to a plan. Let your muse be your guide!
"A sixty second sketch is worth more
than a week of good intentions!" ~ Sandy
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Friday, June 6, 2008 - Landscaping With
Palm Trees
Here's the palm tree drawing with the watercolor
wash applied. I tried to make the two foreground trees more sharp
and dominant by using harder lines and sharper value contrast.
See
my Florida pictures on my web log.
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Saturday, June 7, 2008 - Peony Study
This drawing is a study for a commission I
am doing of a large painting of peonies. These flowers tend to
be very round and the shapes can get boring if one isn't inventive.
Here I'm mainly concerned with creating and rendering an interesting
shape.
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Sunday, June 8, 2008 - Peony Study 2
Like in yesterday's sketch, today I'm showing
more of a front on view, being careful to make it interesting
by not making it too round . In my art I always strive to entertain
the viewer by staying away from boring shapes like circles, squares
and rectangles.
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Monday, June 9, 2008 - Peony Study 3
My paintings usually go by the formula of
"Momma, Poppa, Baby". This rule, which was originated
by Edgar A. Whitney, almost always applies, especially with my
florals. Here's another view of a peony. This shape will most
likely be used for the "Baby" element. Sometimes there
are three babies in one of my florals.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - Thumbnail Sketches
Today's doodles are thumbnail sketches of
Peonies. Now I'm working to come up with designs for my paintings.
I usually use the rule of thirds, which I've illustrated here.
Where the lines intersect is a good area for my center of interest,
which is commonly the Poppa shape. Can you pick out the Momma,
Poppa, Baby shapes here?
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Edgar Whitney on Preparation for Painting
Edgar Whitney said; "Plan like a tortoise
and paint like a rabbit!" Known to be a bit rough around
the edges, Ed would often say or do something shocking to make
a point and insure that his students remembered it. Another of
his favorites about proper preparation was; "It's like going
to the bathroom without pulling your pants down first!".
Yikes, like me, you probably won't forget that one either. Anyway
it's true, the better you plan, the greater your chances are
that your painting (or any endeavor) will be a success. Here
I'm showing my painting table today at the end of a good day.
My peony sketches, photos and thumbnails are taped up on a board
before I start. I use this for reference as I paint. This way
all the logical thinking is already done and I just let myself
go into intuitive, auto pilot mode. See the FINISHED PAINTING
on my web log post today and more Edgar
Whitney quotes this week on my Inspiration Everyday blog.
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Thursday, June 12, 2008 - Wine and Wildlife
- Red Fox
This Saturday I'll be displaying my work at
an event called Wine and Wildlife at the Cedar
Run Wildlife Refuge. So, my thoughts and drawing has turned
to animals today. I stopped by the refuge yesterday and had to
visit all the outdoor residents before leaving. The eagles were
especially captivating as they were quite vocal the whole time
I stood by their enclosure. By the way, I think tickets are still
available for any of you locals that may be interested in attending
a fun and worthwhile fund raising event for wildlife! This sketch
is of a red fox, the refuge's official mascot.
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Friday, June 13, 2008 - BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE
THE HUMMINGBIRDS HAVE COME OUT IN FULL FORCE
THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. Prior to Wednesday, only an occasional
male would visit my feeders. Now the action is nonstop! Aerial
displays and high pitched bantering abounds. From my windows,
groups of hummers are everywhere to behold. The other birds want
to know what's up. The chickadee scolds,"chick-a-dee-dee-dee"!
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Saturday, June 14, 2008 - Eagle Drawing
I'm looking forward to the Wine and Wildlife
event tonight. I wonder what kind of raptors they'll have on
display. A raptor is a bird of prey, e.g., an eagle, hawk, falcon,
or owl. I better remember to take my camera!
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Sunday, June 15, 2008 - Bear Sketch
Happy Father's Day to all you guys out there!
Hope it's a beary good one.
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Monday, June 16, 2008 - Value Layout
I'm still working on Peonies. This is a value
sketch for the large painting commission I'm doing. A value drawing
is a valuable aid in the composition of paintings. No matter
what medium or technique I use, I always try to use a full range
of values. What I'm referring to here is the tone or the lightness
/ darkness of a color. See the handy value scales I use at squidoo.com/sketchingeveryday.
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - Monarch Butterflies
Just because a subject is more intricate,
doesn't mean the sketch has to take a long time. Today's drawing
took me a little over thirty minutes. Of course, depending on
the technique, it could take a lot longer.
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - Cat Portrait
I'm also including a drawing I did using a
graphite pencil technique. To see another one of these more labor
intensive drawings and discussion on drawing vs. sketching, go
to my sketchingeveryday
lens on Squidoo.
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Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - It's a Bear!
Some days you get the bear and other days
the bear gets you. It's been one of those days where the bear
got me. Nothing major, just a bunch of little aggravations. Such
is life... and bears!
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Friday, June 20, 2008 - Hummingbird
Highway
I spent some time today taking pictures of
my little buddies. They have to be one of the hardest subjects
to photograph! By nature, they're quite camera shy.
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Saturday, June 21, 2008 - More Hummer Action
I set the tripod up today and video taped
my hummers with my new DVD recorder. Now all have to do is figure
out how to download it to my computer and create a movie
with my i-movie program. Ahh, I love learning new tasks (After
they're learned)!
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Sunday, June 22, 2008 - Running Horse
Today's quick sketch is a silhouette of a
running horse. It's the shape or outline that is most important
and makes an object readable. A viewer should see this as a horse,
regardless of the interior pattern, color or texture.
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Monday, June 23, 2008 - Wolf Silhouette
Here I'm persevering with another silhouette.
See my Spirit Art Blog on Perseverance today.
"In spite of everything, I shall rise
again; I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my
great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing."
~ Vincent van Gogh
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - Wildflower Sketch
This morning my mind is on flowers so I made
this little wildflower doodle.
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008 - Sunbathing Cat
Here's a quick gesture sketch I did of Tigger
today while I was eating my lunch. I tried doing a blind contour,
but he just doesn't stay still long enough.
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Thursday, June 26, 2008 - Mourning Dove
There's an abundance of things to draw these
days. My backyard is just filled with subjects. Like most folks
around here, we've got our share of doves.
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Friday, June 27, 2008 - Carolina Wren
One of my backyard favorites is the Carolina
Wren. So far they haven't made any nests in inappropriate places
this year.
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Sunday, June 29, 2008 - The American Goldfinch
The Goldfinch is New Jersey's state bird.
We've got a bunch of them in our yard. We pay dearly for their
presence though. They eat thistle and lots of it! It's currently
almost $2.00 a pound.
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Monday, June 30, 2008 - Poor Honey Bees
I was happy to see some honey bees around
my hanging flower baskets. They have been few and far between
here with the disappearing bee crisis. I was disappointed however
to see that one had drowned in the ant moat of one of the hummingbird
feeders. I brought him inside and sketched him in a more lively
state here for you today.
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~ July 2008 ~
sandy
sandy
All images and text
copyright © Sandy Sandy, 1997 - 2008
* All artwork and text on this website is fully protected
under International Copyright Law. *
These images and or copy may not be reproduced without the
expressed written consent of Sandy Sandy.
License to use these images may be available through private
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