Since my last post on art, I’ve been enrolled in another drawing class the past few months and have enjoyed the weekly scheduled time to be creative and explore new genres. This was the first intermediate adult course I’ve been in. I can say with certainty that my art has seen quite an improvement since my first class with this teacher; I shared my work from this in my post Charcoal, Clouds, & Chickadees. (I just love these alliterative titles, don’t I?)

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statues

Our beginning project was of a statue. The first image shows my progress after one two-hour class; coming back the next week with fresh eyes allowed me to make drastic improvements, as seen in the second image. Then I made small adjustments over time until I felt the drawing was done.

Time and space away from a project really do help. Consider this a reminder that art (or, heck, maybe anything) in progress is art in progress – it should not be hastily judged. My dorky, sharp-cheeked Adonis became an androgynous figure I felt quite proud of.

The second statue I drew was interesting homework. The reference used for it is shown in the first image on the left, as well as my drawing in progress.

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still life

Still life drawings, I admit, I find somewhat dull. However, the absence of living things coerces me into focusing more on shape, form, values, and composition. We did quite a few still life series that even I eventually found interest in. The drawings above show, respectively, lemons in charcoal and a pear and apple in charcoal and Conte, both on grey paper.

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spoons

My first time drawing spoons. This was more homework I did on my own, and it was quite fun. Each spoon took me about an hour to fully complete. They were created with white Conte and charcoal on black paper.

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perspective

A couple weeks we dedicated to perspective drawings, which were challenging at first and then intriguing. The first image was a quick sketch, the second a drawing I worked on for a couple classes.

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teapot

This teapot is one of my pieces I’m most proud of. This was my first introduction to using Conte, a kind of pastel-like medium. This was drawn with white Conte and charcoal on black paper before my spoons homework.

Below are details of the drawing; I was quite happy with the texture and subtle shading I achieved.

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contour hatching

Contour hatching is a method of drawing that focuses on creating depth, shape, and volume with curved lines. It’s especially useful when drawing globulous subjects; the pomegranates and onion above we drew to practice this technique. These pieces used charcoal and white and red Conte on tan paper.

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hands

These hands are my own and life-size in my sketchbook. By using a viewfinder to trace my hand, I then plotted its main points onto my paper and compared the viewfinder outline with my sketch to make sure it was accurate. This was my first time using this method; it was a unique process that allowed me to replicate my hand well.

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skulls

This project was not part of my recent art class. I love customizing my clothes and accessories, be it with buttons, patches, drawings, pins, or paint. One late October morning I decided it was time to spice up these shoes and give them some personality. My shoes before this pair showcased a yin-yang symbol and a full moon. I wore them for two and a half years to near-death (they still serve a purpose occasionally!) until they were bleached brown from the sun, scuffed, and ripped; I expect no less from these, except that hopefully I can take care of them well enough to last even longer.