Open studio sketch

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

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Toward the end of the three-hour open studio, I turned to my fellow sketchers to work a bit on my deliberate goal of sketching groups of people in a setting.  I was struck by how uniform their look of attentive focus was as each drew their own drawing and I worked to capture this in my sketch. The message of similar focus is emphasized by the row of seated artists all working in a similar way.  I had each of these faces looking at the model and the other two artists looking at their drawings so that the viewers will sense the relationship between looking and drawing. I used markers, soluble pencil, and water colors to capture the expression and harmony of the group. I am still working to understand if I like the marker’s marks better than the watercolor.

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Study Group

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

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The weather was perfect today and students were outside enjoying it as they studied, which helped me along with my goal of sketching groups of people in a setting. I again used markers in place of my watercolors and am liking the ease of use. I need to be more thoughtful as I fill in color since the strokes remains visible after it dries. I like the texture of the stroke marks in the shorts that the figure on the right is wearing, and wish I had colored in the middle figure using similar strokes. The study group’s enthusiasm for anthropology was infectious and the parts I overheard made me want to be a student again.

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Coffee break

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

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I was up at the college at one of the many outdoor coffee spots. I wanted to capture groups of active people within a setting so I used markers, thinking this would make it easier to be speedy with sketching. I like the look of the bold line and flat color together. There is interaction among some of the figures but not for the group as a whole. Mostly what I convey is peaceful coexistence among the coffee drinkers. By the end of this week I hope to have sketches that show large groups interacting together.

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A final ‘splash of color’

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

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I walked up to the college and sketched next to a pond. A pedestrian stopped on the pond’s bridge, leaned on the railing, and stared meditatively at the water below. He seemed dejected and conveyed this by leaning his two arms on the railing, supporting his head with his hand, and slumping over the railing. I drew a few lines for his head and upper body and then pretty much used paint right off my palette to capture the clothing, railing, and foliage.

My goal for deliberate practice this past week was to use splashes of paint to convey a story. I felt I was being too explicit with the marks I was placing on the paper. Much like an author who over describes a story to the reader by explaining the small details, I was over describing my sketches by putting down paint and line in all the expected places. My success criteria was to let the paint mix on the paper, to use overlapping color, to leave more of the paper unpainted, and to do this in such a way that the viewer would understand my take on the story I was conveying. This sketch shows that I am coming closer to using splashes of color to communicate my thinking.

This coming week my new goal for deliberate practice will be to capture groups of people in a setting so that it all combines to tell a story. My success criteria will be to have at least three people in each sketch and show through their movement and interaction what is being experienced together by the group. I want to convey it so the viewer understands what is being felt by the people in the sketch and by me.

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A quick snooze

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

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We sat with our guests to catch up on all our news. The long day and great meal caught up with our friend and he capitulated to an overwhelming need for a quick nap, which made him fair game for a sketch. I caught his tiredness in the tilt of his head and the relaxation of his face and this conveys a story. Splashes of color  help define the planes of his face and suggest foliage behind him. The adjoining chair is distracting and if I were to redo the sketch I would not include it.

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Finding a voice, part 2

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

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I added color to a black and white sketch that I made when I attended the August 30, ‘Finding a voice’ concert, since I know I will not have time to sketch later today. This concert was the final event of a 10-week course in singing for people who wanted to sing despite believing that they could not carry a tune. In addition to conveying a story, my deliberate practice goal at that time was using lighting to add emphasis to my message.  I combined deliberate practice goals when I went back into the black and white sketch today and added splashes of yellow, red and purple.

This performer was bravely hesitant in her performance and this comes through in the sideway glance she gives to her right as though she is looking for people who might be laughing at her.  She leans forward uncertainly, not quite standing up straight and not quite committed to being on stage, somehow sending a message of bravery in the face of uncertainty. I used a water-soluble pencil, yellow, purple and red paint, and the white of the paper to reinforce the idea of performance on stage under lights. The strong colors and contrast reinforce the message of unease by making the lighting stark. 

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What is she thinking?

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

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For my deliberate practice this week, I am using splashes of paint to convey a story and am getting a bit closer to what I want to achieve. First and most importantly, there is an idea communicated in this sketch. The tilt of the figure’s head along with the upward looking eye and ambivalent smile suggest that the woman is thinking about something complex. I used some line and then used a very limited set of colors for the splashes. I used paint unevenly, left portions unpainted and dropped paint into already painted areas. Altogether, this defined the planes of her face and neck. The paint marks are more confidently placed and the sketch is not overdone.

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