A library tapper

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

IMG_2233

I stopped by the library and while I was making my selection, I noticed a student tapping her foot over at a desk facing the wall. She was intent, focused and tapping away. My attention was also caught by the reflection of the blue soles of the student’s tapping shoes in the polished floor. I did not capture the tapping in this sketch but did capture a bit of the student’s focus with the angle of her shoulders and head. I overdid the splashes of color in her hair and got just about the right amount in the other parts of the sketch, particularly in the left leg, the right foot’s shoe and the chair. After the sketch was dry, I made a quick exit, leaving the tapping sounds behind.

Tagged | Leave a comment

At the salon

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

IMG_2229

I didn’t know where to begin sketching but I knew that in a few minutes I would be draped in red getting a haircut. So I grabbed my sketchbook and drew everything as fast as I could. The incomplete lines and splotchy paint convey the action and liveliness at the salon. And the body language of the stylists shows that care and attention is being given with hair treatments and pedicures. After I got home I added splashes of color and this time I had better control of where I was placing the splash and the kind of edge it left on the paper.

Posted in Body Language, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

First day of school

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender (39)

I was lucky today, I was able to visit a school for those bittersweet minutes when parents leave their children on the first day of the new school year.  This particular school is organized around the idea that children need to feel comfortable in order to learn and there was so much going on that I could hardly start. I would have liked to capture some big sketches that convey the calm warmth of the staff and families at this school but I was too timid a sketcher and only jotted bits of what I saw, not really enough to be able to finish up later at home. This mom caught my attention because she was clearly sad but just as clearly happy about the excitement her son was feeling. I caught the droop of the mom’s shoulders and something in her eyes as she looked at her son. I also caught some contrast to her body language in her son’s. His right arm, stance, and head angle shows his interest in the open classroom door.

My goal for deliberate practice was to use splashes of color and I need more work in this area. The splashes ran together on the mother’s face and when I tried to fix it I made it more muddy. I also think I should have softened the edge of the purple at the family’s feet.

Posted in Body Language, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

My fallback model

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender (34)

When I worked I did not understand that my dog was ready for adventure at all times. Now I know because Luke is always at my feet, always waiting for an expedition, and always projecting this through body language and eye contact. His constant presence makes him an excellent subject for my sketches, and I appreciate him for this.

My goal for deliberate practice this week is to use paint more assertively to convey a story. Specifically, I want to adjoin splashes of paint together so the viewer connects the marks, sees the image, and understands my intention without me feeling compelled to be quite so explicit with putting down paint and line in all the expected places. In this sketch I got the splashes to work for Luke’s body, but even as I reminded myself of my goal, I changed my mind and used quite a bit of flat color in the background. And then there was something about the ellipse his body made as he curled up that begged for the emphasis of the water-soluble pencil. In the end I conveyed Luke’s reluctant modeling through his curled up body, raised eyes and the somewhat displeasing yellow color in the background. 

Posted in Body Language, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

The look of listening

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

IMG_2180

I am fascinated by the different looks exchanged as people interact with each other using eye contact. In this sketch tonight, the listener was on the phone and I noticed that although there was no visual communication, that the listener was still giving off strong signals that he was listening closely. He did this by holding still, staring intently into space, raising one eyebrow, and clasping the phone tightly. He definitely showed the look of listening, if only to me. I used line, shadow and highlights to develop the facial expression and body language. I also experimented with using splashes of paint for emphasis and shadow, particularly in the left hand and beard. My plan for deliberate practice for the coming week is to develop better skills with splashes of paint.

Posted in Body Language, Facial Expression | Tagged | Leave a comment

Interchanges

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

IMG_2161

The San Diego Urban Sketchers met at Presidio Park this morning and the arcs and arches in the interchange below the park caught my attention. Although there is not a clear story conveyed in this sketch, I am posting it because this scene offered opportunity to deliberately practice using line. I used soluble graphite pencil, regular pencil and watercolor line. I like the composition in the foreground where the arcs converge. The perspective in the background became disproportionate as I worked and I went back in with too much blue in the sea and sky to minimize the background. I plan to do a few more versions of this sketch using marker in the foreground since I wonder what impact stronger arcs might have.

Posted in Deliberate Practice, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What is she thinking?

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender (33)

I did not get a sketch today that is as expressive as this one from yesterday.  Although the model is alone, she looks into the distance and seems to be thinking about something that bothers her. Her left shoulder and eye are raised, suggesting an imbalance, perhaps.  I used pencil, one color, no background and lots of unpainted paper which keeps the focus on the model’s eyes. When I look at this sketch, I wonder what she was thinking about.

Posted in Facial Expression | Tagged , | Leave a comment