Open Studio

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender-4

Today I attended my second open studio session. I was more comfortable and able to focus. And how wonderful to have a model who does not stand up and leave in the midst of a drawing. There is a downside, however, to sketching a model up on a platform. It is difficult to convey a story without context or another figure, and conveying a story is my main purpose for this blog. When I got home and my dog was using his best body language to tell me it was time for a walk, I thought to put him into this somewhat abstract sketch. The two profiles and the eye contact suggests that some kind of messaging is taking place between the two of them, and the two narrow heads and the two wide hips give a visual parallel that made me smile. And now it conveys a story.

My deliberate sketching focus this week is strengthening my message by using line well. I gave the line in this sketch more variation in width, texture, and strength by dipping a soluble pencil into water and letting it dry as I drew. I then reinforced the volume of the female body with lines in a light watercolor wash. Finally, I kept more of the paper white and this keeps the focus on the two figures.

Posted in Body Language, Deliberate Practice, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

A visitor

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

Damion and Luke

We had a visitor this evening, or mostly our dog had one. It is the night before the first day of school for our neighbor and there is a lot to think about. Just now thoughts of school, finding friends and possible humiliation are filling the minds of children and educators everywhere. Many will sleep fitfully as they ponder the coming day. I wanted to convey the complexity of what a child might be experiencing on the night before school starts in this sketch. The child’s body language says so much, I hardly made any changes. I used a subdued color set, kept the focus on the boy and our dog, and only suggested a background. If only we humans were as good at unconditional acceptance as our dog is.

Posted in Body Language, Facial Expression | Tagged , | 2 Comments

A birthday party

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender (31)

What if you went to a birthday party and the birthday boy’s request for gifts was for each guest to give a 10 to 15 minute presentation on an idea they were taken with? That is the gist of what I wanted to convey with this sketch. There was a lot of vigorous give and take, welcomed interruptions from audience members, and a lively exchange of ideas. I showed this by catching several people speaking, the direction of gazes and the exaggeration of the speaker’s mouth and hand. I used bits of line because it expresses exuberance so well.

Posted in Body Language, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Study Area

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

SDSU 831

I walked up to the college and stopped to sketch near Scripps Cottage, a green space that was full of students calmly studying, sleeping and socializing. I am working explicitly on light this week and think this sketch catches some of the brightness of the day. The sun was overhead and I used flat color washes for the lawn and trees since the bright sun washed out the details in the landscape. The story I wanted to convey was the feeling of peaceful purpose and so I selected a sketch of a student studying alone to post.  The student’s eyes are on his book, he has no companion or phone to distract him, and the tension in his back suggests an effort to concentrate. 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Finding a voice

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender (23)

Being an audience member is a wonderful opportunity for a sketcher, so I was delighted to accept an invitation from a friend to attend her recital, the culmination of  a 10-week course in singing for people who believe they are unable to sing. I was also eager to attend as an educator because I am fascinated by teachers who cause transformation in belief and performance. I was moved to see and hear 14 individuals take on the challenge and knew I was in the presence of a very powerful teacher. The message I wanted to convey in this sketch is of a performer giving it her best. The closed eyes, slight frown, cast shadows, lifted chin and hand position help send this message.

I was also deliberately practicing using ambient lighting to add to my message. The spotlight directly above the singer made it easy, and the lighting off to the singer’s left side helped me out as well. The lighting adds to the clarity of the sketch’s meaning since most viewers expect performers to be in the spotlight.

Posted in Body Language, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Lunch

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender (18)

My friend can make scrumptious meals in an instant. We stopped by for an impromptu lunch, red in the face, after exercising on this hot day.  I wanted to convey both the sense of comfortable friendship and my friend’s command of the kitchen. I think I caught both by exaggerating the body language of the two figures talking and by the spread of salad ingredients under the gaze of my friend.

I am working on light this week.  After several overworked sketches from yesterday, I looked through other blogs and noticed that many artists leave much more white space than I do. I tried it and I like the effect of less color and think it helps send a message about lighting. However, when I look at this sketch, although it says summer to me, it does not convey the heat of this very hot day.

Posted in Facial Expression, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Whose story?

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Sarah Sullivan

FullSizeRender (13)

I really liked the energy of the waitress. She was everywhere and on top of it all. I caught her industry in the swing of her body and the focus of her attention as she squeezed through tables. But I confused this message when my attention shifted to the couple on the right. They caught my attention and before I knew it I made them the focus of this story by emphasizing their body language through the use of strong line and color.

I was thinking about the ambient light and trying to capture the heat of this very hot day. I did this by using orange for skin tones and the garden wall. Perhaps I should have added in shadow but it was already a very busy sketch.

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