My son was napping on the couch. I captured the moment with this sketch in gouache and pastel.
We headed along the California I-5 highway and I made a few chalk, pen and gouache sketches as we drove, just for the fun of it.
The Percussionist is the last of my jazz series for now. This began as one of the original line sketches I did in the dark during the concert. Now, after some more chalk lines and some gouache, it is ready to join the rest of its trio members.
I think this is my most successful of the three because it captures the feel of being the music that you are making.
In my sketch from last Sunday, The Jazz Trio, the guitarist got squeezed in the middle. I also added some 20 years to his actual age. Using that sketch, and some photos I took that evening, I think I now have a better sketch.
I used thicker paint and applied it with shorter strokes, to show how his music felt to me. And this time I have him holding his guitar with more tenderness. During the performance I also noticed how intently he listened to the music and I think I show this better with this sketch.
I redid a portion of yesterday’s sketch. I wanted to try again to capture the flute player’s intensity. She is still calm and centered, but her head is bent more into her flute and, her brow shows more emotion. Additionally, I tried to get the paint to support the deep feeling I saw in her by making the paint strokes shorter and jazzier. Finally, I added swirls in the background to suggest music and rhythm.
Saturday evening we went to hear a jazz trio present their new CD. I had my sketchbook and chalk pencils in my purse and drew a bit in the dark of the performance. Today I added gouache paint to the drawings.
The group goes way back to the ’80s, and their cohesiveness showed throughout the evening. However, I thought they also approached their music individually and wanted to convey both their commonalities and differences in this sketch. I thought the flutist was calm and centered and that her music came from deep within her. The guitarist seemed moved by the meaning of the lyrics he sang as well as by the music of the others. Finally, the percussionist exuded his enthusiasm for the music with every bit of sound they made. Altogether, it made for an intriguing dynamic, and I would love the chance to sketch them at length.
Several months ago, I sketched a figure that I liked quite a bit. However, it had an unfinished look. It was a figure in need of a background.
I finally decided that since this particular model has a thoughtful demeanor, that I should place her in a setting such as a library or a dorm room. My kitchen table, along with a computer, book, and pad, gave me enough to work with. As I worked it brought back memories of writing papers for school, hence the title.
Deliberate Sketching 