Citizen Sketcher

We had a fun little reception in the garden at Villa Guadalupe here in Volterra. Everyone put out their works to recap the week and we had a nice gallery tour. We’d done the same at the class in Cortona, but I wasn’t smart enough to take iPhoto’s :) Here’s our teachers Carolyne Peyron and Simo Capecchi. They took us to all the best places in Volterra, and had new ideas to try at each spot. I was stubborn and stuck to my watercolors – but everyone else learned a lot from Chinese ink, found newspaper collage, blind contour drawing, even painting with wood stain borrowed from some workmen, and alabaster dust from the floor of a sculpting studio. By the way, here’s the view from the villa, and a look inside. You can stay with our wonderful hosts if you like – here’s their air BnB [link]. 

I just wanted to get the word out to any of my readers that my friend and painting buddy Shari Blaukopf has just launched a Craftsy.com class.

Click HERE to Register for: Shari Blaukopf’s Sketching Landscapes in Pen, Ink and Watercolor

Updated with a proper scan now that we’re home. This is a typical street view in the old village of Cortona. You can’t help but make sun-drenched sketches in this town – it is after all the inspiration for Under The Tuscan Sun. (The novel, and the film).

We’ve been here a couple days, just looking around and enjoying the town. Lovely medieval achitecture, and spectacular views. Tomorrow we meet the drawing group.

This is going to be a great workshop – it’s a small group, which means lots of 1:1 feedback. The town is small enough we can get around on foot, and there are terrific drawing subjects everywhere you look.

I might not be posting for the next few days. We’ll see how busy it is.
Thanks ~ m

The other day, James and Jeannette Gurney were in town, for the Benjamin Constant show at the Beaux Arts and he happened to mention his new making-of video: Tyrannosaurs: Behind the Art.

I’ve just received a free download from him – and am glad to give it a very positive review!

In this 40 min video, James takes you inside his studio – giving you an over-the-shoulder look at his painting process. He shows tools and materials, his painting methods – from the ideation and initial drawings, through the under painting in casein and eventually the finished effect in oils.

Here’s a great bit (below) where he selectively textures the surface with acrylic modelling paste, so the passages of color to follow can be worked in glazes and scumbles over top. A very efficient method of painting.

Much of the film is on ‘how to be an illustrator’ – more so than how to paint. He gives valuable tips on research and scientific extrapolation from living animals, shows his rough designs and color mockups, as well as the client’s feedback and his final choices. We get to see a plein air study done for authenticity – and even go with him to the client as he delivers the finished paintings. Something that is becoming a rare event in this world of digital art and email.

This kind of first hand career advice is great stuff for someone trying to figure out the profession of illustration.

But you’ll also find plenty of close up demonstrations of his painting method.

In the video he creates two paintings – showing bits of the work from start to finish. Jumping through time to give us the best parts – rather than long stretches of potentially repetitive ‘watch me paint’.

This is not a class for the raw beginner – he is making a real illustration, not taking time to simplify steps for students. So, besides some talk about materials and color choices, you are going right into the real deal.

While he will not explain every brush stroke for you – there is a lot to be learned from careful observation of his painting. It’s well worth watching multiple times. You’re seeing him work up close and personal. If you wanted to paint exactly like James Gurney – the method is here for you to learn from.

I’m always impressed with how efficient his paintings are. You can really see the weight of his experience. No stroke is wasted – every part builds on what went before to a rapid conclusion.

It’s impressive how well he directs himself – painting and shooting the film at the same time, he knows when to set up the cameras and get a great shot. My favorite part being a daring correction where he blithely paints out a finished dinosaur face to make a change he felt improved the storytelling.

His reasons are sound  – but it’s a bold change many artists would have shrugged and hand-waved over. A perfect example of what makes a great illustrator. Commitment to getting the story right – even if that means giving up a great bit of painting.

You can purchase the video – entirely shot and produced by James and his wife Jeanette – from his online distributors at Gumroad (credit card) or Selfy (paypal). It is well worth the moderate $15.00 fee. If you are a fan of his work, and would like to see more of the great content on his excellent blog – order your copy today!

Way back when I was planning my Craftsy.com class Sketching People in Motion, I gave myself a challenge to draw 100 people in a week. I carried a small book ( a 3×5″ Moleskine Cahier Journal) and two pens in my pocket everywhere I went for a week. (Platinum Carbon Fountain Pen, Super Fine and a Kuretake Sumi Brush Pen).

If you commit yourself to sketching every time you see someone holding still for a few minutes – it’s actually fairly easy to get 100 drawings in 5 days.

I was getting the most out of riding the subway, but just going shopping or to a restaurant will give you good opportunities. Bookstores turn out to be great. People in there are usually moving slowly and distracted with their browsing. Perfect subjects!

I used inexpensive little books, so I didn’t care if I messed up a page, or if the subject walked away in the middle of a drawing. I would say I had about a failure 1 out of 5 times – mostly from the person abruptly leaving – sometimes from overworking the drawing.

I think of these self assigned challenges as play time. Drawing as a sport. It’s like trying to beat your personal best time doing a marathon. Can I do this? How fast can I do it? If 100 was possible – could I get 500 in a week? That’s about 16 people an hour over a 6 hour day. It might be possible! I’d have to spend all day downtown for 5 full days – sticking to places with lots of people around. Maybe I could arrange a week in New York and do it in Times Square. I’d need to have enough paper and pens with me to never run out. I’d have to plan breaks in good sketching cafes. See? I’m already getting excited.

That’s a ridiculous example – but even if you failed, it would be a glorious failure.

Why not try your own drawing challenge? Set a time/quantity goal – and use that to break through any obstacles of perfectionism or ‘sketchers block’. Make it something short – one week is a lot – and have fun even if you don’t reach the goal – it’s the doing that matters!

And – if you’ve been debating taking my Sketching People in Motion online course <<< that page will give you my blog-readers discount!

The other day I was invited out to the Lachine Painters to do a watercolor demo. Thanks very much to Martha Markowsky for orchestrating this opportunity! I used a reference photo from one of my favorite sketching locations in Sao Paulo.  Here’s the original sketchbook version – done in 15 or 20 minutes on a whirlwind sketching day with Liz Steel before the USK workshop last year.

The Lachine group had a great setup where the audience could see what I was doing in the mirror behind my head. Very useful. I didn’t have to talk looking back over my shoulder.

As well, Elaine (picture right) provided a simultaneous translation into French. I’m sure that’s quite hard to do – much beyond my ability. Thanks very much Elaine!

It was a neat surprise to meet Terry Mosher (center, looking at my book!) – who has sketched political commentary under the pen name Aislin for as long as I can remember. I have always admired editorial sketching – I don’t even like to call it cartooning – but I suppose they have embraced the term.

I’ve never been informed enough to take it up as a practice myself. Perhaps it will be my next career? It’s on the list of ways to utilize my drawing skills :) We’ll see what life brings.

~m

Last weekend was the USK sketchcrawl on Mount Royal, as well as the Vernissage for the exhibition. Seeing everyone’s work in person reminded me how much we miss looking at art online. Much of the work in the show is in large formats or with texture and fine detail that is lost in web-sized photographs. It’s great to be able to see it all up close.

The show is up for one more weekend. You can still enjoy a day of art on the mountain May 30/31.

We had a great turnout – I’m going to guess 40 people came for sketching, including some folks from Ottawa and from Vermont, and our own far flung areas – Hudson, Laval, etc.

This is the thing I love best about the urban sketching movement. How it brings people together from all over, to enjoy a day of drawing.

Thanks to everyone who came out to volunteer!

I’m sure the visiting sketchers had a great experience, having all our local USK’ers on hand to show their work-in-progress and share their sketchbooks. For a while there, the vernissage had a ‘kitchen party’ feeling, with everyone crowded in the side room around a big table of the days sketches.

There is talk of doing this show again for next  year – so maybe you’ll make a sketch in the park this summer!

~m