Stiff and Creaky

1/15/15 Winsor Newton
watercolor marker, drawing
paper (1-min. pose)

A week ago when I wrote about Bill Evans’ “Quick Sketch” class at Gage Academy, I noted that even during the course of a couple of hours of sketching practice, he said he can see his own sketches improve from the first to the last.

I experienced my own version of the same thing this morning at Gage life drawing. It had been more than a month since I went to a short-pose session, so I started out cold and stiff (not unlike getting out of bed every morning). My very first one-minute sketch makes our slender model Amelia look like a sumo wrestler!

1/15/15 WN watercolor marker
(2-min. pose)

By the end of the two-minute poses, she was looking a bit more proportional. I was warmed up by the time we got to the 10-minute poses, and by the last 20-minute pose, I felt like I was finally ready to draw.

It’s humbling to know that without regular practice, I get stiff and creaky immediately. But it’s also reassuring to know that after a brisk walk around the block, I can get my bones moving again.

1/15/15 WN watercolor marker
(2-min. pose)

1/15/15 Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble colored pencil,
Iroshizuku Ku-jaku ink, Canson mixed media paper (10-min. pose)

1/15/15 Museum pencil, Iroshizuku
Fuyu-syogun ink (10-min. pose)

1/15/15 Sailor Doyou ink (20-min. pose)