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| 12/7/19 Cookie Couture (20-min. pose) |
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| Cannoli (20-min. pose) |
I
know I just got through saying I’ve been jonesin’ for life-drawing practice
while Gage Academy is on winter break. But one reason Gage takes that break is
to put on Drawing Jam, the school’s annual day-long participative art
extravaganza, which I look forward to all year. Saturday was my eighth consecutive year taking part in the Jam (now in its 20th year), which
offers nude and costumed models to draw and sculpt, areas for still life and
self-portrait practice, demos by Gage instructors, activities for kids, live
music to draw by, and free art supplies donated by Blick. Guess what? I got my
fix!
Since
I sketch nude models during regular sessions but rarely have a chance to draw them
in costume, I focused my attention on the latter. I was also in the mood to try
some new materials that I don’t usually take to life drawing. I’m currently working on reviews of fountain pen inks for the Well-Appointed Desk, so Drawing Jam
gave me an opportunity to use those inks in unusual ways.
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| Two models sketched in 1 minute |
First
I filled several waterbrushes with fountain pen inks. This tool is not new
to me; I first started using it years ago during the long transition between
being frustrated with watercolors and trying to find something else that worked
better for me. I remembered the fast, deliciously juicy applications of ink I
could get with waterbrushes, and I knew they’d be fun to use during short
poses. For the ink reviews, I had also filled a couple of hacked Pilot Parallel fountain pens, so I grabbed these for Drawing Jam, too.
I
tried using the waterbrushes and pens individually during the shortest poses,
but the real fun started during the five- and 10-minute poses. First I captured
the general gesture loosely and broadly with an ink-filled waterbrush. Then with
a Pilot Parallel containing a contrasting color ink, I went back into the
gesture to emphasize shadows and fill in a few details. Sometimes I used a
water-filled brush to spread the inks further and bring out the light. So much
fun! I’m definitely going to bring these tools to regular life-drawing practice
when it starts up again.
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| Two models sketched in 1 minute |
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| Ink-filled waterbrush and a hacked Pilot Parallel! |
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| 10-min. pose |
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| 10-min. pose |
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| 5-min. pose |
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| 5-min. pose |
During
10- and 20-minute poses, I also used my favorite watercolor pencils to work on
tighter drawings. With nude models, color isn’t very important, so I hardly
even think about it. With costumed models, though, it was a lot of fun using
full color for a change.
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| 10-min. pose |
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| 10-min. pose |
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| 20-min. pose |
Most
fun of all was drawing drag queens Cookie Couture (top of page, whom I’ve enjoyed sketching at
previous Drawing Jams), Mercury Divine and Cannoli (top of page) – their bright outfits
were a treat.
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| Mercury Divine (20-min. pose) |
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| Thank you, Blick and Gage, for the free art supplies! |
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