Kimono

7/21/22 Asumi at Gas Works Park (each sketch about 20 min.)

The email notification about last week’s life-drawing session had mentioned that our model Asumi would be dressed in a kimono. For some reason, I had pictured a bright red one with a gold obi sash. I got the obi almost right (it was yellow), but Asumi’s kimono was an elegant but subtle taupe color. (The lining, however, showed slashes of red, so my imagination wasn’t completely wrong.) I didn’t try to match that challenging hue but instead focused on the equally challenging task of rendering the drape of all that fabric.

For my last sketch, I walked around to draw Asumi from the back so I could include some of the painters. That’s when the surprise came: From the front, she was mostly in shade, but from the back, her silk kimono was shimmering with both red and green, depending on how the fabric laid. It was gorgeous! Wish I could have captured some of that shimmer.

Waiting for the model to arrive, I killed a few minutes with the geese. Given how much they eat (and there are lots of them), I’m surprised any grass is left at Gas Works Park.