Shaniqua’s Dress

6/23/22 Shaniqua

The last time I drew model Shaniqua, she was costumed as an elvan character of some sort, complete with pointy ears. Last week for life drawing at Gas Works Park, she was wearing a fabulous period dress that was made of brocade, lace and other gorgeous embellishments. I wish I could have taken a photo of her to show you. Heck, I wish I’d had the patience to spend several more hours making one drawing so that I could have captured more of the dress!

But never mind the dress; I was having enough trouble capturing Shaniqua’s likeness that day. You can tell I didn’t do well in that regard because each sketch looks like a different model. The only one that resembles her is the last one I made (at right). I was getting frustrated because her large, round glasses often obscured her eyes. For that last drawing, I left the glasses out. I was happier being able to draw her eyes without  having to work around the glasses.

As is typical for me, I didn’t have more than 20 minutes of patience per sketch. When I got tired of the single pose, I moved to the back and sketched a couple of the other artists. I admire how these painters diligently work on a single painting for the full three hours, and some pay the model for photos so that they can continue to work in their studios. Portrait painter James Kurihara, who organizes the Gas Works life-drawing group, currently has a show at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center. His portraiture is impressive, and it’s fun to recognize many of the same models I have sketched at Gage. 

6/23/22 Artists painting Shaniqua at Gas Works Park