OneWeek100People 2020

Taking the challenge posted my Mark Holmes in his blog -and Liz Steel-, they do this every year. Here some of my sketches. I decided to focus on figure this time

Sketching Pole Dancers

Pole dancers are very fun to sketch, the way they twist their bodies and do unusual poses and moves is very interesting and fascinating, like ballet, performance art. I did these from instagram friends. They are all done in ink with the carbon pen and the Lamy safari on a Stillman and Birn notebook.

For accuracy, I penciled first to resolve proportions, so that my line is cleaner when I ink rather than an spontaneous sketch that has many squiggly lines that fall around a ballpark approximation of proportion. I wanted to give justice to the beauty of these girls and their fabulous art.

Upgrading Detail

I have been studying anatomy and expression, and revisiting the Reilly method of drawing. I learned the Reilly method through years of working at a studio of a very accomplished portrait artist in Boston: Mr Ouelette. Barbara Morse, another brilliant artist and wonderful woman, gave classes in his studio for years, and I was a fly on the wall learning as I posed in her demonstrations.

To me this is the best method I have seen as it is very organic and flexible, it has beautiful rhythm and it’s dynamic and lively. Here my attempts to experiment and implement this in my figures.

In my opinion the best source is Faragasso’s book, as Frank Reilly didn’t write any books on his method, yet his pupils did. Frank himself was a pupil of Bridgman who’s books are a bible for anyone who wants to get seriously in depth learning the construction of the human figure.

There’s three basic foundations to draw people: 1- understanding anatomy, 2- studying proportions and method of construction (Bridgman) and the academic classic Atelier method, and 3- learning to see the rhythm, grace and beauty of the human machine (Reilly)

Testing some inks

On a cold day with 3 F outside and listening to Leonard Cohen a lady dances in my head to the end of love.

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inks: purple wampin, Rome Burning, black Red and Vampire red (private reserve) and the Zebra nib on Stillman and Birn Beta series paper cut from the notebook.
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The problem I have working wet media on a notebook is the stains it makes on the back of the previous page, so I tore them off and trimmed with the guillotine. This ink dries fast, though!!

Quick inks on figure drawing

Stillman and Birn paper Beta Series /Lamy pen SF nib
quick 10 min studies

They always tell me  about my squiggly lines, I use them in all quick sketches regardless the subject. Ink has always been my favorite medium and when I discovered the combination of Stillman and Birn Paper, Lamy pens and Noodler’s ink I felt that from then on I could just draw anything and forget about struggling with materials to get the best flow, permanence and all the nuisance of adapting this to that and try that again. I can just concentrate on enjoying myself now 🙂
Stillman and Birn paper Beta Series /Lamy pen SF nib
quick 10 min study

This one below was completed with W&N cotman mini traveler watercolor kit

Rocket Rosie and the Monsters from Outerspace

This is a first draft character design for Rene Fijten’s Rocket Rosie graphic comic saga

I used a Lamy pen and Stillman and Birn Beta series notebook

The Soccer Player

Ink on Bristol Plate -15 min sketch

I love capturing action in sports, this sketch is from a photograph. I loved the rhythm and I had to draw it!

The Ballet Series-Walnut Ink on Bristol Plate