Introduction to Drawing Part I

Drawing is the basic componet of any artwork.  Like piano playing to a musician, a knowledge and growing skill of drawing gives a good foundation and raises the maturity level of our artwork.  A few components to consider as we pursue drawing:

• Draw everyday!  We artists tend to think that inspiration has to hit us before we start to create.  Nonsense!  That approach will make the creation of art sporatic and will elongate the learning process unnecessarily.  If at all possible, try to draw, even a little bit, everyday.  An athelete practices, a musician practices, a writer writes and an artist draws (or paints or sculpts, etc.).  If we want to take our skill level up it becomes something we habitually do and we work it into our rhythm of life - on purpose.

• Use the whole sheet of paper.  Start to think overall composition and how to make each area of the paper or canvas attractive.

• Really observe shadow and light.  Make sure there is enough contrast.  Squint your eyes to see the polarization of black verses white.  If you can't differientate your sketch when you are squinting then there is more contrast work to be done. 

• Make special note of the outline of your subject.  Again, observe intently the shape of the lines and imitate what you see.  Would your drawing be interesting if it was only the outside lines?  Are the shapes attractive? 

• Look at the negative space.  The areas around your subject - are the outlines and negative shapes interesting? 

• Consider texture.  Is the texture of the subject you are replicating convincing?  Need more observation and practice?  Remember to draw what you really see (not what you 'think' you see.)  Don't make assumptions about the texture of a familiar object.  Try to observe it as for the first time.

• Enjoy what you do.  Be encouraged with progress!  Keep older drawings for a sense of history to see how far you have come. And don't forget to sign and date your drawings for the same reason.  You have a unique way of viewing the world - so sign that paper or canvas! 

Vibrant Color Part IV

Shadows are interesting.  Before the Impressionists came along with their love of painting outdoors, the studio painters tended to paint shadows as darker shades of the prevailing local color.  With observation we can see that there is not only color in light but color in shadows.  Unless something is completely dark there is some color going on.  In creating the color for shadows we can accentuate what we already know to be there.  So instead of thinking grayed browns and blacks, think dark green, blue, purple, perhaps even red - using them side by side in the same intensity (the same on the black and white scale).  A great way to develop the skill of matching intensity is to photograph a finished colored painting with black and white film.  Red, for example, is a very dark color, but because it is also bright, it fools us into thinking it is actually lighter.  Children love to experiment with mixing color.  It is just as fun as an adult.  Enjoy!

Vibrant Color Part II

A key in learning to paint color vibrantly is observation.  When we are young we learn that the sun is yellow, tree trunks are brown, the leaves are green and the sky is blue.  After we learn this elementary approach to color we tend to stop looking.  We really don't observe in large part how light affects everything.  The local color of that tree trunk may be brown (we will term colors differently in the future, but for now I'll say "brown"), but take a closer look.  Look at the side the light hits.  Now I'm going to say one of those "Jimisms."  Don't say what you think you see, but what you really see."  In other words, really observe what you see and throw out your default that says that tree trunk is brown.  Look.  Chances are where that sunlight hits the trunk there is sections that are yellowish, orangish...maybe even some pink.  I know, you are thinking I'm crazy by now, but really look.  Stare at it.  And check out those shadows.  Not just dark brown.  You may see cool shades of blue, purple, green - yes maybe muted blue, purple or green but nonetheless colors that would be best described by those terms! 

It takes awhile and concerted effort in observing to start to see the vibrancy of colors all around.  And yes, at first I thought my teacher was a little loony at first until it clicked one day and I too, started to really observe color in objects.  Many an artist has described this as "scales falling off the eyes."  All of a sudden what was not seen is in clear view.

Observing - it is a key to much as we learn to paint pictures of the world around us with realism and vibrancy. 

And that reference to 'scales falling off the eyes," - that is a direct quote from the Apostle Paul's life - when he was blinded by the light as he encountered the risen Christ, and then was healed and given his eye sight back.  Powerful stuff.

Vibrant Color part I

I grew up with the term "artist" attached.  My parents were the most encouraging parents in their support of my artistic endeavors that I could imagine.  And so I am very blessed.  My mother did (and still does at age 87) paint portraits and my father was an extraordinary craftsman.  I attended good schools with strong art programs and drew everyday of my life for over thirty years.  My husband and I owned and operated a successful stained glass studio for seven years in Southern California.

All that to say that when I had been painting seriously after a few years I came upon some teaching on color that made me realize that I had missed a significant part of an art education.  I thought at first - what's to know about color?  Blue and yellow make green.  I understood contrast and could put together a strong black and white composition.  Color, so I thought, was just kind of like colorizing a black and white photo, in effect.  Shadows were just a darker version of the local color.  Right?  Not right.

One evening in the small Northern California town to which we had moved to escape the pressured city life, we walked into a small business that was holding an opening for a local artist.  His work was stunning.  It was more impressionistic than mine.  Even though I admired it I was very comfortable with my tighter style of realism.  It wasn't that aspect that caught my eye.  In fact, I wasn't sure what caught my eye.  I just knew that he possessed, artistically, something I didn't have.  There was a maturity and vibrance about his work that was a bit mysterious to me.  I wanted that "something" in his work that I did not have, and so I met the artist and asked for lessons.  He enthusiastically invited me to a new class he was starting at the community college.  There began color lessons under the tutelage of Jim Faber.

It didn't take me long to hear what that "something" was that my work was missing.  It was a knowledge and application of color.  Thinking that the color wheel was kind of like learning one's abc's, I could not have been more mistaken.

Jim started by explaining to us that the world was filled with color and light.  And that light has an effect on everything.  Even in shadow there is marvelous color.  In addition he explained that in light there is all colors (think of a prism) and so that what we know to be true about color (even if we don't totally see it) we can apply to our paintings.  Therefore nothing on our canvas should be a section of one plain color.  In everything there is all kinds of colors jumping around.  That was a revelation.  And that was the beginning.