The year is at an end

Sorry, couldn't resist.  I hope 2019 treated everyone well and that 2020 is a step up.

Them glasses!

Loved the cast shadows from those huge specs our model was sporting.  Really enjoyed this one.

Not much more than a gesture

Was really enjoying the shadows and shapes our Lady A presented us with this pose.  Took awhile to get comfortable (as usual) with a brand new model.  By the last three poses I was pretty okay with things. 

Gestures of Lady A, our newest model

Lady A just hit pose after pose and gave us a great send off to 2019.  We look forward working more with Lady A.

The Sculptor takes a seat

Another in that wonderful medium I love, conté.

The last sitting

When you don't have a lot of time you have to make choices.  I just really wanted to render these shadows well so I just concentrated on the lower body.  The way the shadows inform the shapes and mass just fascinate me.  This was fun and satisfying.

Just shapes

My favorite sketch of the evening.  I've been inspired by a few different artists on Instagram recent.y and this one seemed to finally burst outta me.  Lotta fun, fer sure.

The Sculptor sculpted

This reminds me of chipping away at stone and revealing what existed all along.  Just so happens the model actually does just that.

The Sculptor in conté

Always fun to draw Mr. J, and I've been doing it for so long that I just feel I can explore more than the surface issues of this guy.  This is one of two conté drawings from the other night.  Love that medium.

Gestures of The Sculptor

Mister J stepped in and did his usual outstanding job.  A couple of the drawings are among my favorites from my recent efforts.  I'll post those later next week.

Tayla takes a seat

@taylaherself is a real joy to draw.  Need to have a long pose to draw so that the process and final can truly be appreciated.

Quick 5

Tayla is such a joy to draw.  This was a languid pose that just begged to have long lines thrown.  Fun.

Gestures of Tayla

A couple of weeks off and now we're back at it.  Tayla did a great job, like always.

Sketch and finish

Not happy with the finish mostly because there are some fundamental problems with the life sketch.  But that was really the purpose of finishing this particular drawing.  Maybe I'll pay a bit more attention to my initial mark making.

Tayla in conté

Love working in conté.  And Tayla is a terrific model.  A great combination.

On the easel

After finishing an olde world Santa Claus painting for my lovely wife I immediately jumped onto the next project for her, an "Ancestor" painting.  No, this wonderful face is not an ancestor from either family, just an interesting face that fits the bill for my better half.  I'm having fun with this and feel as though I'm channeling my inner Jeff Jones with this one.  It's really refreshing to be excited about art again.  I do need to keep it going.  I ain't gettin' any younger, donchaknow.

Sketch to finish

I wanted to see if I could finish one of my life sketches without reference and seeing if I had put down enough information to do just that.  Kinda happy with the result.

Conté seated

Love working with conté.  This ain't the best drawing I've done with the medium but that doesn't change the enjoyment I got doing this one.

Little head study

Was inspired by Zin Lim's art.

Quick sketch...

that I would really like to push further.

Gestures of Lady C redux

A nice group got to get some good practice in with Lady C.  Just some gestures from that session.

Slump

The long pose from the session.  Still couldn't find the time to draw her head.  Go figure.

Shape upon shape upon shape

So much to draw... so little time to do it right.  Great muscle tone and some really fun lighting make for such a great drawing experience.  Would love to draw this type of pose all day long.

Sway

I could've spent the whole two hours drawing this one but only had 12 or so minutes.  Probably should have gotten farther into this but I just kept coming back to those deep shadows and I was trying to get multiple layers for better depth rather than just a black hole.  This was a ton of fun to work.

Lady C's knee

Yep, I like drawing knees.  Sue me.

Gestures of Lady C

Lady C made her debut last night.  A fun model to draw, for sure.  Here are her gesture poses.

The fainting couch

Well, not really,  This is Janelle hanging out in our funky little rocking chair. 

Janelle takes a seat

Janelle has moved on but I still got some nice sketches from her efforts.

Tayla

Tayla holds her hair.

Take a seat, Lady JD

A lot of changes as this drawing progressed, just trying to find accurate proportions.  A drawing that coulda, woulda, shoulda become something more.

Lady JD strikes a pose

Started to develop the right arm when the clock ran out.  I was really enjoying pulling the forearm out of the cast shadows, letting it get lost momentarily as the tones match at a small point along her side.  Barely got her facial features knocked in.

Bit of leg

I had a ball drawing this even if I didn't get very far, considering it was the long pose for the night.  Loved the shadows shaping the bone and muscle of the calf.

Experiment

I started working this in a manner of an artist I follow on IG.  Barely got the eyes placed but I spent the majority of my time working through the problems the mouth presented.  It was fun but not really a quality finish.

It's that time of year again...

I'm in the middle of my annual blitzkrieg of Santa drawings.  This time they will be displayed and on sale at The Moss Mansion starting sometime in early November.  This one is a little 4x4 pencil sketch on toned paper with conté accents and white pastel.

Janelle unfinished

Was really liking where this drawing was going/taking me.  I decided not to rush it just to get the eyes in as I was quite happy with the mouth and how the shadows were relating.

Gestures of Janelle

Turns out this will probably be the last time we get to draw Lady JD (aka Janelle) as she is relocating.  I wish her well and hope that when she comes back to visit she can make some time for our little group.  Best of luck, Janelle. 

My favorite drawing from the evening.  So many shapes to just dig the charcoal into.

Again with the back

Tayla in repose.

A little shrug of the shoulder

Quick sketch, hence no face.

Tayla Ponders

Was really enjoying this little head study.  Need to go back in and get the eyes right.

Gestures of Tayla... again

Some quick one minute gestures.  Kinda all over the place which pretty much informed my whole night of drawing.