A "real" Santa

 I combined what I've learned from Leyendecker and Sundblom and applied it to a photo of an actor playing Santa.  Pretty happy with the result.

Another Santa

 Another favorite copy.  I say copy because, and I make no bones about it, most of my drawings are from existing illustrations of the great Joseph Christian Leyendecker and Haddon Sundblom.  I do reference photos for some but I tend to fall into giving the people what they are comfortable with, which are familiar versions of Santa.  Leyendecker and Sundblom (the Coca-Cola Santa creator) are, in my opinion, the best of those that gave us the most wonderful Santa Claus illustrations.

No life drawing last week so I'll share some of the stuff I'm doing for a holiday show at Roots

 

This is a little 5x7 in charcoal and conte.  Probably my favorite sketch this year.  This and the others I'll show on the blog this week will be available at Roots, (2147 Poly Drive, Billings, MT) starting Thursday, November 2.  I'll be there for a bit until I run off to do more figure drawing that evening.

The usual long pose to end the night

 Sure, long poses in an atelier would be two days or a week, but we just ain't got that kinda time.  So 45 minutes constitutes our extended sittings.  One learns to focus when there is so little time to work.

Loved this pose

 The little angle of her left leg made all the difference to this pose.  Only had 12 minutes so decisions were made.

Miss P is such a hipster

 Simple large shapes.  Subtle shading.  Satisfying.

Not much of a drawing but a fun study

 I really lost myself in the delicate line work and subtle shading required to render this leg.  Maybe nothing you want to hang on your wall but this was a lot of fun to render.

Slumping on the job

 Miss P really tries to give the artists artistic poses.  For some of us, it's graceful stances.  For others it's simple and easy poses.  For me, I like digging into interesting details.  The way shapes relate to each other and form mass and tension. 

Gestures of Miss P

 A favorite model of ours.  We are so lucky to have such wonderful people will to pose for us.  Now and over the past 24 years or so. 

Long pose that I didn't use fully

 I only used about 1/3 of the allotted time for this one.  Got a late start and then moved onto a second drawing.  Well...

...this one.

A nice failure

Hmm, I like this drawing but I failed to find a focal point.  I made too many areas that draw your eye and not one that commands attention.

Conté just makes things look, well, better

 It may not look like it but I spent a lot of the time on that hip.  Some many aspects of this drawing hang on making the hip look believable.

Favorite pose of the night

 So many shapes and connections to play with.  Great shadows give the extra oomph to these masses.  Fun if too short.

Walk away

 Simple back poses offer some fun with shapes.  No pressure to capture a likeness, just an exploration of the human landscape.

Gestures of Lady S

 Another week gone by and another set of drawings.  As usual, let's start with the gestures.

Model in repose

 Some areas got a bit too much attention while others hit just the right note.  I regret some of the strong linework along the left arm but am very happy with the subtle shading and modeling around the hip and belly.  Had fun with the hair but think I could have gotten away with far less linear treatment and just used the edge of the charcoal to achieve a similar look.  Still, it is the closest part of the figure to the viewer and therefore would logically be the most detailed and focused aspect.  Hmmm, I wonder if I should try an exercise in changing focal points... the head and shoulders being blurred with the attention to detail on the belly and hip area.  Might be fun.

A lovely mess

 I love this kind of sketch.  Just a mess of lines and smears to created the sense that a figure is reclining in a draped chair.  I even like that her right leg is just an abstract outline that could be anything.  Shadows bleeding in and out of the figure.  Fun.  Satisfying.

Sometimes accuracy ain't all it's cracked up to be

 I measured the figure based on her head multiple times, even when I ran this through the Photoshop edit, and found that the proportion is accurate.  However, her head looks too small for the rest of the figure.  I think if I rework her right leg a bit it may make some difference but ultimately her head needs to be enlarged.  Sometimes, not everything works out.

Gestures of Miss P

 A sheet of gestures.  Sometimes these studies are my favorite of the session.  Trying to capture the essence of the pose and the model herself is quite a lot of fun and, if taken seriously, a great challenge.

Miss M in perspective

 The long pose for the evening.  Lots of shapes to play with and the challenge of making them look as though they are affected my gravity.

Figure in conté

Conté seems to make everything better.

Little head study of Miss M

 When dealing with larger masses, I tend to overemphasize and need to whittle it down as the drawing progresses.  Such is the case with the lower portion of her face.

Partial Torso study

 Strong shadows are a lot of fun but the subtle ones are the most challenging.  A little 10 minute study.