Ah, the one that made the evening worth it

 Happy with the simplicity and basic nature of the shapes and mass.  The line work is subtle and fits the piece.  Yep, happy with this one.

45 minutes

 Really felt like I'd like this one but, ultimately, not so much.  Maybe if this were a 90 minute pose and I took a bit more time to really work this one out.  

Cold shoulder

 This was coming along, until the clock got in the way.  Same old song, same old song and dance.

A little head study

I adjusted this sketch two extra times as she shifted slightly over the course of the pose.  Understandable, with her head leaning on her hand it becomes difficult not to adjust the pose.
 

Profile

 A pretty decent start to the evening.  Ten minutes and then.... nothing.  

Gestures, gestures and a few more gestures

 

Yep, gestures.  These are nice and clean.  Pretty happy with them.

Ah, the best 15 minutes of the night

 I had a lot of fun with this one and I was dialed in.  Happy with this and that's all I have to say about that.

Long pose

You may notice that I indicated many of Samm's tattoos, something I don't often do.  This time it was a decision because I was really having trouble with the lighting.  I had changed easel stations as I was happy with the POV I was presented with.  This angle presented a bit of foreshortening and a more interesting stacking of the various shapes and the drapery.  However, I had difficulty discerning detail and it became a slog.  I believe that such a mentality is reflected in the drawing.  So I tried to hide some of the problems underneath the body art. 

Some problems slowed me down

 I was having some serious difficulty with her neck.  Maybe with some work on the face this would take a turn for the better.  Sorry Samm, you deserve better.

2 ten minute sketches

 I liked (loved actually) to top pose.  I just hadn't gotten going yet so I wasted it with my rendering.  I started to find my groove with the second pose.

A little announcement to anyone who might follow me on Instagram

 You can't.

 

 

 

Explanation?  I don't have one.  They told me I violated their Community Standards and gave me a chance to dispute.  I disputed.  They erased my account.  They make it nigh unto impossible to contact them to get an explanation.  If I find out, I'll let y'all know.

This isn't such a bad thing.  The algorithm that's being used (not just on IG, but everywhere) has made the platform a less enjoyable but completely time sucking experience.  A little less screen time ain't such a bad thing.  

Gestures of Samm

 Samm, as is often the case, came to the rescue of our little group when our scheduled model had a change in her work schedule.  We hope it is temporary but in the meantime Samm, our resident model, did her usual fantastic job.  These are the ten gesture sketches to start the evening.

Favorite of the evening

 Just a little study of the model's backside.  Concentrating on a small area made this much more fun to draw than trying to get the entire pose rendered.

Long pose

 Some really nice stuff to work with in this pose but I kept adjusting for movement and such and never got to fully commit to this sketch.  Spent a whole lot of time working on her right leg and it left me in a time crunch for much of the rest of the figure.

Too many solutions needed

 Just couldn't find my rhythm with this one.  A lot of subtle shading is required to bring this one to life.  10 minutes just ain't enough time to do "subtle".  At least not with these aging eyes...

Lots of unrealized potential in this one

 First "real" drawing of the night and it was a shame to have come from a 10 minute pose.  I would love to have spent at least half an hour on this one.  The proportions and the slight distortion of the angle made for a compelling image.  

First gestures of November

 Yep, gestures of Samm.  Not sure I can say much more than that.

Just when I loosened up...

... I tighten up on the face.  Sheesh, I can't get outta my own way.

Another 15 (or so) minutes

 This is the one I really wanted more time with.  I loved the pose and where I was headed.  Maybe it's because this sketch reminds me a J S Sargent prelim drawing for one of his beautiful murals.  The pose, not necessarily the sketch.

15 minutes and I'm feelin' good

 I started to really find my rhythm with this.  The image may not bear this out, but I was enjoying the process.

Ten minutes

 Double the time and I get a bit closer.  I'm happy with achieving a sense of mass and curvature of the seated pose.  Gettin' looser...

Five minutes

 Just gettin' warmed up.  I'm slowing down and five minutes accomplishes very little.

Gestures of Samm

 You ain't seein' things.  You ain't crazy.  These are, indeed, last night's gesture sketches.  Betcha saw this comin'.

Long pose and yet still short on time

 This was a challenge.  Some of this was due to the poor lighting situation we found ourselves in but also because it's a real tough angle to deal with.  Still, I'm fairly happy with how this was coming together.

R E L A X

 As Aaron Rodgers once said.  This one was just starting to round into shape, it just didn't.

Some interesting problems to solve...

but I didn't quite get there...

One shouldn't draw when one is tired

 It took me quite some time last night to shake off the cobwebs of slumber and start to render with some modicum of competence.  This ain't one of those drawings.

Gestures of Miss P

Yep, gestures.  Of Miss P.  Go figure. (get it?  go figure?  I crack me up)

Long pose

 I switched up to some textured paper for this one and I think it paid off.  Sure, I could have used another 45 minutes or more on this, but I'm pretty happy for the most part.

15 minute head study

Didn't get far in 15 minutes, did I...
 

10 minute figure

 Again, focused on the points of interest rather than the details.  Made sure that the pose was accurately rendered, the knees in the foreground leading the eye into the midsection and up through the torso and out the unfinished noggin.

Ten minute head study

 This was fun to sketch.  Since it was quick I just focused on the essentials.  Pretty pleased with the outcome.

Gestures of Miss M, the second session

 Miss M returned for round two with our little group.  Several of these poses would have been great longer sketches.

The usual 45 minute finishing sketch

 This really was starting to round into its own, just ran out of time.  Lot's to like about this pose, just not a lot of real finish to the drawing.  Still, fun way to end the evening.  Great work, Miss M.

A 15 minute pose

 Lot's of great shapes and mass to draw.  I really enjoy the relations between the shapes and how it brings a sense of depth and weight to a drawing.  I could have drawn this pose for an hour or longer.

Then we tried a 10 minute pose...

 ...and that went so well that we then tried...

Some five minute sketches

 We didn't want to throw her into the deep end right off the bat so we started with some shorter poses to let her get used to the game.

Gestures of Miss M, our newest model

It's always a toss-up when we have a model who has never posed before.  In this case it was a wonderful find and Miss M knocked it out of the park.  Enjoy the gestures from last night.
 

A failed experiment

 I bailed on my concept at the last minute and dropped in some shadows on the right arm and on the back.  I had spent the first 35 minutes or so intending the paper color substitute for some of the larger shadows, hence the hard lines across her back and right arm.  I should have stayed the course and now I'm left with wondering what could have been.  I may take them out (as best I can) and see what happens.

The third 15 minute sketch

 I decided to go back to charcoal for this one and I'm glad I did.  Lost edges and shadows are so very powerful in straight black and white.  I was really enjoying this one and would love to have had an additional 5-15 minutes to really work the shapes and create real mass.  Still, probably my favorite effort of the session.

The second 15 minute sketch

 This was rounding into an okay study of Samm's face.  As you can see, I grabbed the wrong conté to shade her cheek but that's how it goes when you're not paying complete attention.

The first 15 minute sketch

 Lost edges and cast shadows.  The story of my life.