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.

Gestures of Samm

 You may not be able to tell from this mess but Samm really went all out with the gesture poses last evening.  If only she could hold a fully extended plank for 45 minutes...

The traditional long pose to end the night

 I got a late start on this one but I think it turned out okay.  There are things I'm pretty happy with and other things I'd like a do-over on.  Still, nothing I'm upset about so I'll take the win.

The third of three 15 minute sketches... sort of

 I say sort of because I only put in about two minutes on this.  We had an incident during the first half of class that knocked me off my game.  Nothing was going right with this "drawing" and I was a bit angry so I just stopped to deal with my issue.

The second of three 15 minute sketches

 This is probably my favorite sketch from the evening.  There are definitely things I'd like to work on with this but I have no problem where it landed.

The first of three 15 minute sketches

 I was really interested in this pose, mostly for the relationships the various forms created.  However I lost control over this one.  I'm really not sure what happened only that it did not work out how I intended.

Gestures from an inconsistent evening

 Inconsistent, you say?  Yep.  We had a bit of a distraction that threw me off my game.  I'll make note of which pose suffered.  

More lost edges

 Yeah, that's more like it.  Not the most polished drawing but I like the strong shadows and absence of linear structure.  Fun to do.  That's a bonus.

Now that's some lost edges

 Just a little knee study.  I don't do those often enough.

Long pose

 I like some of this but overall... I feel this failed.

Simply simple

 Not a lot to go on here.  Loved the shadows.  I should have gone with lost edges, as well.

Gestures plus one more for good measure

 

From last night.  Not the greatest start to the evening.  It got better.

Coming along nicely

 The long pose that still couldn't make it to the finish line.  However, where is landed makes me happy enough.  Great angles, mass and relationships between shapes.  Even the lost edges work with this piece.

Alright...

 ...this one is starting to come together.  I need to develop the belly area a bit more, but I kinda like how this one "sits".