Day three hundred and thirty-nine: I so thoroughly enjoyed sketching Ganesha yesterday, that I quickly turned to another ancient sculpture for today’s sketch. This study is based on a 1st-century Roman puteale, or round well-head, decorated with twelve deities. The original stone well can be seen today at the archeological museum in Naples, Italy.
Also tagged art on art, pencilDay three hundred and thirty-three: For the last few days leading up to this seemingly momentous number, I’ve been thinking that I would create some special picture to commemorate the 333rd drawing this year. But I forgot all about it until I logged in to post this quick sketch of an Athenian vase. It’s based […]
Also tagged oil, pastel, pencilDay two hundred and forty-two: I started and scrapped several sketches before I decided to flip though travel photos for a subject I could paint. Scrolling through a set from Agrigento, Sicily reminded me of the ancient and very worn sandstone columns in the so-called “Valley of the Temples.” Based on descriptions of the area […]
Also tagged architecture, art on art, oilDay two hundred and thirty-two: Designed to continue exploring a classical theme, and to practice line drawing, tonight’s sketch is based on an ancient figure of Eros in flight. The original can be found on an Athenian vase from around 480 BCE, painted by an anonymous craftsman known today as the “Dresden painter.” The vase […]
Also tagged art on art, figure study, oilDay two hundred and thirty-one: If Picasso has a “blue period” and a “rose period” then I must be in a “Picasso period.” I guess this is the result of looking at nothing but Picasso prints all day. I noticed the figure on the left in an etching by Picasso titled La Danse (The Dance), […]
Also tagged art on art, face, figure study, oil, picassoDay one hundred and seventy-seven: While looking for something to sketch today, I came across a photo that I took in Pompeii in June 2010. I don’t remember exactly where among the ruins I found these broken columns, but I liked the way they were framed against the blue Amalfi-coast sky in the snapshot. Impatient […]
Also tagged architecture, art on art, oil, stoneDay one hundred and fifty-nine: With only a few minutes to spare today before departing Lima on the red-eye flight back to the U.S., I decided to make a simple line sketch in about five minutes. It is based on a face carved in stone on display at the Larco Museum. I forgot to capture […]
Also tagged art on artDay one hundred and fifty-eight: After sketching a couple of ancient bottles in pencil yesterday, I wanted to try drawing another from the Museo de Arte Precolombino in more detail. This ceramic bottle is notable for the simplification of zoomorphic elements, including concentric circles that represent the snake’s scaly skin. Believe it or not, I […]
Also tagged art on art, still lifeDay one hundred and fifty-seven: When I looked at these bottles this afternoon, I wasn’t sure qwhether I had just walked into a gallery at the Museum of Modern Art in New York or the Museo de Arte Precolombino in Cusco, Peru. Made between 2000-3000 years ago, each bottle demonstrates a remarkable and rare expression […]
Also tagged art on art, pencil, still lifeThis sketch is the ninety-second in a 365-day challenge to draw a picture a day, every day, for a year… Day ninety-two: Today’s rapid sketch continues the ancient Roman sculptural theme, but this time looks at Roman fresco painting. This slightly pudgy figure with stubby feet is based on a fragment from Ercolano, now in […]
Also tagged art on art, figure study, oil, sculpture