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new mythological creature

Day two hundred and twenty-nine: This one is silly, but I was kind of stumped as to what I should draw. I thought about trying another animal in honor of the Picasso-Buffon book I’ve been studying, but I couldn’t decide on an animal. I found myself staring at the Apple TV screen saver, which randomly glides amazing photographs of wildlife across the screen. I started quickly sketching as much of a koala bear as I could before it disappeared, then moved on to a crane, a zebra, a panda, a leopard, a reindeer — whatever features caught my eye and could be added to the mysterious beast. I did the same thing with environment, picking little bits of landscape and incorporating them into the picture. Not sure what to call this silly little creature or what its story might be, but I’m taking suggestions!

2011 08 17 quick study Comments (2) Permalink

Le Poulpe

Day two hundred and twenty-eight: Continuing to catalog Picasso prints, I was working all day on a portfolio of animals he made in aquatint and drypoint in 1936. The series was made to illustrate an edition of the 18th-century French classic, L’Histoire Naturelle (Natural History) by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, and published in Paris by Martin Fabriani in 1942. Picasso depicted 31 animals for the book, but no octopus. Maybe Leclerc didn’t write about one either. Regardless, I thought it would be nice to see one added, so here’s my quick study of “Le Poulpe” in the subtle gray tones typical of the aquatint technique.

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2011 08 16 artist tribute
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imaginary grumpy man with a beard

Day two hundred and twenty-seven: This morning I was looking at little etchings of anonymous faces by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, and thinking about similar ones by Rembrandt. Rather than copy either of their pictures in their particular styles, I decided to make my own. I suspect they were looking at models in most cases, but for lack of a living subject, I drew this man with a beard from imagination. It seemed to just draw itself in a way, and I’m glad the sketch of the day is done. I was leaning toward something simply and quick anyway. But I wonder why he looks so grumpy? I myself couldn’t be more delighted that I get to look at old master prints every day!

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2011 08 15 quick study Comments (2) Permalink

30th Street Station

Day two hundred and twenty-six: The neo-classical building of the 30th Street Station is one of the visual highlights (as is the building of the Museum of Art) along the Schuylkill River Trail, which I use when I ride my bike to work. Today’s sketch is a study of the train station from across the river near the Market Street bridge (I think — I’m still learning my Philly landmarks…). I especially like the juxtaposition of the very angular glass building nearby, which really picks up the color of the sky.

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2011 08 14 composition
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hot peppers

Day two hundred and twenty-five: Yep, it’s Saturday, which means fruit and vegetable shopping at the Rittenhouse Square farmer’s market. Last week I bought a 50 cent jalapeño pepper — like the green one here — and every day I chopped up a slice or two of it to heat my salads a bit. This week I added two more tiny peppers for 25 cents each. I don’t remember exactly what varieties they are, but the farmer told me the red one on the left is a “pretty rare” Pennsylvania Dutch pepper. All three are “moderately hot.” I’m looking forward to sampling my one dollar selection of hot peppers this week, but perhaps at a rate of a couple pennies-worth at a time!

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2011 08 13 composition
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strange encounter

Day two hundred and twenty-four: Just as I sat down for lunch today on the patio at work, an extraordinary and wonderful thing happened: a praying mantis landed on my back and crawled up onto my shoulder. You should have seen the face of my friend, Samantha, when it happened! Next it flew about and landed on Samantha’s fork. I convinced it to crawl on my plastic knife, where I took it’s photograph with my iPhone before putting it among the leaves of a nearby tree. This sketch tries to capture a bit of the mantis’s alien-like appearance and its bright green color. I felt so excited and special when it landed on me, but also relieved it didn’t make it onto the bare skin of my neck. Yikes!

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2011 08 12 quick study Comments (2) Permalink

happy birthday

Day two hundred and twenty-three: August 11th is my birthday, and I had a wonderful time. No big party or special dinner, but I certainly didn’t mind. I got to do everything I love to do: work at my awesome job, eat my favorite lunch, bike around Philadelphia, and enjoy dinner and a TV show with Caprica. Plus I received dozens of good wishes from my friends and family around the world, including my terrific co-workers at the museum. I’m so grateful for all the blessings in my life. Tonight’s sketch is an allegory of my fantastic day: like a tiny, happy bird enjoying a great big delicious piece of cake. Simply decadent.

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2011 08 11 composition
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hammock

Day two hundred and twenty-two: There’s a patio off of the cafeteria in the building where I work, and the museum staff often gather there for lunch. Today, after enjoying a salad, peaches, and berries, I sat back and felt a warm, relaxing summer breeze. I commented that it was perfect weather to lay in a hammock with a good book. Everyone agreed. This expressionistic sketch (think Kokoschka) is a hammock I enjoyed last year in Costa Rica. I loved laying there, listening to the waves, reading a good book, and watching the tide move in and out.

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2011 08 10 quick study Comments (2) Permalink

study of parrot with few lines

Day two hundred and twenty-one: The general rules of those making daily drawings, state that the they can be anything, even just a scribble or line, as long as it gets done. I usually do much more than that, but tonight I got a later start than usual. More ready for bed than a drawing session, I remembered some Picasso prints we were browsing through today in preparation for a cataloging project. Some of his prints of animals are made with just a few lines. Yet amazingly they appear modern, balanced and complete. The skill, I suspect, is being able to get the most out of the line. So I decided to try a study of a parrot with as few lines as possible. This is it. The effort made the think of Chinese calligraphy or Japanese paintings that only use a few brushstrokes. I kind of like it. Plus it was finished in just a few minutes!

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2011 08 09 artist tribute
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Haarlem houses

Day two hundred and twenty: My work to catalog the illustrations in a copy of a 1628 Dutch book about Haarlem continues. While looking closely at one etching, I was taken by the charming houses along the city’s market square. There was, upon taking up the digital pencil, more precision and detail required than I could handle in an evening, so this drawing is much sketchier than the original.

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2011 08 08 quick study Comments (0) Permalink