sketches of my dog Re-run

I did these sketches quite a while ago whilst attempting to do a painting of this JRT - he doesn't sit still for long! I love sketching and haven't done it in a long time so maybe this blog will get me going again.

Graphite sketch...

I forgot that Martie is in Beijing where she has no access to the blogs.  So I will post another sketch...this one in graphite.  This was a preliminary to study placement and design for a large, luscious oil painting. This is 11 x 14 and done in 5 grades of graphite: 4H, 2H, HB, 2 B and 6B.

The Beauty of Silverpoint Drawings...

For those of you who are out there experimenting with drawing materials, I want to introduce you to an historic method.  Silverpoint drawings were done centuries before wood-encased graphite pencils came into use.  Any metal - gold, silver, brass, etc.- will make a mark on most any surface.  In Italy, they prepared wood and paper with a clay/gesso coating that "took" the mark particularly well. The trick to this type of drawing is to be bold, decisive...and make no mistakes because there is no going back to correct. The marks are made typically with the purest of silver wire held in a holder for ease of use. The marks will be very faint until they oxidize and "tarnish" as silver does in any form making the drawing appear slightly darker with age. Take a look at http://www.silverpointweb.com/  for more information about supplies..or where I buy my supplies when I am in Florence (Zecchi is about a block from the Duomo on Via Lo Studio) http://www.zecchi.it/ ....or visit my studio at Artspace where I always have some materials in stock.  This is a 4 x 4 inch silverpoint on claycoated Italian board. Framed 12 x 10 $350 + shipping and NCSTx

Beach House

From the deck of a wonderful beach house we've rented. I love the beach, but find beach scenes very difficult to make interesting. Watercolor pencils are great for travel, especially these, which are woodless Cretacolor pencils.

Quick graphite sketch...

For those of you who have seen my work at the studio, this is a great sample of what is important to me. My students always ask about the series of full body 14 x 11 sketches I do to prepare for a painting or an oil portrait. This graphite sketch shows perfectly how the unfinished sketch develops with the faces and the hands being the most important elements. Luana Luconi Winner

French Bar

Not much of a sketch, but an early effort using "Brushes" on my iPod Touch. "Brushes" is a cheap app getting a lot of attention for the New Yorker covers done with it. It's a wonderful tool and very handy when sketching around town, because nobody thinks you're drawing - just checking email or something. I particularly like the transparent effects you can get with it - this is a handsome bar with a mirror behind it.