Drop in chat- cafe Michelangelo- Jan 2010

**artbyjune** · #1 12-31-2009, 03:58 PM

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the first cafe chat for the New Year.

What's happening in your corner?

brianvds · #2 01-01-2010, 06:35 AM

Well, here it is 1:27 in the afternoon, and I just checked: the temperature out on my porch is 28 degrees. But of course, around here we measure in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. ;-)

I spent New Year's eve at work, stressing out while everyone else was partying. I made a solemn vow that this was the last time: this year I'm either getting a different job, or I'm becoming a bum, but the night shifts have to end now or I'll break.

**azulparsnip** · #3 01-01-2010, 07:08 PM

Hope it works out for you Brian. Sounds like you've made the first step.

I have 3 resolutions - #1 clean kitchen before retiring for evening
#2 - select 3 things to focus on during the week

#3 - eat sweet things only twice a week

I think the first will be the easiest and #3 the hardest to do.

Here are 3 sketches of my husband......3 minute, 5 minute, 10 minute....done today!

gakinme · #4 01-01-2010, 08:20 PM

Brian, I emphathize with you. I've been doing the swing shift these couple of weeks from 3 pm to 11 pm and I'm dead by the time I get home at midnight. I don't know how you manage to do graveyard shift. Or are you on swing shift too.

I'm applying for other jobs too. Good luck to you.

Robin, the difference of 3 min and 10 mins is tremendous. But you managed to pack a lot of details in 3 mins!

My New Year Resolution...hmmm

1. Spend more time with my kids.
2. Cook more for my family.
3. Draw non-stop and create more of my own imagery this year rather than copying photos.

brianvds · #5 01-02-2010, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gakinme

Brian, I emphathize with you. I've been doing the swing shift these couple of weeks from 3 pm to 11 pm and I'm dead by the time I get home at midnight. I don't know how you manage to do graveyard shift. Or are you on swing shift too.

I'm on all-night shifts, six in the evning to six in the morning, seven days at a time. Every second week I am off, which might sound wonderful, but I tell you, it's late in my off week before I begin to feel human again, and my sleeping patterns get so disturbed that it has been many years since I have managed to sleep eight full hours in a single stretch. And all of this to make someone else rich? I don't think so!

Quote:

I'm applying for other jobs too. Good luck to you.

Me, I have saved up more than a year's worth of salary, and I'm seriously thinking of taking a year's sabbatical to paint full time. Like our illustrious predecessor who cut off his ear, I have never sold a painting. But I think, the very first one I do sell, I'm quitting my job. And then hope that it isn't also the last one I sell!

Robin, very nice work! I don't think I COULD do any sort of meaningful sketch in a single minute!

brianvds · #6 01-02-2010, 06:27 AM

This was my last drawing for 2009: a sketch after a painting by Eanger Irving Couse (1866-1936) who became noted for his marvelous paintings of Native Americans. As often with my sketches, ballpoint pen on common old computer printer paper:

**trafford** · #7 01-02-2010, 07:52 AM

Resolutions? hmmmmm.

1. Excercise at least a half an hour a day.

2. I love printing...so must really work at it this year and draw, draw, draw.

3. Don't stress over small things.

There is more, but I think I can keep these three...well the last one is hard.

Robin, Your sketches of your husband remind me of contour drawings..very nice. I have an excercise in a book that goes the opposite way. You do a detailed drawing first and then strip it away til you end up with just a line or two.

Brian... Your drawing is very good and deserves an upgrade in paper, but please carry on, whatever your surface is. I'll make a wish for you in 2010..that you get another job, so that you can party once in a while.

Guess we can all check back in a while and see how we are doing with our resolutions.

Looks like a productive ART year here...janet

**artbyjune** · #8 01-02-2010, 01:49 PM

Hi everyone. I love those line drawings, Robin. I wouldn't mind being able to do those...and from life. I never seem to get around to it though. And the Indian study is beautiful, Brian.

My art resolutions are to do more figure work, maybe do more in oils, and learn about print-making.

My other resolutions are the same as most folks...eat less, exercise more, do more fun stuff. I might do the art ones but its unlikely I'll do the healthy ones!!! I'd need to try awfully hard!

ryster007 · #9 01-06-2010, 04:05 PM

Happy new year everyone!

I hate making resolutions as they're designed to be broken!- instead I'm setting 3 goals

I'm going with
1. sell 3 paintings
2. get my work into another gallery
3. focus! I want to finish 10 landscapes, 10 portraits/figurative and 10 still lifes.

Got my first portrait done so I'm off to a flier!

Cast shadows
Pastel on Sennelier pastel card
8x10 inches

Ryan

**azulparsnip** · #10 01-07-2010, 09:49 PM

Sandra and Brian - I'm pooped just reading yous guyes schedules!!!

Sandra - thanks. those are some hefty resolutions with your schedule. I vibe with the "create more of my own imagery" .

Brian - thanks I love all those lines and hatching. The facial expression is so Indianish. Good way to finish the year.

Janet - thanks. I hope you can do those resolutions - they are all good things. I used to exercise regulary but stopped a few years ago......just lazy I guess.....
I think that exercise in simplification would be one I should do cause I get too caught up in details. I was just looking at Bemelman's work and does he ever do alot with the minimal. It somewhat of a relief to look at. You work is quite similar to his.

June - LOL at the "having to try awfully hard" part.

Ryan - you are off to a good start. I like the colors on the shaded face and I like the expression of those eyes . I 'd love to see your landscapes especially 'cause I don't recall seeing any by you.

**trafford** · #11 01-13-2010, 07:21 AM

Where is everybody, busy making ART, no doubt? I'm trying to put together a collage, ala Max Ernst. Harder than I thought. See you later, I have to go out today and it is still freezing but the walking is a little better.

gakinme · #12 01-13-2010, 11:12 AM

My boss has been giving me six days work week. I'm half alive at the moment especially some of these are back to back swing shift with morning shift. Groan. But I'm around. Just not enough energy to create my own imagery yet.

Ryan, you got good colors there and you gave her a cheeky expression too! Nice work there.

ryster007 · #13 01-14-2010, 06:15 PM

Robin- I'm working on a snowy landscape as we speak! Will post here I promise!

Sandra- Thanks! I feel your pain with work woes. I'm having to put in the hours at the moment and its really cutting into my art time. My next term at Leith School of art started yesterday so that was nice getting back into a routine. After next friday work should calm down so I will definitely be painting like a demon!

**artbyjune** · #14 01-16-2010, 11:04 AM

Hi Ryster, I like the way your portrait has the eyes peeking at us!

I am in the midst of a power cut just now...luckily my pc battery has about 40 mins left so I managed to log on for a bit. If it goes on much longer...been about 2 hours now...I will probably have to have take-away for tea. There's a Chinese take out in the next street; but maybe they are having the cut too!! Oh well, there's always bread and water!!

brianvds · #15 01-18-2010, 09:06 PM

I have been rediscovering my beloved ballpoint pen, which after all the years remains my favourite sketching medium. Worked myself half to death in the past week's night shifts, but on a few evenings we had some quiet stretches, so I had time for sketching:

Some or other pop star, from a photo in "The Economist" (which is one of the few things they don't block at work):

Copied after an anonymous 15th century artist:

And one after an altarpiece by the utterly awesome Rogier van der Weyden:

All of these on humble scraps of common old computer printer paper, which is nice for sketching because you don't feel that a failed sketch "wastes paper," and therefore you are less inhibited!

I like the etch-like effects one can achieve with ballpoint. It's like the poor man's etching, and without having to mess around with expensive metal plates, messy acids, printing presses and so on. I'm pretty sure that had Rembrandt and Van der Weyden lived today, ballpoint would have been their medium of choice too.

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