meldrum art
Yes, I am trying to paint a nude a day. My plan is to wake up, have breakfast and then paint a nude. I never have to think about what I will do, I just have to start painting a nude. Simple. I wonder how long I will be able to keep it going?
Click the thumbnail to see the full-sized image.
Like I said before, I don’t really get a chance to fully relax at my own life drawing classes so I go to other venues to practice instead. I say practice and that’s the way I see it, these aren’t finished paintings but sketches where I allow myself to experiment and have fun. I have noticed that the more I practice the better I can draw when I’m painting outdoors. It makes sense, nothing is for free after all.
These sketches are typically 5 minute poses, I usually spend 5 more minutes improving them the day after – some I leave alone. I use W&N Sepia watercolour and a mechanical 2 B pencil.
Since I came back to Stockholm after the summer break I have been making sure I go to life drawing classes at least once a week. As I have mentioned before it is so important to sketch regularly, everyday if possible. Life drawing is a wonderful way to practice drawing from real life, I also like to push myself and paint. These sketches are either 2 or 5 minute, not much time to think so everything has to be instinctive, you can only achieve this through hours of practice.
I use a plastic airlines plate with a watercolour cup stuck in the middle of it with Super Glue, I have Sepia tube colour in the cup. Choosing which watercolour to use is made easy this way, I have only the one choice.
I went to Basis on Folkkungagatan (147) here in Stockholm, it’s an art school and every Saturday my old gang of life drawing enthusiasts meet and sketch like crazy under the eastern-European guidance of Gabor.
He starts with a 5 minute pose but the rest of the session is 1 – 4 minute poses, everyone is pretty exhausted afterwards.
What’s nice about going to life drawing on a Saturday is that everyone is relaxed and a big group of us go for a coffee afterwards and have a light-hearted post analysis of our sketches. It was the first time for me this term and it was the last session before Christmas. Next year I will be able to join my friends more as my own life drawing class will be on Thursdays and not Fridays as it was this year. I have been pretty tired on Saturday mornings this term because of working late on Friday evenings.
All features sketches here were sketched between 2 – 4 minutes.
I am enjoying my return to figure painting. I have been using charcoal for ages but not anymore, at least until I crave a change, … which happens quite often. The poses here are 2-5 minutes long, the drawing has to be quick as you can imagine. I paint as much as I can, no time to be fussy -that is why it’s so much fun!