Category Archives: Drawing

Drawing Ghosts

I’ve been searching online and on Instagram to see how different artists are incorporating graphite into their work. For the most part, what seems to surface leans strongly toward photo-realism. In fact, sometimes you have to look twice to be sure a given image isn’t a photograph.
Frankly, I’m not interested in that approach.

I’m much more intrigued and inspired by the fact that, as a medium, graphite makes it possible to accentuate line for line’s sake. I’m not concerned with achieving a smoothly polished drawing. Rather I prefer immediacy and rawness, qualities that I think make for a far more exciting result. The work of Stefan Zsaitsits is a perfect example. Explore his site to see the scope of his skills in portraying a beautiful image while never letting you forget that it is made from line. Graceina Samosir is another artist whose use of graphite is really exciting.

For the past several months I’ve been using Legion Stonehenge, a paper I bought for its sturdy and smooth surface. The problem is, even with the same tools I’ve been using all along, I’m finding it is much more difficult to get the fuller range of values that was possible on the lesser quality Bienfang heavyweight drawing paper I was using before the Stonehenge. Somedays I feel like I’m drawing ghosts.

I tend to use a .03 lead that leans toward the harder end of the spectrum because I want to maintain a very fine point throughout a concentrated build-up of crosshatching. I need to be sure those individual lines maintain their integrity. But I’m not fond of the resulting washed-out appearance.

I’m going to see what will happen by trying a selection of different papers. Hopefully one will have just enough tooth to get a richer drawing without compromising the sense of line I want to maintain. Our life drawing sessions are on hiatus for the next 6 weeks, which will give me some time to experiment.

❖

Humor and familiarity. One artist (Gerard Mas of Barcelona), two different bodies of work — both on My Modern Met. See and enjoy for yourself: wooden animals emerging from tree trunks & reimagined Renaissance women.

Palm Reading

Life drawing has plenty of challenges, but capturing hands has been one of the biggest for me. That said, I really feel that including them in a portrait tells a much fuller story than head and shoulders alone. In many ways, they can be seen as a portrait (or self-portrait) unto themselves.

Several resources that have helped me begin to understand the basic, universal structure of a hand and the intricacies of all its joints and angles, are:

The Human Figure, Life Drawing for Artists by John H. Vanderpoel ©1935
How to Draw Hands – The Ultimate Guide by Matt Fussell, online article
and my personal favorite: The Hand, by Jon deMartin, Drawing Magazine, Winter 2015, order a digital copy here

As with most things, there’s no substitute for practice. And beyond keeping the basic building blocks of palm and fingers in mind, I find the most helpful approach, once the overall gesture and contour have been blocked in, is to forget altogether that I’m drawing a hand and to concentrate instead on breaking down the whole into smaller and smaller components, constantly comparing shape to minuscule shape, while repeatedly looking back-and-forth between multiple landmarks of both positive and negative space. There is just no substitute for comparing placement and size to other elements already drawn. Even though it’s natural to get ahead of yourself, thinking you understand what comes next and where it should be, invariably if you don’t double-check, your work will need to be readjusted.

That’s not to say I don’t have a good kneadable eraser that gets plenty of use, but it’s a strategy that does seem to help achieve a more successful outcome.

❖

There is still time – barely – to go see Janet Van Fleet’s exhibit “Vanishment” at the Vermont Supreme Court Gallery in Montpelier. It closes on June 28th (today if you’ve received this post via email). If you can somehow squeeze in a visit, you won’t be disappointed. This particular body of Van Fleet’s work addresses the dire impact humans are incurring on other species. Profound yet accessible, it is also visually striking. Read Pamela Polston’s comprehensive review in Seven Days for an overview.

Bird’s Eye View

It’s a sure sign that winter is waning when the warning for Town Meeting appears.

Town Meeting Sketch 1

Each year, the first Tuesday of March brings us all out of hibernation and back into the folds of community. Town Meeting Day is set aside for every municipality in Vermont to come together in order to vote on budget items, to elect local officials, and to discuss town business. It is a venerated civic tradition that has been going strong for more than 200 years, and it demonstrates democracy at its finest.

Town Meeting 2

Aside from those attributes, I love the opportunity to sit up in the balcony of our primary school gym, listening to the discussion and voting “from the floor”, while drawing a vast array of the community members sitting below. Being up high skews my perspective to some degree, but it works to my advantage as I can see a lot more than just the backs of heads.

Town Meeting 3

Unlike airports, where everyone seems to have have their neck bent and head bowed toward their phone, people at Town Meeting are engaged — paying attention to the speakers and select board, or chatting with their neighbor. Within the crowd there were quite a few knitters, children playing quietly near their parents, and a sign language interpreter. So, lots to look at and to think about in attempting to capture an image.

Town Meeting 4

The added advantage is I can happily sketch for as long as I want without calling attention to myself or making anyone feel uncomfortable or self-conscious. It’s a wonderful forum for practice; too bad it only comes around once a year.

❖

Many thanks to my good friend and fellow artist, Dianne Shullenberger, who alerted me to Sketchbook Vol. 1, an exhibition of 14 contemporary artists’ sketchbooks at Sugarlift in Long Island City, NY. The work is mind-blowing; check out the particulars here and here. You can follow-up by visiting websites or Instagram accounts to see more of each artist’s amazing work.

Just the Facts

At the end of a long day one of my favorite ways to recharge is to sit on the sofa with my sketchbook, the pooch snoring beside me, and to zone out drawing whatever is right in my line of sight on the coffee table.

There is no pre-arranging or readjusting of the clutter and, unlike most of my drawings, I don’t plan around composition (although once underway I do allow myself some selective edits). In other words, there’s no sugar coating or prettying-up of these images — they are just the facts.

The subject is pretty much always the same – a mug of tea, cup of water, or can of seltzer that I was too lazy to pour into a glass, plus whatever jumble of books and magazines happen to be sprawled out across the surface. As I’m winding down for the day, this is a relaxing chance to practice without any concern for outcome.

I inherited our coffee table from my grandmother and it has graced our many living rooms for over thirty years. Of Middle Eastern origin, it’s basically a large brass tray with “pie-crust” edges and beautiful designs and characters incised onto the surface. I can’t begin to do justice interpreting those designs but, provided they aren’t completely covered with whatever we were last reading, sometimes I try to include a bit of them, finding they can potentially add another level of interest and perspective to a drawing.

The table top sits on interlocking legs that often appear at the bottom of these sketches, an element that may seem confusing if you aren’t aware of what they are. I especially like the way they create diagonals that echo the edges of the scattered books and magazines above.

Side note: This table carries emotional history as well as being pretty and practical. When our kids were learning to walk, they would grab onto the pie-crust edges and side-step their way around the perimeter. It’s a big oval with no corners, so I never had to worry about head bumps then — or once they were fully on the move. Funny how things change. I surely had no idea at that busy time of life that it would morph into a representation of relaxation!

❖

One last and heartening note about the practice of drawing: I was really taken with Terry Gross’ Fresh Air interview with author/artist Jonathan Santlofer a couple of weeks ago. Did you hear it? The episode surrounds Santlofer’s newly published memoir The Widower’s Notebook, and the way that drawing helped him begin to cope with the sudden and completely unexpected death of his wife. His story about drawing during that time is quite moving and, for anyone who draws regularly, I think you’ll agree it rings quite true.
I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a copy.

Traveling With Your Sketchbook

I think Vermont is beautiful at all times of the year, but these past short weeks of peak fall foliage take the cake.

We had two days of upper 70’s weather last week — perfect for enjoying the colors of fall while clearing out the last of the tender veggies in order to get the garlic bed ready for planting.

Such beautiful scenery made the hour-long drive each way / each day this past weekend, to an eagerly anticipated workshop given by Susan Abbott at the Highland Center for the Arts, anything but tedious.

The Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro is a beautiful venue/resource. It’s mission is to provide “a balanced, year-round schedule of locally and nationally sourced performances, exhibitions, and events suited to serving the residents and artists of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom”. Lucky for us, you don’t have to live in the Kingdom to enjoy it.

Around a decade ago I discovered the expansiveness of the art blogosphere. Susan’s paintings/blog/sketchbooks were among several* that opened the world of drawing back up for me in a major way. I don’t attend many workshops, but when this one on Travel Sketchbooks surfaced, I was eager to sign up.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 5 x 30 inches, Ink and Watercolor on Paper. One of Susan’s tricks is to take a sheet of watercolor paper, cut it into 4 strips and then accordion fold the strip into equal sections. The result is a mini-sketchbook that is small enough to tuck into a pocket.

It was cold, windy, and rainy our first day, so rather than venturing outside, we took advantage of Ethan Hubbard’s striking black and white photographs of “Old-Time Vermonters” in the gallery of the art center as a way to practice capturing a human form quickly and concisely. Paired with Susan’s slides of Greensboro architecture, we had a taste of creating a sense of unity between a diverse images.

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day – perfect for being outside. We were warmly welcomed at the Laggis Bros. Farm by human and canine owners alike. With 500 or so Jersey cows who didn’t seem to mind our attention, plus 1500 acres of beautiful farmland vistas stretching into the distance, we had the best of all worlds at our disposal for practice.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 5 x 10 inches, Ink and Watercolor on Paper This and the sketch above are both two-panel sections of another accordion sketchbook. Each square was drawn individually, which explains why the barn to the left of the milk truck is cut off abruptly. I tried to carry some element of each panel into the next to give a sense of continuity.

It was a productive couple of days and Susan was quite generous with her wisdom.
We were immersed in the discussion and practice of contour and gestural drawing, negative space, page design, color theory and the idea of weaving a narrative throughout. All that, sprinkled with art history and plenty of examples by famous and not-so-famous sketchers to study, among friendly workshop mates, made for a fun & rewarding weekend.

*Inspiring sketch artists I discovered all those years ago whose work you may enjoy too are:

Laura Frankstone of Lauralines – look at her galleries over the years
Danny Gregory
Katherine Tyrell of Making a Mark
France Van Stone of Wagonized
Amanda Kavanagh – I’ve linked here to the sketchbook page of her website

I’m as big a sucker for baby animals as anyone. Who could resist this day-old calf, snuggled in its home-made blanket sewn by the farmer?

Copycatting

I sorely miss my group life-drawing sessions which have been on hiatus for five weeks. Figuring I didn’t have to factor in drive-time, I had high hopes for all the drawing I would accomplish during those extra hours over the break…wait, what extra hours? In fact, looking back on my recent “free” Mondays, it has become starkly obvious that the structure of a set schedule is a better formula for accomplishment in the long run — for me anyway.

Copy from Studies of Two Apostles and their Hands by Raphael (1483-1520) Hands are my greatest challenge, so that is where I need to concentrate my efforts.

I know I could make much greater leaps in my life-drawing skills if I were able to draw from a model daily for a series of weeks, rather than only once a week for however many months. Unfortunately, that option isn’t available. However, one of my fellow Monday drawing attendees reminded me that there is much to be learned by making copies of master drawings. So that is what I’ve been doing.

Copy of drawings by Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651)

Considering the garden is popping and there have been plenty of other things vying for attention during my “extra” hours, I haven’t been as diligent as I should have — or certainly to the degree I would have liked. But these images are a few examples of my stabs at practicing, thanks to the work of Raphael, Abraham Bloemaert, and Bernard-Romain Julien. Jon deMartin’s book Drawing Atelier: The Figure is another excellent resource about copying master work. Follow this link for a list of drawing references I’ve mentioned before and am glad to have in my personal library.

Copy of Head of Wounded Soldier by Bernard-Romain Julien (1802-1871)

For another testimonial on the benefits of copying, read this wonderful blog post by Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist.

Drawing Life

It’s hard to put into words how much I enjoy my life drawing sessions each week, and how much I gain from them. For four hours everything else melts away (except for the background music and minimal chatter) and it’s easy to get lost in the moment and to think solely in graphic terms. I count drawing as one of the most satisfying forms of meditation there is. That doesn’t mean to say there isn’t frustration involved, but the lessons learned make every line, however searching, well worth it.

These thoughts from Roy Eastland’s blog , ‘I Draw’, capture the magic beautifully:

They are drawings of people and that’s all they are. They are drawings done for drawing’s sake (drawing as a way of thinking about drawing). They are drawings of people who were still (or fairly still) for maybe ten or twenty minutes. They are drawings of people but drawings of people are never just hand-made pictures of people. Drawings trace moments in time. Hand-drawn lines take time and the moment of their making is subtly replayed each time someone spends time to notice them. There are heavy lines, sharp lines, long lines, feathery lines… the variety is endless and each of them implies the presence of a thought. We change our minds as we draw and our lines capture those moments of change. We look and we notice something and we try to track the gist of it on the paper. The time taken to draw even the shortest line is there to see in its entirety all at once (like seeing a tiny life-span played out on the page). We pay attention to the simple presence of things whenever we draw. The drawing is always wrong. We look again and we make another line. Each time it is wrong in a different way but sometimes the mark is good in spite of its wrongness. Sometimes the line feels true or it does something interesting (something we couldn’t have predicted but which is more interesting than anything we could have predicted). It’s enough that just a small part of a drawing is interesting for it to feel good. As we make our mark we are bringing into play all our momentary perceptions, all our skill and memories of all the other drawings we have ever seen. Eventually the time is up and the pose ends and all that remains of the moment, and of the protagonists, is the drawing. One day the drawing will be the only thing left of that moment. Perhaps we make ghosts when we draw.

In Praise of Brevity

One of the side benefits of writing these weekly posts has been gaining a more thorough appreciation for and understanding of the art of editing, not just in writing but across the board.

Jonathan Shahn, Seated Figure, 1978, pencil on paper, 17 x 14 inches The emotion in this fluent drawing by sculptor Jonathan Shahn thrums with a quiet strength.

What I’m learning through regular writing, and now in my life drawing sessions, is what a steep hill there is to climb in figuring out how to get the full measure of a message across while trying to remain concise. I have a hearty respect for those who seem to have a talent, whether innate or through hard work, for distilling their thoughts into neatly succinct points, granting us access to a deep well of ideas with a minimum of lines, either written or drawn.

The art of haiku skewers the heart of a universal idea or feeling with such accuracy that one might consider it something of a miracle in a handful of syllables.

The snow is melting
and the village is flooded
with children
~Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827)

I’m sure it won’t surprise you that I was thinking about and inspired by Shahn’s and Issa’s editorial abilities as I drew this week.

On Another Note__________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are near to central Vermont, treat yourself to a visit to Studio Place Arts in Barre to see the current shows. In the main floor gallery Pleased to Meet You! is a wonderful mixture of works that bring fantastical, imaginative creatures to life while providing a welcome break from reality. Hannah Morris’ The Feast of Fools, collaged paintings and soft sculptures in the Third Floor gallery, “explore the intersection of the sublime, the absurd, and the mundane in recognizable moments and places”.
Both exhibits run from March 27 – May 12, 2018.

I walked away from my afternoon visit at SPA uplifted by how successfully it models the best of what a community art space can be: galleries, studios with accessible artists, and an executive director who actively engages and educates visitors without being intrusive. If you can, go see for yourself.

Figuring It Out

If there’s one thing that stands out as “best decision of 2018, so far”, it would have to be joining the life drawing group I’ve been attending on Mondays. It’s exciting and humbling and one of best the learning experiences I’ve had in a long time.

John 1

If I can remember, I like to take photos of my progress during our breaks. Doing so is a great learning tool for looking back later to see how the drawing progressed, and when it may have veered off beyond the point of no return.

John 2

A not-altogether-unexpected perk is that it’s an excuse to buy new art supplies. I spent a silly amount of time in the pencil aisle at Dick Blick when were were in San Francisco last month, and a couple of weeks ago decided to treat myself to a lightweight travel easel. There is a world of difference between having my board upright and stationery, and propping it against a chair with my knees! John 3

The model holds only one pose per full session, but the sittings are in 20 minute increments with 5 minute breaks in between. John was especially good. He had a remarkable memory for getting back into position and kindly offered an extra five minutes each time the timer went off in case anyone needed to finish what they were working on.

He brought all sorts of woodsman-like props, and even offered to bring his chainsaw in from his car if we wished! Could it get any better?

❖

Katherine Tyrrell of Making a Mark is developing a page on the Art Business Info for Artists section of her blog that will hopefully become a series of interviews with professional artists about the reality of their working lives. The debut post with Catherine Ingleby covers some worthwhile ground. I was especially interested in the section on how Ingleby allocates her time. Something else may resonate with you.

Sweet Dreams, Squirrel TV, & a Sneak Peak

The only souvenir I brought back from our recent trip was a small book purchased in the SF Moma bookstore. Angus Hyland and Kendra Wilson’s The Book of the Dog – Dogs in Art is a charming little collection of dog paintings that span from the 18th century to the present. As the authors note in their introduction, “the undying love of a dog is of course requited on these pages”, which is surely what snagged my attention in the first place. It’s not an exhaustive survey, but rather an eclectic collection of engaging pieces that celebrate the dog/human relationship and the ways that bond irrefutably changes us both. The artwork within is relatable without being sentimental.

Book of the Dog

When I think of my own trusty models, it is certainly true that the amount I have learned from our 3 beloved pooches, as they’ve patiently let me draw them over and over, is immeasurable.

Rather than writing at length this week, I spent most of my blogging time drawing.

©2018 Elizabeth Fram Our windows are Quinn’s TV. The squirrel channel is on at all hours. Many times I have but a fleeting moment to try to capture a quick outline before she dashes off to another window. You can see the ghost beginning of an abandoned sketch in the upper left corner of this one..

©2018 Elizabeth Fram It wouldn’t tell the full story if I only showed finished images. I have plenty of interrupted sketches that record my stops and starts as Quinn moves. For instance, she wasn’t holding her paw at this unnatural angle, I just had to abandon her head when she readjusted, opting to capture her foot instead.

Drawing Threads… Sneak Peak _______________________________________________________________________

I’ve reached the stage of pulling together all the various loose ends in anticipation of my upcoming show Drawing Threads: Conversations Between Line & Stitch. As I approach the finish line, one of my “icing on the cake” projects is figuring out how best to group the textile pieces with the drawings so that the conversation between them is apparent. This photo shows just a fraction of the work; our long hallway is great for this job.

Amuse-bouche…

The show will be on view at the Emile A. Gruppe Gallery from March 22 – May 6, 2018, with an opening reception on Sunday, March 25 from 2-4pm. Please join us!
Regular gallery hours are Thursday – Sunday, 10am – 3pm, or by appointment: 802.899.3211

Drawing Threads