Here’s another installment from my January “draw-a-day” self-imposed challenge. While I didn’t draw every single day, I came pretty close. Most of what I did was practice for new paintings, which, as I’ve mentioned previously, can be immensely helpful in determining not only how to approach a new composition, but even if you want to do it in the first place!
FRENCH CAFÉ is a sketch intended to inform a painting I just started. After having done an initial block-in on the canvas I realized this was going to need further consideration before moving forward. This sketch is that “further consideration”, allowing me to do a handful of things before returning to the canvas.
For the curious, following is how this sketch will help the painting:
- People: arrangement, sizing/scale, and simplification. The last point, simplification, is a by-product of drawing whereby one has to convey the essence of the figures purely through shapes, whereas the painted version will also leverage colors.
- Focal point: The sketch taught me that I’m lacking a focal point, so the painting will need to do a better job of focusing on a particular grouping of people at the tables. In this sketch, it’s not clear where the viewer should concentrate.
- Details: Between the umbrellas, windows, people, and trees, there’s a lot going on. It will be important to exclude some elements in the painting to make it effective, and more enjoyable to paint. The vines growing up the walls will get 86-ed, as will some of the ground floor windows and doors.
- Values: There will need to be very high contrast of values between the shaded people and those areas that are in direct sunlight. You can tell that this sketch, while effective in many ways, really looks flat with the exception of the overhanging trees at the top. This is where I made a point to do high contrast in light and darks, adding a 6B pencil to the mix.
Stay tuned for the actual painting, which will be a challenge, albeit a well informed one thanks to this sketching exercise.
#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #stilllife #drawing #graphite #frenchcafe #sketch #umbrellas
Art Bern 
Nice job, Bern ! I especially like the upstairs windows and the postures of the people at the tables, presumably chatting to each other with their lattes at hand. Look forward to the painting-to-be.
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Thank you! I started applying lessons learned from this sketch to the painting in-progress last night. Already an improvement.
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Okay, my dear nephew, you’ve done it again!! Judy has spent a lot more time wandering around in France than I have, but this sketch clearly has memories of even the little bit I’ve seen. When your trip is a cruise, you see a lot of ocean and not much inland from the ports, and neither Reggie nor I would qualify as a Francophile. However, from wherever in France your imagination has sprung, THIS IS FRANCE!!!
If you absolutely have to remove some elements, I suggest you stop the drawing where the two buildings join. Even the fifth table wouldn’t be missed. What you should absolutely NOT lose is the foliage above the umbrellas. Is whatever there is flowering? It occurs to me that flowers might take too much focus away from the diners, but several lovely shades of green would contrast nicely with the colors of the patrons and the buildings.
Anyhow, consider yourself hugged and shed upon.
Love,
m
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Haha! Many thanks for the kind words… and opinions about the vines and foliage. I’ll give it a go with the vines included when I do the painting. Stay tuned…
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