Category: Drawings

Daily Sketch #19: Pointe Du Hoc

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Got behind with posting, so playing catch-up for a couple days and the memory on some of the details are hazy.

This is the Normandy coast, from Pointe Du Hoc looking east. It’s a very moving place. If the sheer historical value of the place doesn’t grab you, the pill boxes and pockmarked landscape of D-Day bombs will. Words cannot express my gratitude and respect for the actions and bravery delivered by the Allies in this part of the world. An unfortunate time with a fortunate outcome.

As for the sketch, its lacking. I’m not sure how to sketch the cliffs, but I know part of the problem is too much detail and trying to be to realistic with the textures of the rocks. I’ll get it right at some point, but today wasn’t the day.

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Daily Sketch #18: Ahoy Matey!

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Today’s sketch is courtesy of a French harbor. There was another boat alongside this one, but I took it out to reduce complexity and time. Curves on the boat were fun and the shading of the mast was essential in giving it the right shape.

All the stuff in the background is made up. Wanted to give the sketch some better context and these were easy things to add quickly.

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Daily Sketch #17: Who the hell is that guy?

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The problem with committing to 30 consecutive daily sketches is that sooner or later you’re going to run into a truckload of bad. Today, I got run over.

This isn’t a self-conscience thing, although deep down I’m sure there’s some of that, but rather it was just an off night. Or the fact that I’ve only done one portrait in the past, and it looked a lot better than this one. It was also done over the course of 3 hours, not 35 minutes. Enough with the excuses. I present to the viewing public “self portrait”.

I can honestly say that while this looks nothing like me, once again I learned a lot in a short time thanks to the rigors of daily sketch. Proportional sketching when it comes to still life and landscapes can be a lot more forgiving than drawing a face. The slightest swerve to the left, right, up or down and something won’t look right. It’s a very unforgiving endeavor. I did enjoy the process of getting the parts about right, but just not the proper positioning. In the end, the Mr Potato Head result is not something to frame, but it will be a fun one to revisit with more time to spare and see what kind of result can be had.

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Daily Sketch #16: Alaskan Ice

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Today’s sketch is an Alaskan Glacier. The actual photo has these brilliant aqua blue colors against the white snow. But it also has this very carved and complex blocks of shading throughout, which makes a sketch very challenging. Also a good test on perspective and how to give the impression of distance without using any real clear reference point in the sketch. Hoping you get the sense of sheer size of the glacial wall.

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Daily Sketch #15: Squeeze Me

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Bit off more than I could chew this time. With another hour or two I can probably get this paint tube more complete, but given the self-imposed daily sketch limitations, I chose to concentrate on the ends, which had the most interest.

This is a large tube of oil paint (ultramarine blue for the curious), which looks like it’s been through a torture chamber. I’ve cursed this tube many times because the top often gets stuck and I have to use pliers to grip the lid to turn it off. You painters out there know exactly what I’m talking about! This causes the body of the tube to twist into some pretty cool ropy shapes. Because the tube material is similar to a toothpaste tube, it’ doesn’t show shadows as easily as fabric. I didn’t think about this before starting this sketch. It’s like painting twisted metal fabric, or something like that. I tried to imagine what the shading should look like b/c it was very hard to see on the live object itself, and once I did that, I made some progress.

Ironically, this composition would definitely be easier in oil.

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