Plein air painting and a plein air portrait

It's the beginning of November and since we've had a few really nice days I was able to continue drawing with my group outside. This will most likely be the final one. The landscape was done as part of a group of painters on a Sunday afternoon in the sculpture park in Skokie, IL. I did not include any of the sculptures (maybe I was supposed to?) and focused on a group of pine trees with the changing colors of the leaves behind them. The painting os an 8 X 10" on linen mounted on a panel.

Finally got it right

I actually did this pastel painting a few years ago. It has been in several shows, but I have never been happy about the one horse in the middle. When my son was little we took him to Green Meadows petting farm in Waterford, Wisconsin. Off to the side was this area for the horses. I snapped a picture and later began making this pastel. Despite the fact that I felt it was drawn well, that one horse never looked quite right. So it sat for a long time in the studio. A week ago I picked up a book I have on the art of James Reynolds. Going through I was looking for his handling of a horse in as similar a pose to mine. I foung several and chose one that I thought looked very close. Erasing some of the drawing of the legs so I could lay down new color, I changed the color a bit and redrew the legs in a better position. Never mind the original picture. I think it looks much better, added a few other things in the background and horses and foreground and it's done. Some paintings take quite a while to finish.

More charcoal drawings, outside while it's still nice

While it is still nice we are meeting outside to draw. Drawing each other from the group. Still above 55 degrees so it's manageable. Both were done with charcoal pencil on charcoal paper in about 45 minutes each.

Charcoal drawing this Fall

Mimi is the leader of our drawing group. The finished sketch is Mimi and the unfinished sketch --- could be her as well, not sure. Anyway they were both done in charcoal on charcoal paper.

Finally....success

Several times I have tried to capture Helen in a drawing. She is one of the people that I have a drawing class with. Despite those other times I was not happy with the result. This time I captured her and even got her approval. The other two drawings are Elizabeth, also in the drawing group and Elizabeth's shoe. After drawing everyone it can get a little tiresome, so now we are branching out into doing a shoe. All done with a charcoal pencil on charcoal paper.

Back with the drawing group

Since our group is still not allowed into the building we have been meeting outside in the larger park area under the gazebo. I have two portraits done over the last two weeks of guys who are just sitting drawing. These were done on small sheets of 140 pound watercolor paper.

Drawings done before the virus interrupted everyone

So, just before the interruption in everyone's life I was doing some of my best work ever in the life drawing class. These were all done with charcoal on charcoal paper. I have taken to mounting some of these for display later in the class I am supposed to teach coming in September --- hopefully it takes place and the virus is gone.

Recent watercolor portraits

While the virus thing is going around, I have taken to doing some copies of Rembrandt and Sargent. However the other W/C was done over a ZOOM meeting with a live model. About 50 other people were painting this model. I thought it wa sone of my best, considering I practiced first on Rembrandt and John Singer Sargent. They were all done on Arches cold press paper.

Sept. 14

This week again I was using hot press watercolor paper. Not my favorite, but giving it a good shot. The figure and color portrait were both watercolor, the other two were charcoal pencil on newsprint. If they turn out this well, I should be using charcoal paper.

Back at the drawing class

It's Fall again and the Summer Camp for kids is over at the Skokie Devonshire Center and that means our drawing group meets again. The model is Ken and I used my usual charcoal pencils on newsprint. This time I wanted to experiment with hot press paper doing my watercolors. I bought Hahnemuhl paper this time. The smooth surface wants to let the watercolor pool and run which I don't like in the upright position, so I had to hand hold the paper at a lower angle. The surface is less absorbent and thus the pooling. Anyway, I worked around it. If ever there was anything I was meant to do, it's painting or drawing portraits....so, very happpy to be back at it.

Works from the drawing group....done for the summer

The Saturday drawing group of the Skokie Art Guild has to make way for the children's Summer camp. At the final meeting we had the model, Megan. The two watercolors were done on Arches rough paper, single sheet. The charcoals were just done on newsprint. Megan took a pose that did not seem anything I would like to either paint or draw (although I certainly could have), so I chose instead to draw Eugene. I did him in about 10-15 minutes because he left early and hasn't seen this. It's another of my ambush portraits. The other works were all done in 25 minutes. So, off this for the Summer and probably on to do some plein air painting.

Deja vu on the Brassown Road

These are two watercolors done a week apart. These were done plein air. Not sure why I chose to do the same view, maybe the challenge of doing all the trees. Anyhow, I sat out in the sun, put up with a lawn mower and wood chipper while I was painting....luckily no bugs. These are both watercolor but two different sizes. The view is the parking lot at the John C. Campbell Folk School looking down the Brasstown Road. My favorite was the first one.

Portrait and figure work, May, 2019

These were all done at my drawing class. The first is a charcoal portrait done in 15 minutes and the others are all watercolor done in 25 minutes.

Watercolors done at the Campbell Folk School

As usual we went to the Jon C. Campbell Folk School in April. I was there two weeks in art classes and was able to get out and do some plein air painting with my watercolors. The garden at the school was still being planted and was still covered from the cold. The garden painting was done in about two hours. The Rooster at the garden I did standing with my palette and paper in one hand and the brush in the other with my water can at my feet. One of the gardeners threw some treats into the chicken pen to keep him there, but of course he never took the same pose as the one I began with. So it was a matter of just taking information into memory and then working out the rest by looking at color.

Watercolor portraits

These two were done in about 25 minutes at the Saturday drawing class. Done on Arches cold press paper. And, yes, that guy's cheekbones are really that red. He is an umpire at high school football games and probably spends a lot of time in the sun.

Saturday's latest drawings

Latest charcoal drawings from the Saturday life drawing class. Three with the model, Lulu and three with Meg. One of Meg is very light --- I did a pretty large rendering, but only had 15 minutes.