Sunday, July 4, 2010

Ordinary Objects...

Well, I take it all back. Pencil sketches can be masterpieces. At the Vancouver Art Gallery on Thursday I saw an exhibit of the most wonderful pencil, charcoal, pastel and conte crayon drawings done by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Seurat, Redon, and so many more of the Impressionist painters. I was gobsmacked at the simplicity and beauty of them, particularly the charcoal sketches. I have never worked in charcoal before, so I bought myself some pencils, and decided to give it a try. I did a little video of the work in progress:



And here is the finished product, which is embarrassingly bad, but I learned a lot of things as I went along, one of which is "less is more".  Too much charcoal is not necessarily better than not enough...  But, it's a start, and it's a lot of fun.  Just don't expect to see my work on the wall of an art gallery any time soon.

23 comments:

Paul C said...

Nothing more delightful than charcoal and shading. Well done.

HAPPY IN NEVADA said...

I love drawing with pencils too. If you want to see some beautiful work, Google Linda Huber Imaginee is the name she uses on her art blog and web-site. Her drawings are so life-like, you'll catch your breath!

She's sent me some of her prints - wish I could afford an original, but the prints are beautiful.

Have fun. Diane

Sam Liu said...

I have always found the egg timer a rather fascinating muse, so this was a real delight to read and watch. And I rather like your drawing, Jo, I think it has a wonderful charm to it :)

DJan said...

I think it's great, and that you did a fabulous job with your sketch!! And even though you don't celebrate the Fourth up there, you still have a 4th of July, so happy fourth anyway!

Indian Pundit said...

Hi Jo

Very well done Jo.
i used to draw Pencil sketches in school.

Take Care

Owen said...

Go for it Jo, a voyage of a thousand miles begins with a single step... da Vinci's sketchbooks are beautiful too...

susie said...

I think it's great that you tried a different medium. You sketch is good, and it certainly doesn't exhibit all the smudges and smears that I get when I try using charcoal.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

It's simply lovely! You are far too modest. I love charcoal drawings - they are so simple and yet so lush at the same time.

Cloudia said...

you have a gift!







Aloha from Waikiki

Comfort Spiral

Donna B. said...

Hi Jo...Sam put it best, I agree, your drawing has a very special charm. Time is so elusive when you work as hard as you do...it is your interpretation. Each piece of art we complete, we learn and improve. I really like it and it excellent considering you never used charcoal before! You DO have many gifts and talents!

Firefly the Travel Guy said...

I will stick to photography cause my art skills are on par with that of my 8 year old.

Pauline said...

how cool that you saw, were inspired and then tried it out yourself!

Charles Gramlich said...

I'm often amazed at how talented artists can create with almost any medium. I love pencil sketchs myself. Lana does them at times.

A.M. said...

This is one of the many things I admire about you. I love your paintings, and hopefully one day you can leave your job and sell them. :o)

Katy said...

I love seeing charcoal sketches, even if I can't draw. At times I think the process of art is more fascinating than the product.

Anonymous said...

I love all the sketches you post of your own work. Thanks for stopping by my blog the other day, I do so enjoy reading your blog, even if I don't always get the chance to comment. :)

Smalltown RN said...

Jo....I don't know I would say that is prett darn great....I was looking at your drawings on your sidebar....I remember when you did the apple and the glove...I am so glad you are displaying these...it's wonderful and you should celebrate your creativity and ability to draw...so many of us wish we had that talent....consider youself blessed.

Malinda said...

Thanks for sharing some of the process. Very interesting to watch. I also like hearing your voice. Makes it so much more personal.

Alicia said...

You need to do videos of you painting more often. I love to watch those tv programs where they show you step by step how to paint or draw. It's amazing how you can put on canvas what you see in your head. I know I can't do that!

Paula Slade said...

Nicely done Jo - loved the video too! I also enjoy pencil and charcoal sketching - I find it to be a quick creative fix when I don't have time to devote to painting.

Lana said...

I think it is great. I couldn't draw that if I traced it. Linda is the one who got the artistic talent in our twin pool.

Alice Thomas said...
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