Figure Drawing

Yesterday I attended my first figure drawing session (as an artist instead of a model) in over a year, possibly two. I felt rusty and was pretty hard on myself for a few moments, but had to bear in mind that my purpose in attending these sessions is practice, not the completion of a finished work of art. Looking at the drawings now, I’m not offended by them, and have even befriended a couple.

I’m going to try to make a habit of going every Saturday, as it is a free session.

Two-minute poses:

10-minute poses:

I attempted three different media before settling on the orange pencil... and by then the pose was nearly up

At this point I was a little frustrated and began to play

The final pose lasted 45 minutes:

I brought a lot of different pencils with me, even some charcoal, which I started to use and then erased. My sketch pad is 11×14, which I found is really not big enough to use “fuzzy” implements on. My standard 6B, HB, and other art-type pencils were a frustration, as I have become accustomed to using regular technical pencils of the sort one writes with, with the smaller lead. The lines are so smooth and accurate… I realized this in time for the last drawing, which was a 45-minute pose.

The other pencils are great for larger paper, but 11×14 really isn’t as big as it may at first appear. Not much room to swing the arm.

If you look at these drawings, you can see how much importance I place on contours. Most have a very “outlined” feel. Particularly in the second and fourth 10-minute poses, you can see where this causes trouble for me: instead of casting lines within the drawing to determine where the contour should fall, I’ve eyed the contour, too large at first, and had to adjust the line inward, resulting in a very belabored-looking outline.

You can see a few internal lines on the second two-minute pose; even at that speed, you can establish some accuracy by throwing down some internal structure. (I also tend to draw internal lines lighter, so they are easier to erase; this is habit more than reason.)

Read Full Post »

Am I lucky again, yet?

Mirrors, oil on canvas, 24x24

I took the bus! All the college kids were huddled inside like little birds with feathers puffed up against the cold, and I, the cuckoo, pretended to be one of them and was welcomed in the bus-nest. They think I am young, like them. Just today it was remarked that I couldn’t be a day over 16.

I modeled for a wonderful artist today, who I am very glad to know. Her studio is painted in gorgeous colors and filled with beautiful large-scale paintings, the lighting is just right, she burns a lovely blend of incense, and all the music she plays is spot-on. I don’t know if it’s because artists are good at choosing music or because while I’m modeling, tuning out other stimuli, looking at one spot and focusing on staying still, I’m more receptive to what I hear. Probably both.

When I got home my landlord came by, and asked me if he could borrow a painting to show his wife. She aparently was a gallery owner at one time, and has a friend who is an artist selling paintings in the $5000 range (wow!), as well as other contacts. It was really nice of him to offer, and on instinct I loaned him my big red angels painting (Mirrors). I have a bare spot on my wall right now, but this is an interesting opportunity. I wonder if my work will find favor?

I’ve decided not to worry about trying to become a successful fine artist, because there are too many variables involved as the decision of what art to show is a matter of taste, and it isn’t my taste that counts. I just don’t feel like the things that I want to control are in my control- namely, a guarantee of even the opportunity (venues) to make a sustainable income.

If anything does come of today’s art loan, it will be a happy surprise indeed. However, I am still focused on my plan to go into graphic design, and get a steady and well-paid (compared to what I’ve had) job doing something I’m good at. I will just have to invest time in my own art on the side; that doesn’t sound so bad to me, as the pressure of making my own art into a full-time living is not something I have learned how to handle, despite years of trying to do just that. I always felt lucky when a painting sold; on top of my arranging to show my work, the right person had to be in the right place at the right time. It has always been a matter of doing my part and seeing what happens. Let’s stop with the musings and leave it at that, because I now need to finish a large painting to fill up the wall space.

Read Full Post »

Family Visits, and The Art of Getting By

"Bootstraps" about 7" not quite square, marker on bristol, copyright 2008 Georgia Papadakis

Something about seeing my family again makes everything alright. I suppose that, no matter how determined I am to be independent and make my own way, I will always view my mom as a role model, and value her practical advice. The fact that she supports me in taking the risks I am taking, instead of underlining my fears and being afraid for me, is reassuring. She isn’t worried about my chances.
And I’m doing alright, after all.
Dad is learning Russian and we were able to exchange a few words; hopefully by Christmas I can say more, as he’s currently ahead of me. He turned 70 this year.
My sister took me out to a drag show and we danced a little bit. A young man walked up and asked us both if he could dance with us and when we said yes he just stood there expectantly; I let T deal with him and continued dancing. I am lucky to have a gregarious sister who delights in meeting new people, and knows how to politely redirect them if necessary. As for myself, I don’t like interruptions in my groove.

My situation now is that I’m working from home as an editor on temporary assignment for the next month or so. I have also started modeling at a local school, and have three appointments this week; perhaps it will pick up from there. The plan was to find a way to subside until starting school for Graphic Design. This was meant to occur in January, however, I learned that residency is established at 6 months, and would cut tuition by more than half. When the semester starts, I will have lived in Ann Arbor for five and a half months, but I was told there is no flexibility in granting residency; therefore, I’ll be starting May 8th. That leaves me to come up with five months’ living expenses.

My parents have offered to pay my living expenses while I’m in school, though I agreed to look for part-time work as well. I had been counting on that when I left my full-time job and started paying bills with my credit card– I would need to borrow enough for four months’ living expenses at the very most. Happily, I did, after a month, find work of a different sort.

Before, I’ve done such things and not worried about the outcome. My plan may not be minutely detailed, but it was a plan– like when I bought the house, knowing I could sell it later because of the regentrification of the neighborhood and the sound condition of the house compared to other houses on the street, which although charming were in need of costly updates. Selling it was a nightmare, but it worked. I don’t say it wasn’t a mistake to buy the house, but it was my decision, and my experience, and I feel it was worth it for some unqualifiable reason.
The credit card loan was another such plan. I planned my expenses for four months, then took out a credit card requesting that as the limit. I received it with 0% interest for six months. I figured that if people could take out exorbitant student loans and live tens of thousands of dollars in debt, then I could live with a considerably smaller debt. I was very careful about my purchases; if it occured to me that I needed something, I asked myself whether I could not make do with something already on hand. I worked on my Etsy site and my art and jewelry, and sent out feelers for other types of work. However the editing job was pure luck, or rather, I got it the way most good jobs are got- I knew someone who knew someone in the company. It was my sister who contacted me.

The crux of this plan is that the schooling will pay off and I will be able to pay my debts, to parents and creditors both. But, what if it doesn’t? My mom thinks it’s a sound investment, regardless of whether I find a job right away. This is good because It’s one thing for me to have fleeting worries, but it’s her money after all. My mom is the standard by which I guage feasibility. If she says it can be done, I am satisfied that it can. So it means I am going to be a graphic designer after all, and I should be able to enjoy it without the traditional regrets, having already tried life as a starving artist. I am looking forward to school, and to the future; how much more enjoyable that makes the now.

Read Full Post »