I have never been one to fully embrace a sketch book. Sure, if there is a blank pice of paper around, a margin in a book, a napkin, etc I am always sketching. The idea though of collecting and keeping it in a book, or solely using one book has always alluded me. I have a leather folio and poly’d masonite (8.5x11) that I keep with all sorts of paper that I use for drawing around. It’s nice to have variety, but mostly those sketches end up in the trash. If I find a unique thought or composition, I’ll tuck that away but mundane everyday sketches I just can’t stand to have around. Can’t stand the sight of them and honestly I am pretty good at pulling the information I was after, at the time of sketching, out of that moment. Being well aware I could learn new things from old sketches, every now and then I try to start a “proper sketchbook” and fail. It will always be a continuous battle, but here I am, perhaps foolishly, trying again. I figure I might be less inclined to flambeau a book. Although I’ve done it before. I figure if I fill a page a day and post it, maybe the group pressure might be enough to create a new habit. So, here it is, my permission to unapologetically be brutal in my inability to see it through. O’ ogre of Waichulis do not spare the wit and behemoth beatdowns, fellow members attack and never relent should my pencil falter, and to all those who choose to follow and berate, I will try mightily to create drawings and pieces that will minimally induce nausea from their horrid appearance.
Seriously, hyperbole aside. Come at me bro!
This will be a never ending post. I will post each page in the reply and if I am doing it right, I hope, each the newer stuff should be at the end. I think.
So, currently working through a bit of study that started with a trip to PAFA. Had to take my father to the ER and was sent away due to very long stay. So I figured since I was in town, time to stop by old stomping grounds. Having looked upon this piece I figured I would take some time to break it down. Some notes, some sketches, and now making color swatches for the sketchbook and a quick color study. Sketchbook pages to follow and since I found this so informative, I figured I would share.
Beautiful palette of color that Daniel Ridgeway- Knight used!! The use of the greyed colors is so indicative of fall/ winter, and your posting really brings this out. Thanks for posting, I just love this painting!!
The amazing part about doing these color breakdowns, not unlike working in color charts, is how educational it is. The artist learns so much! Not only are all of the colors highly neutralized but the value ranges are so tight. Then throw in the relationships of one hue to the next and appearances often are misleading. For example, the light area in the water is darker than one of the darkest patches in the clouds. In person, it doesn’t look this way at all. As I sat there, I kept saying to myself how much lighter the water looks than the average of the sky. However, strictly from a perspective of painting by principle I know that just couldn’t be. So I squinted and behold it was just the slightest difference. This was the catalyst for pulling this and another piece by William Trost Richards apart and studying the swatches.
Thanks for the kind words and feel free to wander into the light once in awhile and share a page or two. Perhaps it’s time I actually post a page?
I keep a sketchbook in my front room on a table at all times, mainly as a reminder that I need to draw as much as possible, so now and again if I pick it up and see the date on the last sketch I did was too long ago, it fires me up to raise my game and make more of an effort to find the time. I don’t carry it around with me or anything though, there’s never enough time for that. Will be checking up on your posts and making sure there’s no slacking!
