Merry Christmas!

Here is a set that I am pretty happy with, done while walking around. Now there's an endeavor filled with challenge and reward; drawing while walking - in Las Vegas no less! First time seemed to work out well.

Don't worry though, I am doing more than just drawing. I am filling the days and nights with the normal Vegas stuff, you know - eating, seeing shows, walking on the strip, and, oh, losing money. Plus, funny people in orange tee-shirts keep trying to give little picture cards. What's up with that?

About losing money, it is not quite that actually - it's more like "giving back" winnings from earlier in the trip.

Like I say though, life is good! Merry Christmas!

Doesn't Everyone Draw when in Las Vegas?

I decided to break out my sketchbook during a room tour of the new Cosmopolitan Hotel/Casino. A super place! Mr. Cosmopolitan (if there is such a guy) must be mad at me though, because yesterday, I turned $50 into $302 at one of his Top Dollar slot machines.

Of the six drawings I did, I'd assess five as "acceptable/nice", and one as "horrifying." That's the mixed blessing of working in pen - no erasing, your drawing just "is what it is" - but you do get a nice clean, non-smudgy line.

Since I am using this blog to track my progress I decided not to crop the bad one out, as that would be cheating.

(By the way, just so as we are on the same page, the horrifying one is the right-most on the bottom image - I am hoping you agree with me - if you don't, it means some of the others are MUCH worse than I thought)

Rainy Day Drawings

More living, more drawings; results from two days ago (top), and from today (bottom).

A great outcome of drawing and posting regularly is that it is improving my ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses in my approach to drawing. For example, in general my profile views seem more natural and appealing than my straight ahead sketches. To me, the drawing on the right side of the lower page is not so accomplished. I think it is just that I have not mastered the landmarks of the face viewed head on.

A better result, head on, is on the right side of the top page. Here a vocabulary of "symbols" is emerging that represent shorthand for capture the facial features and expression of the subject.

My favorite of these two pages is the middle drawing on the lower page. A profile, but I think the lines are simple, clean and effective, and they combine to capture a good likeness; overall, a nice sketch.

Saturday Street Scenes

Some drawings done Saturday, outdoors.

In the second of these two drawings, the one on the bottom, I learned something that helped me catch both the likeness and the energy of the subject.

On evaluating the subject I chose the single most distinctive aspect, and I would draw that very loosely and expressively. Then I would fill in the supporting details. If nothing else, I felt, after the fact that, oh yeah, that's the guy with the mustache, or with the big smile. These things helped me enjoy what I considered a successful drawing session.

Thursday Morning showing Wednesday Drawings

I am posting this one because I learned something from it; the adage is true, less is more.

I wish I would have left this one alone sooner than I did. It became cluttered as I added more sketches. Somehow I felt like I was conserving paper, but it was counterproductive here. Drawings on the upper right side were shaping up nicely, then I kept going, which detracted.

What I learned is that even in quick sketches composition is still important. This work needed more "negative space" to allow the good drawings to shine!

Drawings in the Morning

Michael Jay LaRue

Day One, Post One of my Art Blog!

First came the stewing, followed by contemplation, and procrastination, then a leap; the first entry in my art blog!

I've been drawing, seemingly forever, but recently a fellow artist* encouraged me to start a blog dedicated to the development and display of my art.

Having made a pledge to make this happen, by the end of this year, I made today the day!

Just to establish a benchmark, here is a very recent page in my sketchbook...

* thanks to Kimberly for the encouragement; see her art blog here -->  LePardine