A Bit of This and That

It's been a hodge podge of activity here with my little darlin' still sick (she has pneumonia, but I'm certain she's on the mend with the new super-duper radioactive type antibiotic they put her on today.) At any rate, I thought I'd post the charcoal drawing I did this weekend of my eldest. She was lounging on the couch as I drew and let me tell you, this was Hard! First, she was all slouch-y, so it was difficult to get clear body lines. This was exacerbated by the dark clothing she was wearing. As a result I made harder outlines to delineate spaces, but I don't think I like the way this looks as much as the more "scattered" appearance of the drawing I did in class. I also now understand why it's important to start with nudes: you need to see defined lines to learn how to draw anatomy and pose / stance. The ripples and wrinkles in clothing are things I'm going to have to leave for later. So are faces -- I couldn't handle it, so I left hers blank. She's also a blonde and I didn't have a clue as to how to represent that on the page. Whew -- There's lots to learn!


Oh, and the opening reception for the exhibit, Made in New York, was last night. I wasn't able to attend, but I'm hoping that I'll have a chance to drop by while the show is hanging. The exhibit is being held at the Williams Club until November 14th and my piece, "Departure", is a part of the show. One of Norma Schlager's pieces was also accepted. She does incredible work and I'm honored to be included in an exhibit that she's in as well.


And finally, I'd love to have your thoughts. Here's a picture I took on vacation. I've had differing reactions to it and I'd like to know what you think. I'm curious to know if you think the bird in the picture is an asset or a distraction. Let me know! What else do you think?

Comments

Norma Schlager said…
First of all I'm so glad that they found out what is wrong with your little one. At least now they can treat her for it. It makes you wonder though, how did she get pneumonia? Hopefully she'll be on the mend soon.
Thank you for your kind mention of me. I am also flattered to be in the same show as your are. Your piece is wonderful!
I admire your drawing of your daughter. That is something that I am sooo bad at.
I'm not sure about the picture. The bird being so dark does dominate the picture and detract from the deer. But it depends on what you are striving for.
Beena said…
Sorry about your poor darlin"! I hope she feels better soon, and the antibiotic does the trick.

I really like your drawing. It looks great! I like it better than the more "scattered" appearance of the others. It is much more definitive!

I like the picture on the bottom, but I think the bird makes it feel unbalanced. If you plan on using this for a drawing or a quilt, I would add another bird somewhere else to give your piece balance.
Cindy said…
Hey Vivien,
I really like "Departure," seems like a little different style for you but it works very well and is a very strong piece. Congrats on getting it in the show!
I know what you mean about the sketching, but like everything else, it just takes practice, and the more you do it, the better you'll get and happier with the results.
My oldest had pneumonia a few years ago and it also took a long time for the antibiotics to work. She ended up using a nebulizer which helped greatly. Hopefully those new powerhouse drugs will work soon.
I'm not sure about the photo either. I kind of like the motion and interest and dark contrast of the bird compared to all the fuzzy grayness of the rest of the photo. Maybe there are two separate ideas here... put the bird in a different piece?
Thanks for your comments on my blog... it's nice to hear from someone once in a while!
my croft said…
I don't know if you'll see this since I'm making my blogs rounds kind of late (and Stella is "helping" me type -- how did I ever manage without her?) -- but I really like the bird-and-deer photo. I think Cindy is on to something with the "two ideas" statement. Scrolling down, I first saw the bird against the long diagonal of the hills and sky -- which I thought was an interesting composition. Continuing to scroll, I realized I had only seen the top third to half of the image. . . Deer? What deer? Ah. Deer.

Were you at the meeting when Jane talked about the framing\croppimg tools? Two right-angled pieces of mat board or some such that you can scoot around over the image to frame different sections until you find something you like?

I think if you try that with this picture, you'll find several very interesting portions.
Vivian said…
My two cents:
Are you using this for a painting or landscape quilt?
Use your artist's power to put the bird where you like it. I would suggest having the crow lower coming from the left. The implied motion of the bird would bring the eye in to your focal point. You can put the bird on the copy machine, flip it and do several sizes. Then try them on the design.
and ... thanks for the comment on 'Secret Garden'.