About Drawing

Pen and Ink Medium

2011-05-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

One of the most important characteristics of pen and ink is its directness. The first touch of the pen to paper makes a mark that has a look of finality. The medium makes serious demands on the artist; it calls to his strengths and draws attention to his weaknesses—it is a medium that challenges. A painter once said that he was almost afraid to handle the pen,--“It is so fearfully direct.”

If the mastering of ink technique had to be summed up in a single phrase it would be “incessant practice.” Incessant practice is a necessity to develop the skills required to get desired results from pen and ink. There is perhaps no other medium offering a better chance to develop a personal technique. Pen drawing is akin to handwriting and just as no two people write alike, so no two people draw alike.

I create full-blown drawings executed slowly and deliberately paying attention to the details—not sketches which are hastily executed simply giving essential features without the details. I spend anywhere from two hours for a two inch square to 70 hours for my largest work. A lifetime of experience, skill and ability go into creating my original drawings.

The Fruitful Moment

2010-03-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from "Lifeviews: Make a Christian Impact on Culture and Society" by R.C. Sproul. I like what he has to say about quality in Christian art.

"The Fruitful Moment: Rembrandt used a fascinating technique whenever he painted his portraits, much like Michelangelo did when he created his sculptures. He used a technique later described by German philosophers as the "fruitful moment."

"One of the problems an artist must deal with is the question of how to capture the essence of a human personality in a single painting. Life is a process, it is dynamic, A sequence of many different events shapes and forms our lives. For 'Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem,' Rembrandt approached his work by reading the biblical account of Jeremiah. He immersed himself in the text of the Scripture trying to gain a comprehensive understanding of the style and the movement of the life of the weeping prophet. He then got out his pad and began to sketch scenes."

"He sketched up to 80 scenes from the life of Jeremiah, all the while searching for the fruitful moment, that one moment in the life of the man that would, somehow, capture in freeze-frame the essence of his personality. In the painting of Jeremiah, one can see the pain etched into the lines on his forehead. The conflict between the light and the darkness that was so much a part of his life is evident. The disappointment and the frustration of the prophet are captured as his head has become too heavy for his neck to hold up. We can look at Rembrandt's painting a thousand times and see something in it that we never saw before."

"Michelangelo had the same approach. After drawing many sketches, he chose to depict David with stones in his hand. As we look at that famous statue, there is that sense of readiness, as if David were ready to spring into action."

"The substance, depth, and thought behind the works of the masters gave their art an enduring value that far transcends the cheap, the boring, and the superficial...Great art has the ability to persevere through time."

Quality is never cheap, never hurried, never just slapped together. Sproul continues "We must encourage Christian art--good art...I think it is wrong for Christians to demand of their artists that they paint only themes which are overtly and directly religious. There is nothing wrong with religious themes, but the theme does not have to be religious to be 'Christian.' "

We need to strive for excellence in our work--do our very best.

Exploring Themes

2010-02-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

In his book, "Keys to Drawing with Imagination," Bert Dodson suggests that by creating a series you can more fully explore an idea than if you did just one drawing of a subject. He says "a workable theme has two qualities: 1) It must arouse your interest enough to carry you through a series of drawings; 2) It should have defined boundaries."

"A theme gives you sustained focus. You can create a limited series of maybe a dozen drawings in quick succession. Or a theme can take years, or even a lifetime. Once you've chosen a theme, give it a title, being specific. Example: if you like to draw your cat, by titling a series The Many Poses of a Sleeping Cat you have given your project a particular shape. Simply draw the things that interest you. The artist chooses and executes the theme. The theme inspires and energizes the artist."

He suggests "do a dozen drawings on a single theme; make them relate visually as well as conceptually...create a unified look to this work, so that if you displayed the pictures, they would appear to belong together. Choose a theme that you can generate some passion about--something that will hold your interest over time. Try combining different subjects (masks, circus, etc.) with different kinds of approaches and methods (puzzle pieces, mirror images, etc.). As you work , display the drawings and leave them up a while. You can learn a lot by studying your work over time."

I have a series that I started several years ago: Terra-Cotta Faces. I am currently working on a drawing in the series of a terra-cotta lion head "mask" that was once one of twelve that were on all four sides at the top of a bank building here in Montgomery. In the late 1800s and early 1900s builders began to use terra-cotta for the ornamentation pieces that were to go anywhere above the first floor of a structure. The real material (granite, marble, etc.) could be used at the first floor and the lighter weight terra-cotta was used for everything else and could be painted to look like marble or granite or what ever was used. I will post the drawing once I have completed it.

So, think about doing a series. It can be fun to come up with different ways of drawing the same subject over and over. Use your imagination!

About Values in Drawing

2010-02-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

I have been reading Margaret King's book "An Artist's Handbook: Materials and Techniques." She has a lot of information about drawing and drawing materials. This is some of what she has to say.

"Draw to study, record, express, and clarify your ideas as you engage in a direct and spontaneous medium."

"Since the Italian Renaissance; drawing has implied spontaneity and has been regarded as the embodiment of artists' ideas, free expression, and the foundation for training in all the arts... It now encompasses a broad and deep range of expression...The function of drawing changed significantly in the 20th Century. Some artists persisted in their exploration of the observed world, while others favored abstraction and nonrepresentational imagery."

"Great painters have always been great draftsmen."

Materials:
"Ink--for fine-art practices, it is advisable to use inks that are a compound of pigment (not dyes) and shellac to ensure that they are lightfast and durable. Manufactured india inks are made of carbon-black pigment ground in water with shellac, which makes them water resistant. Lightfast in normal indoor light conditions, they can be applied in washes with a brush or with pens such as steel pens with a variety of nibs, crow-quill pens, feather quill pens such as turkey, goose or swan and reed or bamboo."

"Drawing inks may also be bound with acrylic, and they will dry water-resistant."

Of course there are many, many pens on the market today that use lightfast inks such as Sharpie, Micron Pigma, Faber-Castell Pitt pens, etc.

One of Ms. King's "exercises to encourage seeing and drawing:"
Value
"While observing drapery shade by hatching and cross-hatching with pen and ink to show the gradation from light to dark."

You will need to train yourself to see "in" values--not just the darks and lights but also the subtle variations. The more you draw, the more obsrevant you become and seeing values becomes easier. The more values you see and draw, the smoother the transition from dark to light and light to dark areas.

Many people don't understand how important it is to have a full range of values in a work of art. They make the mistake of showing only two or three values very close to each other in range which results in a very dull, flat work. Handling values properly will give depth and dimension to your work that you can't achieve any other way. You will also become a much better artist in other mediums you choosse to work with when you have mastered the use of values. A painter once said that if you get the value right, the color is usually right.

I have a friend who is a painter and he really didn't understand values until 2 or 3 years ago. It has made all the difference in his paintings.

About More Pencil Drawings

2009-08-26T21:31:00.001-07:00

Four more pencil drawings. These have quickly become very popular. The photograph of the framed drawings is more accurate as to color and sharpness of the drawings than the scans. The 2 scanned images are of wonderful terra-cotta masks placed in a very shallow stream flowing over rocks. I have completed 14 and I am working on 3 more.

More Pencil Drawings

2009-08-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying creating these pencil drawings. Still, my first love is pen and ink. I will post more later.

About New Pencil Drawings

2009-07-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of small pencil drawings that I am doing for my gallery show in September. I wanted to offer something a little different without being completely different (I still prefer working in black and white). I want to have 8-12 of these pencil drawings for the show and will call them "Garden Delights." They are bits and pieces of garden statuary. Maybe do a couple that are a little bit larger.

I am having fun with these. It's nice to be able to complete a drawing in one sitting. Plus, it gives me a chance to be a little freer in my work. I will post more later.

About Art Talk

2009-07-06T07:44:00.001-07:00

The Montgomery Art Guild and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts have partnered on a very worthwhile program for several years called Art Talk.

Art Talk is a regularly scheduled meeting to discuss artists' work with other artists. We meet every-other-month at the Musuem for 1 1/2 hours. There is a different moderator each time. Both having a set amount of time and the moderator helps keep things moving along. Individuals can bring work each time or not. The discussions are always constructive and beneficial to each artist who attends without being overly "positive."

Some work is brought "in progress" because the artist is not sure which way to go with it or they see a problem that they don't know how to resolve. Some work is brought because it is a new medium or style for the artist and he or she wants objective feedback. Some artists who are at the beginning of their careers want a critique so that they can learn, improve and grow.

It has been interesting that on some occassions we find that an unplanned theme surfaces when several artists bring work that has the same subject, medium or certain colors are used in each of the works.

I don't always take a drawing. You don't have to in order to get something out of the evening. I come away with new food for thought, ideas, and appreciation from hearing what is said about the other artists' work. I also come away with great enthusiasm for what I do, what I can do, and what I want to do as an artist.

If you don't have access to such a group, you might want to start one. It can be as simple as inviting artists to someone's home for the same types of discussions. You will be rewarded in many, many ways.

Cultural Summit

2009-06-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

I attended the 2009 Cultural Leadership Summit at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University today. The focus was on the important role of the arts, history and culture in generating a desirable quality of life in Alabama. The goal was to explore how we can come together to support and showcase our crucial significance to economic development, improvement of human resources, and overall enrichment of the lives of the citizens of this state.

The opening address was presented by Charles McCrary, president and CEO of Alabama Power Company. He is a left brain person who has been taught to enjoy and appreciate the arts. (He has an engineering degree from Auburn.) Until that happened though he wasn't particularly interested in the arts. He said that we need to find a way to connect to left brain people. What is the definition of culture for the "left brain"? Mr. McCrary said that the arts and humanities are more important than ever with our current economy and war. Songs rally people (Tie a Yellow Ribbon to the Old Oak Tree) and movies and books offer escape. Movie attendance this year is up 16%.

Many people think the arts and humanities are a luxury, that math and science are more important. It can't be either math and science or the arts--we need both. Students involved in the arts do better in academic subjects.

We need to find a way to tell our story to convince the left brain group how important the arts are. We are a rich resource for economic development. We need to get left brain people involved and show them the opportunities that the arts offer. He called it cracking the code for left brain people. Find creative ways to tell them our story. Captivate them, it's contagious.

The importance of the arts is not readily evident. You can see a bridge. We artists are the bridge in art.

The panel discussion included six panelists: Gail Andrews, director, Birmingham Museum of Art; Ed Bridges, director, Alabama Department of Archives and History; T.C. Coley, director, Tuskeegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center; Al Head, director, Alabama State Council on the Arts; Bob Stewart, director, Alabama Humanities Foundation and Shirley Spears, director, B.B. Comer Memorial Library in Sylacauga. Marilyn Laufer, director, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art was the moderator.

Some of the things that were said: Artists are ambidextrously-brained because we deal with both art and business. Left brain economic development is being driven by right brain artists. The local industry in the Black Belt Region is the culture. Our primary mission is education no matter what the subject. Each community and institution has a responsibility to tell our story. We have many ways to communicate including the internet and face-to-face. We need to build a broader more diverse audience. We are urged to be players which will require time, trouble and commitment. We need to develop longterm relationships with everyone, especially legislators. People respond to people. We have to be informed when we tell our story. Give people life changing experiences with the arts. The arts are fun and a lot more. The arts are a way to teach and a way to learn. In these hard times get more volunteers to help. We have a lot of older people now who are a valuable resource. Use surveys and listen to feedback to see what people want. Partner with companies and get sponsors for programs and events. There is a golf trail in Alabama why not have a museum trail or arts trail?

Artists are not afraid of hard work or solving problems and we are certainly committed. It is up to us to get the word out about how important the arts are to our economy and why the arts should be seen as necessary in the funding process. It seems that many people including legislators are left brain people who need to be shown that the arts and humanities are a necessity to our culture and our economy. Winston Churchill, when asked why he insisted that the theaters remain open in England during WWII said, "to remind us what we're fighting for." The arts are fighting for survival. We all need to go out and "tell our story."

Drawing from Nothing

2009-06-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here is another drawing exercise from Art From Intuition: Overcoming Your Fears and Obstacles to Making Art, by Dean Nimmer, Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts College of Art Boston. He calls this "Drawing from Nothing."

"You look at and draw things that normally escape your notice." This is good for when you're feeling blocked. Draw objects that are boring and make them interesting by what you do with them. Mr. Nimmer suggests things like cracks in the wall or a pattern of stains on the floor.

You can use any technique and medium you choose, but simple is best. He says to tape off a rectangle around the subject to help you focus on what you want to draw. Try to forget what your subject is and draw what you see inside the rectangle, shapes, colors, patterns, textures.

"Make at least 5 to 10 sketches varying from very detailed to complete abstracts. Make each one somewhat different from the one before."

While doing research last year for a presentation on Leonardo da Vinci, I learned that he also urged his young apprentice painters to use this method: "to look at suggestive forms of stains and variegated patterns on stones to stir the creative juices and train the eye to a process of invention...a new device for the imagination, which, although it may seem rather trivial and almost ludicrous, is nevertheless extremely useful in arousing the mind to various inventions."

So, give it a try and see what you come up with. It may lead you to a whole new series of possible drawings.

Drawing by Hand

2009-06-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

My last post was about the need for students to get a good basic foundation in drawing skills. Yesterday I read an article in the Spring 2009 issue of American Artist Drawing Magazine by Bob Bahr, managing editor, about the same issue.

The article, "A Return to Drawing by Hand at MICA" quotes Rex Stevens, chairman of Drawing and General Fine Arts departments, "Young people these days see so many more images per second than I did at their age. Between YouTube, video games, TV and animation, it's all quick clips. We spend a lot of time helping them learn to sustain their vision."

The article continues " Until recently, new students seemed intent on scanning rough drawings and altering them in image manipulation software such as Photoshop. Some students even worked from a photo of a still life on their laptop's screen--when the actual still-life setup was just a few feet away.....The new crop of kids want more. Everyone knows howto use Photoshop. Now they want to learn handskills, to have a tactile experience....They want to make it look accurate, they want to know how to capture light."

Get a copy of this issue of the magazine and read the entire article. If you know anyone looking for a good art school to attend, have them check out MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art).

About Learning to Draw

2009-05-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

I've been reading articles recently about students not being taught to draw.

One article in the Sunday Herald, an independent newspaper in Scotland quotes former director of Glasgow School of Art, Dugald Cameron: "the future of art education in Scotland is now in crisis because of the failure of art schools to properly teach fundamentals such as drawing, painting and sculpture."

"The point of an art school is to pass on skills. And skills have been depreciated. Drawing is called mere hand skills. When you get heads of fine art boasting they cannot draw you know there is something corrupt in the system. If you don't do it, don't teach it, and put over the view it's not valuable, then you get some students shoving a piece of glass on some wood, giving it a pretentious title and believing it is some kind of creative comment on the human condition. And it is b------t. Much of contemporary fine art practice is inevitably that."

Mr. Cameron blames art schools for cutting back on teaching drawing because it takes time, difficulty and expense.

In another article in the Architects' Journal, a British publication, quoted Prince Charles: "I don't trust any architect who can't draw, and who doesn't submit a drawing, or a measured drawing from which I can judge what the building is going to be like."

"Speaking at the Georgian Group's Measured Architectural Drawing Prize held in honor of his 60th birthday, the Prince said he believed the basics of architecture had been lost 'with disasterous consequences.' He condemned what he saw as an over reliance on technology. However useful computers are, and they are very useful, they should be the servant, the slave, not the master."

In Steven Leckart's recent interview with the San Francisco-based architect Donald MacDonald for Boing Boing Gadgets website, Mr. MacDonald says that "a lot of young architects can't draw anymore. Universities are going back to teaching drawing. He lectured at Notre Dame where they are having students focus on drawing by hand for the first few years and then go on to computers after that...There's a real demand for drawing because no one wants to make a presentation with a computer rendering. Mr. MacDonald says that you can't understand how an architect thinks when everything is done inside a computer."

Drawing is foundational for an artist--any artist. To be better at any other medium, you've got to be able to draw first, and draw well. Most abstract and expressionist artists were excellent draftsmen. Picasso, for instance, could draw the human form accurately and well before he started re-arranging body parts in his work.

I suggest that whatever type of art you want to produce, learning to draw well is the best thing that you can do for yourself as well as those who view your work.

Social Networking

2009-02-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

When I first started hearing about social networking media, I assumed it wasn't for me. (Assuming is always dangerous.) Now I have tried it and I say everyone should try it.

I have just started twittering. It is a wonderful way to meet new people all over the world, particularly artists and find out about them, their websites, and their blogs.

Since I draw, I have found a lot of artists who are exceptional draftsmen(women). You can learn so very much from looking at other artists work. I mean all artists no matter what their medium.

So don't be afraid to try it. Learn as you go like me. I still have a whole lot to learn, and it's fun.

Go to twitter.com and sign up--it's free.

Drawing Small Towns

2009-01-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

I have just uploaded a new image on my home page. Last fall a fellow artist and friend of mine asked me to dog sit for her and her husband while they went to an Auburn football game. They live in a small town about one and a half hours south. I had a great time--they have three very different, very neat dogs--plus I got a lot of wonderful photos to use for my drawings.

My friends live a block from "downtown" so I walked up to main street and started taking pictures. I realized that their town really speaks for small towns all over the country. The main street is small store fronts, restaurants, gift shops, the town paper. I love the old bank building at the corner of the town square with its front door set in diagonally on the corner of the building.

This new image is of the stores on main street. I wanted to get the feel of looking way down the sidewalk with the trees lining the road and all the shadows. I also wanted to draw the Buster Brown and Philco neon signs getting the right values in black ink for the colors on the signs.

I am calling it "Small-Town USA" because we have all been to, grown up in or visited someone in just such a small town everywhere in America. If you haven't seen it yet, click on the link in the upper right hand of this page. I hope you all enjoy it!

Speed Sketching

2009-01-15T05:55:00.001-08:00

When you go out to sketch clouds, shadows, or people they will not be standing still for you. Sketching as you would a still life becomes more or less impossible.

You have to train yourself to draw faster. In his excellent book Art From Intuition: Overcoming Your Fears and Obstacles to Making Art, Dean Nimmer suggests an exercise of 30 Sketches in 30 Minutes: Drawing with No Time to Think.

The idea is "to make quick, line-only sketches" capturing the essential characteristics of your subject. You should be "moving so fast that you don't have time to think about what each sketch looks like."

Some of Nimmer's basic guidelines are to use 30 separate sheets of cheap copy paper so that each drawing area is at least 8" x 10." Use a soft pencil, charcoal or felt-tip pen. Set an egg timer the first few times to get used to how a minute feels, then use your instincts as to when a minute is up. Keep sketching at a steady pace. You can draw the same subject 30 times (focusing on a different aspect) or focus on several different subjects.

Because I create finely-detailed drawings and work slowly with pen and ink, I find it very hard to sketch rapidly. This exercise has helped me. It also forces you to just naturally become more observant which is what any artists needs to be.

Sketch, Sketch, Sketch and Sketch Some More

2009-01-04T13:20:00.001-08:00

Last summer I was asked by the Birmingham Museum of Art to do some presentations for Elderhostel groups in the fall on Leonardo da Vinci's drawing methods and materials in conjunction with the exhibition of da Vinci's drawings at the museum. While researching da Vinci, I discovered that he gave the same advice to young artists in the 15th century that they get today in the 21st century--sketch constantly.

Leonardo advised young artists to keep a small sketchbook for a nearly journalistic observation of the human figure in various poses or attitudes: "And with slight strokes take a note in a little book which you should always carry with you. It should be of tinted paper, that it may not be rubbed out, and when full exchange the old book for a new one; since these things should be preserved with great care. The forms and positions of objects are so infinite that the memory is incapable of retaining them. Keep these sketches as your guides and masters."

Among Leonardo’s great innovations as a draftsman was his emphasis on the freshness of the sketching process: "You, composer of pictures, however, do not draw the limbs on your figures with finished outlines or it will happen to you, as to many different painters who wish every little stroke of charcoal to be definitive…Decide broadly on the position of the limbs of your figures and attend first to the movements appropriate to the mental attitudes of the creatures in the narrative, rather than to the beauty and quality of their limbs." In other words, get the essentials of position and movement.

You can sketch any time, any where. What great resource material for future paintings. Sketching keeps you "warmed-up" in the process of drawing. The skill of drawing was the backbone of artistic production and training in the Italian Renaissance and I believe it should be today.

Leonardo believed that any knowledge that could not be certified by the eye was unreliable. For him a drawing was a thought, a phrase, a sentence. His mind expressed itself in silverpoint, pencil, charcoal, or ink rather than in words. His sketches are a graphic representation which follows the course of his thoughts and his observations of the life of things.

We see better the things we observe by drawing.

Just Draw!!!

2008-05-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

It is human nature that the more we talk about doing something, the less likely we are to actually do it. In a sense, we talk it to death. This certainly holds true for creating art.

Once we have talked about drawing long enough, or over and over again, our minds tell us that we have "done" it. We need to, as Nike says--Just Do It! Start drawing and see where it takes you. You will learn more actually creating your art than by talking, thinking or reading about it.

It is exciting to see what is created. There is a sense of accomplishment that stimulates you and encourages you to do more. You get caught up in the creating and it shows, both in the work and the artist. So just do it!

Drawings Under Glass

2007-12-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

I was recently on a gallery website on their "About Us" page. They state that they have "paintings and works of art." I emailed them to ask if the "works of art" included works on paper.

They promptly replied, which I really appreciated, and said they have not had much success with works of art that need to be framed under glass--"people don't like the reflections which make it hard to see the art."

There is no reason, today, for anyone to settle for reflective glass on any work of art. In fact, if it is art that is valued at all, it should be framed protectively. That is, it should be framed under glass that will keep the art from fading. Standard glass (clear or non-glare) offers no protection.

Conservation clear and coonservation non-glare and "museum" glass offer different levels of protection. Conservation clear and non-glare glasses have a clear coating on one side that filters 97% of the ultraviolet light from fading your artwork. Museum glass has a second layer that increases light transmission through the glass. This makes the glass almost invisible as there is less reflection for the eye to see.

It is important to use conservation or museum glass when there is a lot of sunlight or even flourescent lighting in the room. It is NOT 100% effective however. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, you should never hang artwork on a wall that receives direct sunlight. It WILL fade the colors over time, the conservation glass will only slow the fading.

Conservation and museum glass is more expensive than standard glass. When you purchase a work of art, you place value on it above and beyond what you actually pay for it. You should do everything you can to preserve and extend the life of that work of art.

My hope is that anyone working in or running an art gallery would be aware of the greatly improved conservation glass available for framing today over the glass of previous years which was hazy and distorted the artwork.

John Sloan on Drawing

2007-10-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

I have been reading "John Sloan on Drawing and Painting" previously published as "The Gist of Art" and I believe some of his thoughts are worth quoting. If you are not familiar with John Sloan I have included a brief bio at the end of the quotes. The Delaware Art Museum has just opened "Seeing the City: Sloan's New York" a traveling exhibition which focuses on Sloan's images of New York City and the effect New York had on his art. It is on display through January 20th when it will travel to three other venues. This first quote is about drawing with pen:

"The pen is a wonderful means of intellectual expression in the hands of the graphic artist. The technique of the pen comes very close to registering the mental process of the artist. The pen strikes the paper with its black line. It describes the general contour, the textural contour, the kind of living edge that signifies. It goes further and describes the more important edge, the profile that projects toward you. Then the line follows with textural notations, the roughness of this, the graininess of that, giving a textural face to those vivid creative, expressive contours."

"Drawing has a permanent advantage over all the other methods employed by the artist. When you take a black pencil or crayon and make marks on the white surface of a sheet of paper in order to express something you have in mind, you are using an instrument which confines you strictly to the making of symbols."

"Line is the most significant graphic means we have. It is entirely a sign, a mental invention. You don't see lines in nature, only contours of tones. Unless you try to imitate the outside edge of something as the eye sees it, you are making a sign every time you draw a line. Lines can mean form, depth, shadow and light. The line defines the construction of the form, the geometrical shape. The good line does more than describe the outside edge, it contains the form. One of the most important line devices is the set of parallel lines used to indicate the surface of a plane, the direction in which it is going and its place. The fine line is positive and explanatory. It may be as severe as a Durer or as sensitive and free as a Daumier. Line is the most powerful device of drawing."

"Realization is art existence. It comes when you make something more real to the mind than it is in nature. In a Cranach or Durer every knuckly detail shows an appreciation for something not seen by the eye. It was their way to realization to find warts and hairs, wood-grain, glass, and pebbles to give surfaces textural life. If you haven't a sense of realization, if you haven't the strong desire and yearning to make things on your paper that will satisfy the mind, you won't go very far as an artist."

"In a black and white drawing, color-texture is made with selected tones, textures or linework that suggest the surface of the whole form. Crude contrasts of black and white do not necessarily make for realization or power. The power that counts is significant drawing. All the greatest work has a combination of strength and delicacy."

"There is an objective value in all the fundamental forms. Horizontal and vertical lines havae stability. Diagonals and curves express movement. A circle or spiral gives a feeling of continuous movement. Squares and triangles have strong architectural character."

"You cannot study music by going out and listening to running brooks and lowing kine. The way to study art is to look at art. See pictures. When someone asked Renoir which he would take if he had to choose between the museum and nature, he chose the museum."

John Sloan, born in 1874, began his career as a newspaper illustrator for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Sloan soon met Robert Henri, who was then teaching courses at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Sloan enrolled in a drawing class at the Academy taught by Thomas Anshutz, and eventually began renting Henri's studio at 806 Walnut Street, which became a meeting place of other young newspaper illustrators including William Glackens, George Luks, and Everett Shinn. These artists along with Henri are now termed the "Philadelphia Five." By 1896-97, with the encouragement of Henri, Sloan began painting seriously, primarily portraits, aside from his commercial work, and soon began exhibiting his canvases. By 1904, following the lead of the rest of the Philadelphia Five, Sloan moved to New York City with his wife Dolly, whom he married in 1901.

In 1908, Sloan was one of the participating artists in the landmark exhibition, The Eight, at the Macbeth Gallery in New York. Although Sloan considered himself a professional artist, with his particular aptitude for drawing and print making, he continued to support himself as a commercial illustrator until 1916. (Sloan did not sell a painting until 1913 when Albert C. Barnes of Philadelphia purchased Nude in the Green Scarf.)

In 1919, Sloan took his first trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico at the urging of Henri, who had visited the town on two separate occasions in 1916 and 1917. In 1920, Sloan purchased a home in Santa Fe and through 1950, spent four months of every year, except one, in the Southwest.

Tips on Caring for Drawings

2007-07-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

I thought it might be good to give some general tips on handling drawings (works on paper) properly. Paper is easily torn, creased or stained and should be handled as little as possible. Use clean hands to handle drawings. Do not touch or drag anything across the surface of a picture. Avoid eating, drinking or smoking near the paper and keep pens and markers away.

Light:
Exposure to light causes colors to fade and the paper to discolor and in some cases become brittle. Light damage cannot be reversed. Avoid hanging art work where it may be exposed to sunlight from windows or skylights. Use curtains, blinds, or shutters in rooms where art work is hung. Consider framing art work behind glass that filters ultraviolet rays.

Moisture:
Paper absorbs moisture quickly. When works on paper are exposed to prolonged periods of high humidity, they are vulnerable to increased rates of chemical damage and mold growth. Foxing (reddish brown spots on the surface of the paper) may become more pronounced. Archival matting, framing and protective enclosures protect works from the effects of increased humidity for short periods of time. Do not store works of art on paper in basements or attics, where temperatures aren't controlled.

Guarding against mold:
1. Keep humidity below 70%
2. Avoid hanging pictures on outside walls of a house, especially if they feel cold or damp.
3. Never frame pictures directly against glass.
4. Dust frames regularly (dust contains a large amount of mold spores).
5. Improve air circulation behind a frame by attaching felt or rubber bumpers to lower corners on the back to keep frame away from the wall.

Heat:
Heat speeds up chemical changes which damage paper. Avoid spotlights and hang works away from radiators or heating ducts.

Drawing on Creativity

2007-04-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article that was in Business Week which stated that "creative types" are essential to urban and regional economic growth. If you look at where artists are living now, you will know a great place to invest in real estate in 5-10 years.

Artists, because of their typically lower incomes, usually live in cheaper neighborhoods where they can afford the rent. Their creativity enables them to fix up these areas, eventually attracting boutiques, galleries and restaurants. Maya Roney goes on to say that artists are as important as science and technology companies. Artists stimulate innovation on the part of their suppliers. For example a painter needs a certain type of frame that isn't manufactured, forcing the frame maker to create a design that works well for other artists. Having an area become a cultural center helps local businesses (which use artists for product design, to help with marketing or to solve in dramatic theory employee relationship issues) attract employees who want to be able to go to the ballet, theater or art galleries on a regular basis.

The arts are powerful. Creativity is powerful. We are all born with the ability and the need to create. Drawing is something all people have in common. What three-year-old child anywhere has not picked up a crayon and drawn a picture or a stick to draw in the dirt. We all use our creativity every day whether we are creating a work of art or just figuring out how to solve a problem. People are learning more and more just how important creativity is--Richard Florida has written a book called "The Rise of the Creative Class: and How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everday Life." This is what Donald Trump is looking for on his reality show--creative thinkers/problem solvers.

As an artist I create drawings to get people to see the architecture that is taken for granted and to celebrate our built environment. Art is a powerful creative tool!

Tired of Using Black?

2007-02-13T08:39:00.000-08:00

"Don't you get tired of using just black?" This is the question my granddaughter asked me when she was five years old. My answer? "No, I like all the other colors, but I love working with black."

I read an article a couple of years ago that said that artists are either very good with color or very good with value, but usually not both. Value is why I love working with black ink. Seeing and getting the values right and on paper--from the darkest to the lightest and all the subtleties in between, is what gets me excited.

I have had painters say that if they get the values right they don't have to worry about getting the colors exactly right. Value also keeps the color from being jarring. I have been told by viewers of my work that they can "see the color" in it. I attribute that to values.

As John Sloan wrote, "When you stop to think that you will put black marks on white paper to represent a pink figure you realize that you have lost the fear of dissimilarity. That is one reason why there seems to be a power in reserve in monochromatic work."

Drawing with Pen and Ink

2007-01-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

I am often asked if I will teach someone how to draw with pen and ink. I tell people that the best way to learn how to draw with pen and ink is to get pen and paper and start drawing. I share with anyone who wants to know how I create my drawings and the specific materials I use, but that doesn't mean they will be able to draw the way I do. You could put ten people in a room with the pen and paper that I use and no two people would draw the same way.

I believe learning to draw well is the best thing anyone who wants to create art can do no matter what medium they want to use. The great artists have always been great draughtsmen. Picasso drew extremely well before he started taking the human figure apart and putting it back together with body parts in all the "wrong" places.

Drawing is like playing a musical instrument, dancing, or singing--the more you practice (I call it staying warmed up) the better you get.