Figure Drawing Master Class with Michael Mentler

I am THRILLED to announce that "The Bone Doctor", Master Draftsman Michael Mentler will be coming to Studio 81 in December 2013.

Mr. Mentler is a prolific and gifted artist and a force as a teacher.  I feel like I could write ten paragraphs on why I think his work is so fabulous...but for now I will sum up why I think his work is so IMPORTANT -

Artists need an understanding of geometry and anatomy in order to take their work to the next level.

That's it.  I really believe that, and Mr. Mentler embraces both of those vital elements in his work.

This class WILL fill quickly!  Register via Michael Mentler's website - The Society of Figurative Arts -
today!

Figure Drawing Master Class with Michael Mentler

(The Figure in Dry Media)

December 2nd - 6th 2013

Location: Studio 81:Portrait and Fine art by Kristina Laurendi Havens

8594 Main Street, Woodstock 30188 

(2nd floor)

10-5 Monday - Friday

New Drawings and Paintings of the Figure

Hey! Remember me?!? The lady who paints and draws every once in a while between posting on my blog?  Here are a few new pieces...

Charcoal drawing on white Canson paper, 14" x 17"

Charcoal portrait drawing from the live model, about 90 minutes

White and black charcoal sketch from the live model, grey paper, about 25 minutes

A small study that I did, thinking I may turn it into a larger painting.  This is actually a self-portrait.  Oil on textured panel, 11" x 14".  Working title is "A Simple Fix"

Oil on canvas painting, 9" x 12", live model, about 90 minutes.  I'm particularly happy with her hair.  "Lounging Nude on Purple"

And finally this oil painting of my little girl Arianna, who just turned six, and I got all weepy that she was getting so big, and had to paint this picture of her from when she was two...

Painting The Red Robe

Couple things you may know about me by now: I love painting the figure, and I love fabric.  Especially patterned fabric, but any bit of fabric will do!

When you draw or paint the figure every week for many many years, after a while it may seem like you are repeating the same pose over and over again.  We, as a figure group, are very lucky to have a huge list of talented models who take a lot of different poses and keep us on our toes.

If you start to see that poses are getting too similar, simply adding a new bit of drapery, a new chair or prop, or even changing the lighting can help you find something new and different to keep to engaged.  You may also try a new material or surface, too.

Last night we had a fabulous model and a couple new elements to add in - a lovely carved chair with a circular back and ornate legs and a bright red robe to incorporate with the model.

I worked in oil on (I think!) an 11" x 14" aquaboard tinted with a thin layer of sap green paint.  I LOVED this view!  The dramatic red drape, the elegant shape of the chair, her hand gesture, the hint of her bare back.  Perfect!

You can tell I was loving that red, but I did try to block in all of the elements as quickly as possible.

Establishing the cast shadow under the arm was important for showing the direction of the light source.

Towards the end I worked on her hand, and her backside to establish the cast shadow from her body to the chair.

Now we just need a new fancy chair every week!

I love that we have an energetic and daring group of artists who come to draw.  By the end of the night the entire studio floor was covered with everyones' work!

All of these fun abstracts in the second photo were created by two artists, who kept passing their drawings back and forth to each other, working over what the other had done.  A great way to get out of your box and try a new way of seeing and drawing!

Watercolor Figure Drawings from the Live Model

New watercolor sketches from our last Wednesday evening figure drawing group.  I was working on Wallis paper, which is lightly sanded, but also primed so it can accept washes of watercolor - up to a limit. (The paper is also a light creamy color...the photos came out a bit cool) If it becomes to wet the surface will start to crumble (in my experience).  For these two drawings I used watercolor pencil, one color at a time, and lightly brushed the lines with a damp flat brush.

Watercolor Figure Drawing Art

The palette below is a little different for me - I tend to use brighter colors, but this time I used a steel blue (almost a silver) followed by yellow ochre and then a dark brown.  I like the warmth the classic feel of the colors.

Classic Art Nude in Silver and Bronze 

Pastel Figure Drawings Everywhere!

There are times in life where I don't get into my studio as often as I would like.  This is unavoidable, and sometimes, for a brief time, even a welcome time to step back and think about where I want to go next with my work.  But I am grateful for our figure drawing group that meets every week, so that these stretches away from my easel are not absolute.  It is so important to stay connected with that part of myself - the artist.  I love being a mom, relish my marriage, and delight in spending time with friends.  But I have come to realize, and accept, that I actually get depressed when I am away from my studio for too long, and therefor everything else tends to suffer.  So...as I embrace being 35, and really accepting who I am, I will be more determined to keep the balance between my work and my family.

This week the kids were both in school all day, and I got a much needed "fix" of painting and drawing!  I put some finishing touches on a lounging nude from a few weeks ago...(nupastel on colourfix, 20" x 27")

I was so happy with the way this profile drawing from the live model turned out that I didn't even touch it after our 90 minute drawing session (nupastel on colourfix paper, 13" x 20")

I also bought a pack of Sennelier Pastel Card that I have been having fun with.  I think the size is 9" x 12".  Love this bluish-green (that's an artistic name for this color) paper with the magenta in her skin tones.  Quick - about 15 minutes I think.

I just framed a couple of these new pieces for the last open house at the studio (mixed in with some other favorites!)  Can you tell I love that dark red color family?

Last night we had another wonderful model, and I tried to keep my work loose and fun (I am working on several portrait commissions right now, so I enjoy letting myself just play a little bit during figure drawing.  And often, I find that these little sketches come out quite nice!)  Horrible photo, but I promise to add some better shots later...

The top two are pastel on sennelier pastel card, the bottom two are watercolor on 200 lb paper.  

I also have a lot of portrait work in the middle of creation right now - I can't wait to share it with you!  That will happen after the clients get to see them....I promise!

I hope you are finding time to create :) 

Figure Drawings in Pastel and Charcoal

We've had a spectacular line up of models in the studio the last few weeks, and I am just now getting around to photographing and sharing some of the drawings.

A couple of new pastels on colourfix paper...

This pose was about an hour and a half...with lots of breaks so the model could regain feeling in her arms.

A 45 minute pose with no breaks, a beautiful arch to her back, and I love the foot tucked into the fold of her knee.

Vine and compressed charcoal, about 20 minutes.  I didn't want to over-work this loose drawing, so I did a second one from a different view.

And a 20 minute charcoal from the male model - great twist in his back!

My Top 3 Tips to Better Paintings

Over the years I have had the opportunity to teach artists of all ages and skill levels.  Young 4 and 5 year olds just learning the color wheel, to 80 year olds who wanted to learn portrait painting.  Just last week I was approached by an artist for some advice on a painting she was working on.  I have been thinking about the tips I gave to her, and felt that they were probably 3 of the most important tips I have consistently given over the years to all of my students.

Tip 1 - Have good reference material.
            One of the first things I noticed when the artist presented her painting and her reference photo to me was that her photo was blurry and a little faded.  The pose, of a ballerina, was lovely, but a lot of detail was lost because it was out of focus.  It's difficult for any artist to invent the small subtleties in a person's profile, or the quirks in the folds of fabric, or the specific shape of the cast shadow of a foot on the floor.
            Start out with a GOOD, large, sharp, reference photo.  5" x 7" or larger works best.  This is a lesson I learned as I began my Custom Portrait business.  No matter how cute a wallet sized photo is, there is just not enough information to blow it up to a 2 foot by 3 foot painting.   For this pastel portrait of my son, I used an 8" x 10" photo that was taken outdoors.
        

Tip 2 - Use A Variety of Brushes
            Looking at her paint application, I asked the artist "How many brushes did you use for this painting?" and she showed me 3 - all flat, all pretty close in size.  The reason I asked was the flowing fabric of the ballerina costume, her warm skin, and the hardwood floor were all approached with the same size and style of brushwork.  This gave the painting an over all sense of flatness.
           One of my favorite artists, Joan Mitchell, had a particular dislike for what she called "one brush paintings".  I'm not saying it can't be done (a beautiful painting with one brush that is) for in Art, if no where else, there are no Absolutes.  But I encouraged the artist to work with a variety of brushes and to use a broader painting language.

           And you may be thinking "what does an abstract painting have to do with a painting of a ballerina?" The truth is at the end of the day it's all paint on a canvas.  It's how we use that paint that's important.

Tip 3 - Learn from the Masters
          This is not earth-shattering information to most of you...almost every book or teacher will tell you to "study the Masters".  But do you know WHY they are telling you this?  Because even with a natural ability and instinct for drawing and painting, you still don't know it all.  (I thought I did but have been repeatedly told otherwise.)
            Buy some good Art magazines, go to the bookstore and grab a few books, and have them with you when you are creating.  I am not saying COPY their work - but look for how they solved problems.  How do you make a wood floor recede into space?  How do you depict folds of fabric?  What color should I use to show the reflection of daylight on her shoulder?  It's incredible how having books, pages from magazines, even my fellow Artists paintings around me infuses my work with different ways of seeing and problem solving.  They are a never ending source of information and inspiration.



        

Female Figure with Drapery and Stockings - the final touches in pastel

I finished working on this beautiful figure with a white silk robe and striped thigh high stockings.  The brick red colourfix paper gives the whole drawing a sense of warmth.  I love the way turquoise blue pastel pencil reacts against the color of the red paper...causing a little vibration on the surface.  That effect, combined with the pattern in her stockings and the folds of the robe, create a truly dynamic composition.

I'm working on producing prints of these latest pastels.  Keep an eye on my Etsy shop where they will be available soon.

Lime and Wine. Who knew it was such a magical combination?

Yes, wine is frequently a large contributor to our figure drawing sessions.  However, this time I am referring to the color of the paper I was working on, and the super 70's shag carpet lime green chenille blanket our model brought with her!  The color combination was awesome!

This was our long drawing, about an hour and 20 minutes of work time.  There is also a bit of white drapery under the small of her back. 

A shorter drawing, about half an hour on a grey piece of colourfix paper.  I think her raven black hair and the lime green blanket are also setting each other off perfectly.

New Drawings of Two Models, Male and Female. Watercolor Pencil

Great night of figure drawing...where I took a lot of great photos of the models, yet only produced one decent drawing!  Oh well.  I actually did start a couple that have potential - if I ever finish them I promise to share!

But here is a watercolor pencil drawing from the long pose.

I started out with a light graphite drawing to get the scale and shapes correct, then erased about 75% of the line so it was "ghost-like" and I could draw over with watercolor.  I used a light periwinkle blue first, then layered some orange, olive green, fuscia, and dark purple.  In a few dark areas I added a little prussian blue.

I'm not sure about what's actually happening between the two of them.  If it's anything like my relationship with my husband, she's just gotten over-emotional about losing something somewhere in the house and he's exasperated because all he really wants to do is go to bed.  But I digress...

The pose was beautiful from all angles.  It's interesting because when I looked at one artist's drawing before he finished - the woman's hand was not yet included (on the far left) and it made her appear to be clutching the male model's hand behind her shoulder (cover the hand with your thumb to see what I mean)  By eliminating that hand you totally change the relationship.  It's amazing how a turn of the head, a placement of the hand, the angle of an arm can change the dynamic between two models in a pose.

Back to COLOR - New Drawings from the Live Model.

Our figure drawing group had a wonderful evening last night working with a new model.  A lovely petite woman with a short black pixie hair-cut.  We took full advantage of her beautiful back when we set up this lounging back pose with some dramatic lighting near her head.

I was working with Nupastel on a brick red half sheet (about 12" x 19") of Colourfix paper.  I was struggling to get the shadows as rich and deep as I wanted - I just didn't have a dark enough brown.  So I started incorporating some deep prussian blue, a little black, deep burgundy and brown into the shadows.  Where there was a bit of reflected light on her legs I used some brighter turquoise.

But, poor model, this was a very strenuous pose on her shoulder, so we took frequent breaks to let her relax and de-numb her arm.  As she was resting, she was sitting in a position much like this one, and we all agreed - let's cut the lounging pose short and move on to this pose!

The pose and lighting are very similar to pieces I have been working on in black and white - it was interesting to take that practice and turn it into a more colorful (yet still subdued) interpretation.

This was one of our warm-up poses, about 20 minutes.  I still ave to play with it a little more - especially the yellows which came out more acidic than warm.  But I like the diagonal lines and her pose, as well as the cast shadow on her torso.  It has some potential, too!

Figure Drawing in Graphite

Last night was a little rough for me at figure drawing...I don't know if it's allergies or a cold, but man, I was WIPED OUT.  I was going to work in pastel, but since I was spending most of the night sneezing, I opted for a less dusty media, graphite pencil.

These are on 11" x 14" white sketch paper, using just a standard #2 pencil.

I haven't worked with graphite in a while, but I think it worked well here, and I don't do a lot of blending - I like the crisp lines to build up in layers.

Bald is beautiful - new drawings of the male model

I can't say it enough - I get to work with so many amazing models in my figure drawing groups!  Last Wednesday our model was kind enough to pose for a few reference photos.  My desire is to create a large series of the black and white charcoal drawings on the textured surfaces.

With his shaved head and broad shoulders, I had a feeling this pose would be perfect for him, and so far it's looking great!    His head and hand are coming forward, the right shoulder is dropped and twisted towards his knee, there is a lot of tension where his hand is gripping the stand.  This particular surface is pretty gouged and not as smooth as some of the previous pieces, and I decided not to sand it any further because I liked that grittiness and imperfection.

He also had some great poses during our group, one of which he used a rope to pull and create tension along his back.

The second, longer pose, had a dramatic overhead light that, again, really benefited from his shaved head and well defined shoulders.

Both of these were drawn with charcoal and watercolor pencils on watercolor paper primed with gesso.

What's happening in the studio...painting, pastels, progress!

Last night while driving to Figure Drawing group here in Woodstock I actually had to take a moment and think about where the last seven days went!  It's been such a busy week, doing a million different things with the kids and my husband and trying to maintain an active on-line shop!  But, somewhere in all the chaos, I am getting a little work done.

I've added some more copper leaf to the tree painting, and this layer is a bit more organic.  I sanded the previous layer, so they each have a different sheen, and it's a nice layered effect.

I've also started to work on the figure and drapery in this acrylic painting I started last week.  I haven't decided...should her eyes be open or closed? 

And of course there's new drawings from last night! Our model was so fantastic, I was so wrapped up in drawing I totally forgot to grab my camera and take any photos - either of her or the work in progress!  Here is a 15 minute pastel - I exaggerated her curves and had some fun with color.  My fellow artists liked it very much as-is...but I may still add a bit more color (cuz I can!)

And the second pose was about an hour and a half.  I grabbed a beautiful remnant of silky blue fabric at the craft store, and the color was gorgeous with the model's skin tone, hair color, and her bright red headband.  This is nupastel on Wallis paper.

So...as you can see, I have a lot of work to do...off to the studio!

Drawing Video - the progression of the couple drawing

I love putting these videos together of my drawings as the progress.  They are not professional by any means, but it is a lot of fun to watch how the drawing came together.  I think my favorite so far is the pastel portrait of the Olive Scarf - the way the colors change as I draw.  But this drawing of the couple is interesting, too, because you can see how the drawing had several shifts - the background is dark and then light, the shape of his head changes, the size of her foot is adjusted...all the elements are worked and re-worked to bring it to life!

Enjoy!  Drawing the Couple in Charcoal

New pastel portraits started, one from life, one from a photograph.

Over the past weekend I had two very different events and two different opportunities to start a pastel portrait.  Friday night, during the opening for Art of the Figure, we had a live model pose and I began a portrait in Nupastel on an olive green piece of Colourfix paper.  On Saturday, I participated in the Crabapple Festival in Milton, GA.  I used this opportunity, outside, a gorgeous sunny day, to set up my easel and start a portrait from a photograph of my little girl.  (This is not finished yet!)

I started out early in the day with just a few colors - some blues and fuscia - to define the large shapes. Then I started to add bits of warm and cool greens and pinks as well.

All during the festival visitors would stop and chat and we would discuss technique, what kind of photo to start from, how I chose my colors, etc.  I encourage people to select photos that are taken in natural light, that capture a casual moment rather than a forced smile.  When you are looking thru photos trying to decide what to turn into a portrait, look for the one that says to you "Now THAT is their personality!"

So what source of information is easier to work from - the live model or the photograph? One of the obvious benefits when dealing with a child's portrait is the photograph stays still.  However, when working from a live model, I tend to find a lot more color in and around the figure, as you can see here from Friday's live demonstration.

There is a lot of energy in the mark-making, and the layering of color is more "impulsive" rather than trying to match a photo.  However, since I did not get to finish that evening, I will resolve the features and finalize the piece from a photograph.

In the end, I think that portrait artists need a good balance of working from the live model and photographic references.  We can take the strengths of both an put them to use in our work.  If I end up with a reference photo that is a little monochromatic or too dark, I can remember the colors I find in the live model.