Week Nine: Free Draw, Texture

Last week was Free-draw Friday and you all spent the hour cranking out some really cool drawings. I look forward to the next eight weeks as we continue to explore observational drawing from real life, as well as from memory, how you feel, and imagination. It will also be exciting to help each of you explore your own directions in making drawing a valuable tool in your future.


And now for this week's drawing challenge: From reference pictures, real life, memory, how you feel, or from your imagination make a drawing of the things you're thankful for. Use the whole sheet of paper for your composition. Add shading and textures to create a powerful illustration. Express what's important to you. Enjoy!

C ya Friday (for the T-day festivities)! ---Rob

Matt

Awesome! Drawing! Matt! Your ability to express yourself as an illustrator truly shines in the drawing of the lobster. (Let's further explore illustration as a potential career for you.)You did an excellent job of showing the texture of the lobster compared to the metal of the pan. The contour lines forming the lobster and the subtle shading are very well drawn. And for Friday's free-draw you pulled out all the stops for some fascinating work from your imagination.

Miranda

Miranda, you've definitely hit your stride in observational sketching!! Your eye for accuracy matches your ability to draw confidently, making drawing a powerful tool for your future. As your line work and shading improves, your drawings are looking more realistic. Your ability to draw accurate contours and textures is really starting to show in your work. You did an amazing job of swiftly sketching the cartoon monster!

Emily

The artist Paul Klee (1879-1940) famously said, "A drawing is simply a line going for a walk." Always a delight to see where your imagination will walk next, Emily! Your rapid sketches after Robert Crumb and your clock are nice little glimpses of your big-time potential for creative expression. Drawing is definitely a solid foundation for your future career. I'd really like you to explore areas such as illustration as a possible career in visual art.

Zach

The free-draw session is just what the doctor ordered for the creature with its arm in a sling. Your furry character (drawn after the artist Michael Sieben) shows a very cool style that I hope you'll explore further. Try visiting the magazine rack at Book Shop Santa Cruz for magazines like Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose for more art style ideas. Your abstract designs also have lots of potential for development.

Jamee

Welcome back to class, Jamee! You dove in with a wonderfully accurate sketch of the lantern. Your observational drawing skills have come a long way since joining the Sketchers. And the work from your imagination is starting to flourish, too!! Your character sketch shows your ability to draw ideas in your mind out onto paper. Really cool how you used bold lines to show contours and texture.

Arianna

I've seen you make some outstanding drawings from real life, Arianna! And you've pulled off some awesome abstract sketches too. But when given a free-draw session it seems like cartooning is what you enjoy most. Your lively sketches capture the essence of the Nickelodeon characters. Now if we can just get you to blend it all together to make drawing a valuable tool for you to use in your future. Let's tap your true potential in drawing!

Nick

Hilda says that you're drawing all day long in school, whenever you get a chance. In SLV Sketchers you've developed an excellent eye for accuracy and I'd like to keep you drawing things from real life. But you really enjoy drawing from your imagination. You have put together a vast library of symbolic images (like in the drawing, shown above right) and I'd like you to explore putting them together in illustrations that tell stories. I'd also like you to push your potential in creating compositions that combine realism and symbolism. Maybe you can visit the magazine rack at Bookshop Santa Cruz with Zach and check out books on surrealist artists, or magazines like Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose for ideas.