Life Drawing

To achieve any sense of realism and life in an artwork, I think it is important to work from life as much as possible, and going to Life Drawing groups when they are available helps to develop the hand eye coordination, observation of forms, angles, proportions, light and shade etc. and like music practice just helps to hone the skills, and like anything else... the more you do the better you will get!

Life Drawing in the Richmond area has waned in the last couple of years, but fortunately there are other opportunities in the Sydney region, and I can still get to one, and sometimes two sessions in a week.

I usually try a variety of mediums, most often colour pencils for the quicker poses and then a variety... charcoal, graphite, Conte or paint for the slightly longer ones... following are some sketches from the last few weeks, from one minute...  and up to 30 minute poses..

Still Life Paintings

It's been quite a while since doing any Still Life painting, I thought I should set some up in the Studio and start doing some regularly, all 10 x 8

Portrait and Life Studies

24 x 18 Oil Portrait from the monthly group at Richmond Art Supplies, a lady of Indian heritage

and it's not usually a treat when the life drawing model cancels, but it was this time when a lovely girl from Sudan filled in with clothed poses, I had taken water Colours and some paper which was very absorbent... and a Conte study as well

Plein Air Paintings

some recent plein air sketches

From Life Drawing

Some Portrait sketches during recent Life Drawing Groups

Recent Portraits

two portraits from the last two portrait groups at Richmond 24 x 18 on some old Morilla canvatex that a friend gave to me, probably about 40 years old

back to a routine

getting back to the normal routine of a couple of portraits a month

a 20 x 16  one on paper 80 minutes

and 24 x 18  possibly 2 hours on canvas

also some life drawing, these with Conte

UK Trip

I had a trip to the UK in August/September visiting some of the places I used to live and to catch up  with friends and family. I wanted to do some plein air painting while I was there, without taking, or carrying a lot of equipment on the plane or in my hire car.  I took a cheap lightweight fold up aluminium easel,  my system of primed watercolour paper and a a few loose items palette, brushes etc... and  trying to keep the boot of the car clean!

I managed to do 16 or 18 little sketches on my way between visits.

Portrait Exhibition

PORTRAITS

An exhibition of paintings by Malcolm Robertson

of Artists, Actors, Musicians and Individuals of the Hawkesbury

 

Sassafras Creek Food & Design, 83 Old Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong from 2^nd August - 11^th September
Open: Tuesday - Sunday 9.00am to 5.00pm and Dinner - Friday and Saturday from 6.00pm.

This was an exhibition of portrait paintings that was recently shown at the Sassafras Creek Restaurant in Kurrajong. I had a quick trip to the UK at the same time that the exhibition was on, which didn't leave me time to add to the Blog, but here are a few catch up pictures, not all the portraits are shown here
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