Monday, May 27, 2013

The World Would be a Better Place If All Public Art Had Dragons

This drawing of a Chinese fountain was done from a photo my cousin took when he was traveling in China. I didn't actually get his permission to draw and post this, so here's hoping he doesn't sue me. That could make for some awkwardness at Christmas dinner.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Me vs. Ivan Mestrovic

I've been taking a life drawing class at Seattle Central Community College with a really outstanding instructor who has been pushing me to think more critically about my drawing, especially my use of line. He gave me a homework assignment to copy a photo of a sculpture by Ivan Mestrovic. I had never actually heard of Ivan Mestrovic before this, but I do have to agree with my instructor that the he had a real mastery of form and the human figure.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Chuckwalla at the Woodland Park Zoo

Yesterday I headed out with the Seattle Sketchers Meetup group to the Woodland Park Zoo. As I was making my way there on a gorgeous Saturday (one of the first Seattle has enjoyed in quite a while), I had visions of pulling out my skecthbook on a comfy bench in the shade, somewhere with an unobstructed view of a majestic animal that wasn't moving around too much. Imagine my surprise when I showed up around 1:00 and discovered that the place was insanely crowded and that any spot where one might get a decent view of an elephant or a gorilla was completely mobbed by children and their parents who were all jostling for a look. This led to me spending a good part of my visit wandering around in circles looking for something to draw, a quest that ended in the reptile house where I happened upon a chuckwalla that was kind enough to strike a dramatic pose while I sketched.

The more observant among you may notice that this creature is looking a little puffy, but I assure you this is how it really was. At the time, I thought this was because it had just eaten some sort of mid-sized rodent (I often looked this way after meals when I lived in New Orleans), but I was later told that the chuckwalla can puff itself up to ridiculous proportions as a way to scare off predators. I hope this doesn't mean that I did anything to offend it. I think it's much more likely that all of the children blatantly ignoring the "do not tap on glass" sign were to blame for its agitated state.