Simon's Blog

Well its the morning after the night before and time to reflect on the work I created last night at the life drawing session. The first thing to say in future I must remember to take an eraser. The first drawing shows the wandering of the models nipple across the page as I try and place it correctly in relation to the rest of the drawing. You can also see the way that the collar bone slowly moved up the page, like some inverse tide line, as I realised my errors and tried to correct them.

In the past I would simply erase these marks, but of course without an eraser I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t shade them out either because the skin tone just wouldn’t allow that. So they are left and I am quite happy about that actually.

By the time I had finished the first drawing I just felt like creating some looser work hence the second drawing. It was also fun watching model fall asleep and still hold her position, mostly. Overall a great way to spend a wet Monday evening even if the plain song music kept making me think of a medieval setting rather than somewhere in the second decade of the 21st century above a florists in Oadby. But again that is my problem. Next week I might attempt a quick portrait painting – now that will be fun! Sent from my iPad

Started something new this evening – life drawing where I decide what to do – really enjoyable. Only one problem – the plain song music is making me see the model as a nun – very bizarre!

I’m on line at:

www.flickr.com/photos/guthlac
http://simonmarchini.posterous.com

www.simonmarchini.co.uk

I hope you enjoy

Feeling a bit under the weather today so what better excuse does one need to sit down and draw. This is the result – just a bit neo-classical me thinks. Oh if you are bothered/interested it is inspired by the wonderful Rebecca Hall from the equally spell binding Parade’s End – I hear BAFTA’s calling.

Sent from my iPad

A good friend of mine has asked me to make a drawing of an elephant as a birthday gift – well actually it was her children – so I have been thinking through some ideas as to how this can be achieved. Here is one of the experiments.

Sent from my iPad

I had a very enjoyable couple of hours at Leicester Museum this morning and knocked up a couple of sketches which I really enjoyed.

Sent from my iPad

Well after two weekly sessions this is the result and I have to saw I am really quite proud of myself. During the process I have come to understand a whole lot better what I have to do to produce something really interesting in a group painting session – be myself. This should be self evident but it has taken the best part of a year to realise this.

This year I have now attended three art course where the last two sessions have been just the model sitting in the same pose. The first one was a bit of a disaster – I didn’t really know what I was doing and I had no idea as to how to control the process. The end of the second course was a lot better and was able to show glimpse of what could be – even though in the second session I ruined the good work I did in the first. By the third session the penny had dropped and I decided to be my own boss and just work at my own pace. The result was a painting that isn’t anywhere near completed but one where what I have done is of a much more satisfactory standard.

So should I try and finish the paint on my own? No as I feel that is a recipe for disaster – I need the model in front of me to able to get the skin tones I want. I had planned to do this but I just don’t have the mental skills available to do this. In truth when painting skin it is so much better to have the real thing in front of you!

Sent from my iPad

Oh in my dreams! What I mean here is that the photo of the drawing really doesn’t do the drawing justice and somehow doesn’t have any of the subtleties of the original. So in this very limited sense I have achieved something. Greatness? Well maybe not but I really enjoyed spending time with a face and getting to know it and then converting that knowledge into a 2 dimensional object . This was a warm up exercise for the art class this afternoon and my reunion with the blue lady. Lets hope I don’t screw this one up like I did the last long painting session.

Sent from my iPad