Sketch for Biology Class

Dino and Mammal Sketch Event Results:

Sketches from the Natural History Museum in DC with newly-formed Diceratops Sketch Collective. The Museum is a goldmine of forms to investigate - from archeology and geology to botany. And drawing with friends (which seems to have been our default state all throughout art school, no matter what else was going on - a lecture or a party) is a luxury now. I do hope more sketches will come on a monthly basis from this group.

It's turtles all the way...

A quick impression of infinite regress...

Lovey-Dovey Vibes

I did this little comic last month for a couple that wanted to celebrate their relationship, which I thought was very sweet. Story and storyboard by Martina Lawingova

Starbucks Sketch

Not sure whether this classifies as a sketch or a drawing, because it took quite a while. Nor am I quite happy with it, but I suspect it might grow on me. Something about having no organic form to draw in a three-hour drawing (except for the people of course) made it a little bit less lively an experience than what was actually going on - people working, ordering, chattering, drinking their coffee. It's an interesting idea - that building an accurate environment can take over the drawing so much that the "vibe" is not translated all that accurately... I would like to know what vibe you get, looking at this...

Presenting: Sweet Vice.

Now if anyone could show me how to do this in color...

Home. Some thoughts on technique.

I drew this in the summer, and it actually took two days. I must say I'm in love with gradual building of form with hard pencils. It lets you have a steady control of texture and to look very closely at your subject. And unlike working with a pen that quite quickly constricts your use of gesture, every time you step up to a softer/darker pencil you have another chance to work gesturally. It would seem two days on a small sketch like this would suck the life out of it, but to me this looks quite alive.

Maybe it's simply that I had such a soft spot for pen and line work all throughout college that I finally exhausted my use of it of course, but I think there really is something to line drawing process that is stifling. And it's the overbearing contour. No matter how much you try to build sculpturally, you get this containment effect. I still use contour of course. After all I think like a draftsman, not really as a painter: contour line is here to stay. But I am much more welcoming of it, when it's in 2H or 4H graphite. It lets the things you draw breathe.