Hiking in Austria

Easter vacation in Austria is skiing time... for my family, that is. I, myself, resort to exploring the surroundings on hiking trips. I am not just terrible on ski but also a pain as a hiking partner! Chances are, I take a lot of unannounced long breaks, pulling out the book, sketching whatever strokes my eye. Consequently, I am on my own most of the time. Which does not really bother me, though.

Two days ago, we brought our daughter to a doctor, about 20 km away from where we stay. Since it was just a harmless precaution visit, I felt free to roughly plan out the trip back on foot. Walking on the sunny side of the valley Kaunertal, I passed Castle Berneck, which sadly was closed at this time. I peeked through some holes in the door, but that was just about it of what I saw of the inside. Castles, in general, are a prominent site: Built to impress, taking center stage of the surrounding area. Could I resist?

Occasionally, I had to guess or just ask around for my way home. A friendly fellow named Klaus, living right by such a confusing crossroad, invited me in and we started to chat. We got along pretty well and watching and listening to him, I remembered one of my favorite artists doing sketches of interesting people he meets. Giving it a shot, I asked Klaus if he would be alright with me drawing him. He probably did not expect this question, but since we created a comfortable atmosphere, I found the courage and he his trust.

Thanks for reading... and leave a comment, if you like!

One Grande Latte, please... for here

There were way more participants than there are on my cup! Actually, our Urban Sketchers regional group Duesseldorf/Cologne broke its' record last Sunday at the Starbucks Café Leverkusen, Germany. More than 15 people got together to sketch in this cozy store and spend the afternoon with a welcoming host, yummy lattes and tastes of juicy cake.

There was some commotion going on, I was told, since it was an unregular open Sunday at the mall. People streamed into the place the whole 6 opening hours. Despite overly human concentration on my part and so, not being aware of much around me, I ultimately failed my set goal to draw every single member of our happy group of sketchers. Tells you something about my work speed. Also, I took some time off, giving a radio interview for a local station (which sucked on my part, by the way... hope they cut out, like, everything!).

So much creativity and felt interest of the people watching us sketch... I dearly love our monthly get-togethers. Starbucks, the embodiment of urban and lifestyle, and the team (or shall I say partners) in Leverkusen did their part to make this memory last.

What else... here are some close-ups of the penciled Starbucks cup, I took home with me:

A little... ok, way over my head: The Extra-Special-Making-Of, which you get only in this blog:

Thanks for reading... and leave a comment, if you like!

Got some time... like 30 min?

Looks wonky, off, legs are too short, hips too high, head too big, body bends in a weird way... Some and more problems, I am fighting with drawing the human body. What's missing? Definitely fundamental knowledge of proportion, bones, muscles... etc. And lazy or unmotivated as I am, I did not actively seek out the scientific study of the human body yet. So, how to get to a productive and fun starting point?

Luckily, I stumbled about two YouTube video resources doing the trick for me. I realized, I concentrated too much on just copying parts of the body. The flow and movement of the entire figure, how parts are linked, how muscles interact and to portray the roundness of the form did not concern me much. But, being frustrated of things coming out strange, I started watching people, specifically looking for one detail... let's say the thickness of the neck and how it connects the head and upper body. But much more effective for me is having stills, where I have the time to study that particular part, different poses and also drawing under time pressure.

Nude or non nude-model sessions from the New Masters Academy YouTube Channel take half a hour to complete. Starting with one minute poses, where you just don't have the time to get into detail. Where you are forced to find the flow, the line and movement of the body. To more lengthy five minute sessions where maybe even shading is coming into play. It all is presented as pictures of models posing, male or female, displayed for a specific time.

Here Glenn Vilppu gives you a demonstration how he tackles these sessions... in great style.

Croquis Cafe is taking it a step further: Nude models are recorded on video. Also starting with quick sessions to help you loosen up.

Practicing with these videos helps me to see the figure in its' entirety. Even trains my memory. It is good, not having to look up too much, when you only have a minute to complete the pose. Connections are made and more than often, you will find yourself amazed by how realistic your drawing suddenly looks if you just get that bump on the shoulder, sorry: deltoid muscle, right.

Links:
New Masters Academy Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCliUF1c8m7MUspaCykJljSg
Croquis Cafe:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOq-SnwbtX9u231janaHRCo3tcTWshKML
Glenn Vilppu in action:
https://youtu.be/O0Sm4A17jec

Related:
First Live-Drawing-Session... Ever!
My Tuesday Live Drawing Session

The Generation Thingy - By Personal Experience

Really, it always has been there. But the older your kids get, the more obvious becomes the gap...

BirthDAY? Bah! Boooooring!!!

My very lucky wife got something special for her 40th Birthday (August last year). Not a BirthDAY... but BirthWEEK! A week... yes, that would keep her busy reminding her how special she is to me.

The Days were divided into themes and with those themes came a drawing. I wanted them to be perfect. So, it happened, that I shredded one at 1 am, sat in the bathroom (no idea, why that motivated me) and finished it by 3 am.

DAY 1 - The all mighty start of my wife's Birthweek

The gift was time. In advance I booked a cleaning help and we went off together on a wonderful day.

DAY 2 - It tends to take over a lot of day

So let's make the fitness torture a bit more pleasant with some pretty and useful sports gifts.

DAY 3 - All about the hobby

You geocachers might feel this situation. Well, it is the price to pay for not being prepared.

Common, run guys! Only 240 meters to the northwest! *Battery less than 10% left*

DAY 4 - When she is not busy working her bones

Relaxing and putting on something really nice & fancy after a warm bath. Cost me a fortune but worth it every penny...

The bar is set high now... buddy!

Guess... it is not all that bad.

Paddy 2015

My Tuesday Live Drawing Session

Lately, there are a couple of things I am aware of... which, on its' own, is a step forward for me.

1) 5 min. live-model-sketches can be stressful!
2) So, better think ahead, which art tool you prefer to use today and not switch from one to another at the session.
3) It really does make a difference thinking about composition, thinking about the space that is used up by the character and the space around.
4) You are at an advantage having reappearing models, because you get to know them by observing.
5) Which can lead to a more loose approach, not worrying so much about proportion or likeliness.
6) Which, in turn, might give you the freedom to let your imagination run wild... or, at least, letting it bounce around a bit.

There is a very interesting book about drawing characters from life. It is called 'The Drawing Club' from Bob Kato (link at the bottom). Just got a couple of pages into, so I will only say: You want to learn from some of todays masters of illustration and animation, you want to inhale those tips and exercises and, of course, enjoy the great drawings! ... from the book, that is.

THE DRAWING CLUB by Bob Kato - Link to Amazon
Also check out: First Live-Drawing-Session... Ever!