The last day of Summer

Well folks, the last day of Summer came and went. Hard to believe, I know.

It was such a pleasure and inspiration to see all your sketchbook pages! Thanks for participating (and blowing it out of the water!)

I appreciated how this challenge made me bring my sketchbook with me everywhere, whether I used it or not. I think it kept my eye sharper too. So don't stop sketching

And feel free to keep posting here if you have a sketch you just can't help but share. :)

Happy fall everyone!

-amy

I'm still sketching... :)

I'm still sketching (and still enjoying it), although not one page a day.

Here's a few of my recent pages:

 

Wine Tasting...

Hello everyone! Just a quick sketch today! My hubby and I went to Barboursville Vineyard yesterday and did a little wine tasting! And while we were waiting for our lunch reservation, we had a glass of wine and I did a little sketch with some fake mini pears!

And that's it for me...I'm back to working on gradation patterns from the Language of Drawing!!
Have a great weekend!
Pat

Pat Frank - Update

I've been working on The Language of Drawing program (Ani Art Academy - Waichulis), which takes an artist through a sequence of drawing exercises. I have "graduated" to something called "Gradation Patterns."

8/25/13 - Here's what the first "Gradation Pattern" looks like... I thought I was done. But, after receiving feedback from Ani Art Academy Master Trainers, I went back to the "drawing board" so to speak!

8/26/13 - Here's my "revised" version. This one has a more "air-brushed" effect. Pretty cool since I only used charcoal & white pastel pencils!

8/27/13 - Here are some sketchbook "doodles" that I did while watching TV...

8/28/13 - At my art lesson today...we worked on applying lessons learned from the "Gradation Patterns" exercises to creating a sphere...many more of these yet to do! But I'm feeling much better about my value transitions. This is going to be so beneficial with portrait work...well, with just about anything really!!

That's it for now. More to come!

Pat

More sketches...Pat Frank

Sooooo...after several days of vacationing with my husband and some very dear friends of ours, I'm back to daily sketching. I'm shocked at how rusty my drawing skills became after just a few days!! Anyway...here's what I've done in the past several days...

8/21/13 - I found a photo of this fun sculpture on www.PaintMyPhoto.com. I have no idea what it's called or who the artist is...I just wanted to sketch it!

8/22/13 - My birthday! I spent the day doing fun things...including sketching this Bargue Plate! Then, a scrumptious birthday dinner with my handsome hubby!

8/23/13 - My sweet friend and incredibly talented artist - Carter Stuart - invited several friends and fellow artists to the river for an "art day"!! Can a day be incredibly relaxing and stimulating all at the same time? Because that's exactly what this day was for me! I discovered this antique water pump tucked in a backyard garden...and decided I needed to draw it! So, I sat down in the grass with my tumbler of red wine and began sketching. Unfortunately, my sketching session was cut short when it started raining! I rather like how the sketch turned out, though!

8/24/13 - I decided to set up a little still-life. (These are fake!) Eggs and tomato and green pepper...hmmmm...sounds like an omelette in the making to me!!

And that's it for me...see you soon.
Pat

Pat Frank - working on catching up!

Well....I've been so good at keeping up with daily sketches...until last week, that is! We had a bit of company in town last week so, with cleaning and partying, and the Jimmy Buffett concert...I've fallen a bit behind! But here's what I've been up to...

8/12/13 - Day 53 of the sketchbook challenge...my first "animal" sketch (from a photo in a book)...

8/13/13 - Day 54...also from a book photo...

8/14/13 - Day 55...from "Paint My Photo.com"...

Our company has gone home...so now I can get back to daily sketching...yay!!

I'll be back soon with more sketches....

Pat

From our beach trip - Amy Donahue

My parents rented a house in Nags Head for the week. All the kids, kids-in-law, a friend & Grammie were invited. It was incredibly fun. I did more painting at the beach than sketching, but here is what I have to show in the summer sketch book.

 

View out the window from where i sat at meal times at the beach house.

View from where I sat each morning to read my Bible. Love the way pine trees grow in sandy soil.

 

 

Grammie (kept moving). :)

 A quickie of Grammie, Mark & the chair.

I've got a lot of catching up to do... not many more weeks till the summer ends. Yikes!

Sketch I did in black and white charcoal on newsprint. Freckles are fun :) 

Sketchbook Challenge - Day 52...Pat Frank

I can't seem to get enough of sketching our sweet little grandkiddos! This one is our youngest...Isla Bleu! She's 14 months old now...but was a bit younger when this photo was taken. She's showing off her two new teeth, I have no doubt!!

And that's it for now. I'm off to figure out what I'll be sketching today!!

Pat

Pat Frank - Days 49, 50, & 51

Back again with a few new sketches...

Day 49... I completed my sketch of my head model "Amy"... (I'm so glad I have her...she's fun to draw...and she rarely blinks!!)

Day 50...I should be practicing sketching shapes that are "noses"...but decided to sketch something from www.PaintMyPhoto.Com instead.

Day 51...So, I decided I work on sketching shapes that are noses...and found a darling photo of our handsome grandson, Brody. So I started with shapes that are his eyes and nose...and just kept going! Unfortunately, since I had initially intended on practicing sketching the shapes that make up Brody's nose and eyes, I didn't leave any room for the top of his head! But I finished it anyway! I plan to re-draw this on nicer paper...preferable centered on the page so I can include the top of his head!

Oh...and I should just mention here...in case you missed it...those shapes that make up the things we commonly refer to as "noses"...still baffle me. It looks like I have more practicing to do!

Catch ya later...Pat

Hi all,
I'm finally back to post a few more sketches!
This one I recently finished after working on and off on it throughout the summer. 

On Monday morning my sister and I got our wisdom teeth out, so I've just been laying on the pull-out sofa for most of the week eating mushy food and (of course) Blue Bell ice cream. I used charcoal to sketch from a couple magazines and really enjoyed the looseness of it!

One of the movies I watched this week was Singin' in the Rain :) I paused it a couple times to so some quick drawings. Even though it was pretty tiny, capturing the face on the second one was way harder than I anticipated!

Pat Frank...Days 46, 47, & 48

Back again with a few new sketches...

Day 46 - I started sketching "Amy" (head form)...here are 2 pics...in the first one, I stepped back and realized her facial proportions were a bit off...so in the second photo, you can see that I lengthened her face a bit...now it reads better (I think)....

Day 47 - I decided to do another sketch of Sophie (in my watercolor sketchbook) so I could practice some watercolor techniques....

Day 48 - This was a pretty weird day...I started to sketch a poppy while at the doctor's office...but didn't quite have time to finish it, since the doc came in! Then I trundled off to the lab to have some blood drawn...and decided to sketch one of the lamps in the waiting room...but was called to "donate" some blood...so didn't get a chance to develop that sketch. After that I went to Starbucks for a latte...if you look closely, you may be able to see the latte foam that I accidentally smudged onto the page!! Then...once I got home, I sketched a couple of body parts...an eye...and a baby's smiling mouth!

And that's it for now...but I'll be back soon!
Pat

Pat Frank - Days 40-45

Still sketching away...and learning the value of measuring over and over and over again!! I've been drawing some from my Bargue Plates...and just had to throw in a couple of faces!

Days 40 & 41...Feet, feet...

Day 42...And more feet!

Day 43...The beginnings of "Garrett"...I'll post another pic of him as it develops...

Day 44...Sketch of a photo in Mary Whyte's "figure drawing" book. This painting of hers is titled "Red Umbrella". This girl's eyes look huge...but I measured...I really did! Hmmmm!

Day 45...Our youngest granddaughter, Isla Bleu. This was sketched from a photo I have of her. I can't tell you how many times I measured the space between her eyes. It looked so wide...but, measure I did! I measured the size of each eye (width and length)...as well as the space between them. And...it's accurate. Unfortunately, I was so focused on the eyes that I forgot to measure the length of the nose...until I was almost done!! So...not surprisingly, her nose was about 1/4 inch too long! arrggh! I had to erase the lower part of her face and completely re-do her nose and mouth. The measurements are correct now. And I think she's a cutie!!

And that's it for now. See you soon.
Pat

last night i dreamt that i filled up not one, but two whole sketchbooks with drawings in just a day.
man - if it were only so. i have been so busy at the studio, my 4 other jobs, and our garden, that i have not had time to sit down and sketch. - need to get back at it!!

if any of you ladies are interested - there is a wonderful festival here in my little ol' town on August 10th - its called the edible food fest in Orange - and i will have a booth at which i will be selling my wares.. check out the link for the happenings. there is also a show at the local art center at the same time - also celebrating the local harvest - in which i will have 2 pieces to show for.

i know its a stretch from Richmond - about 1.5 hours,  but its gorgeous out here!
and if you come, swing my my booth and say HI!

Pat Frank - Day 39

7/29/30 - Sketched from a photo in Lessons in Classical Drawing by Juliette Aristides. It's actually a hanging towel (although it's a bit hard to tell in the photo.) Folds have always been a huge challenge for me (kind of like noses and eyes and feet and...well, the list goes on and on!) So I decided I'd give this a try...next I need to sketch an actual cloth!! Well...I'm taking baby steps!! I'm thinking it's not too bad...although it really does look better in real life!

Hope you're all having a great summer!!
Pat

Pat Frank - Days 31-38

Busy week...and I have a few new sketches to share...some not bad...others, kind of scary! The sketches that are disappointing would be supremely better had I measured! aacck! So...here we go...

7/21/13 - A sunflower from a photo on "Paint My Photo.com"...

7/22/13 - Sketch of a pastel by one of my all-time favorite artists, Mary Cassatt...

7/23/13 - This is a sketch of (believe it or not) Cameron Diaz (taken from a magazine ad). I didn't measure...I eyeballed it while watching TV. Baaaad idea! her nose is just wrong wrong wrong!! No more...from now on, I measure...and measure...and measure some more!!

7/24/23 - From a photo on  "Paint My Photo.com"...I measured...and his eyes really ARE this big...and this wide-set! I love those cheeks!

7/25/13 - I spent this past weekend with my husband in NYC! And, get this...there was a fabulous bust in our hotel room...

So I sketched it...

7/26/13 - No sketch today! My first missed day since I started the Summer Sketchbook Challenge. BUT, I have a really good excuse! I spent the day with John Singer Sargent!! Seriously...I did!! There was a "once in a lifetime" exhibit of JSS watercolors at Brooklyn Museum...with a combined total of 90+ of his watercolors from both Boston and Brooklyn museums! Many of these works have not been on display for decades! So...needless to say, I was in awe!!!  

Here are a couple of Singer Sargent watercolors from the exhibit...they were breathtaking...and these photos definitely did NOT do them justice!! But, I just had to take a few photos!

And, of course, I found this stunning Mary Cassatt painting! You guessed it...I needed a photo...

7/27/13 - This is a "monkey" (in case you couldn't recognize it!) It was in one of the pictures in our hotel room...kind of weird...but fun!!

7/28/13 - And...here's a sketch that reminds me of someone in the 1960's who probably attended a Catholic High School, like I did! In reality...she's a figment of my imagination! But, I did a proper block in...and I measured!! So...a little better, I think!

And that's it for me!! Sorry for the long post and so many photos...but I just had to share some of the amazing museum pieces with you! Back soon!
Pat