DO IT LIKE A YOGI: drawing after contemplation

MASCOT MANIA NITE, KANNAPOLIS IMTIMIDATORS BASEBALL. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. GOUACHE and CARAN D’ACHE SUPRACOLOR PENCIL.

You can observe a lot just by watching.
YOGI BERRA

Working loose and open can tell a bigger story than a thousand details. Urban sketching is a great practice because the tendency to get nit picky is constantly stifled by life and movement. Sitting for a few moments and sizing up the scene is absolutely essential.

• identify the biggest moments: of light, color, or gesture

• note the parts which are constant and which will move quickly

• capture moving parts in about 3 lines, stating gesture

• make some small marks to indicate how the environment meets this moving part, so when the person/vehicle/animal leaves….you can fill in this info at that time. MAP THE SCENE.

• remember that value has the ability to sum up a situation with brevity and impact

WORKSHOP DEMO: ELLEN WARD + STILLMAN & BIRN + CARAN D’ACHE

I am drawing as fast as I can…

WAKE THE KIDS. PHONE THE NEIGHBORS. RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!

ELLEN WARD DEMO. image© 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION: Sketching strategies in the STILLMAN & BIRN BETA journal

Only in spontaneity can we be who we truly are.
JOHN Mc LAUGHLIN

AFTER PAVLOVA. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. CARAN D’ACHE SUPRACOLOR PENCILS in STILLMAN AND BIRN BETA JOURNAL

There is something to be said for labor. And the process of revision in design. But right now I am very interested in methods that get quick results and make economical statements on the page.

Nothing beats hands on experience, so I am working several STILLMAN & BIRN journals simultaneously in prep for my workshop demonstration. It is a bit like casually dating: comparison between candidates accentuates the dramatic features of each! To find the paper that suits your methods, this is probably the most reliable way to do materials research. All these papers are multimedia, so it comes down to very personal preference in the end.

The archival qualities and pretty indestructible spines really appeal to me because I am ” hard” on handbags and journals. I carry the book with me everywhere. The handling is not precious. A journal can bake in the car or get scrunched under my materials at the bottom of a backpack.When engaging in any daily activity that records the experiences of your life it only makes sense to use supplies which honor that investment of self. For the price of a few premium coffee drinks (which do nothing good for the waistline) one can have a quality journal to do work that sustains your creativity.

 Once I got used to jumping the gutter in my demonstration pieces, it became hard to limit myself to working on a single page. This line of journals lies flat when opened so the image dies not have to jump a deep canyon to continue on the next page.  Because there is no ” show through” on this paper, I can design the journal as I choose: to flow like a magazine of images. One can alternate between designing into full spreads or choose to work on single pages.

This drawing is on BETA, which is lightly textured. My base was a gesture study using a pencil that is not water-soluble: DERWENT DRAWING in a terracotta hue. This pencil is a bit waxy and will remain on the page even when I float very wet washes on top and scrub.The drawing needed to develop *quickly, so I chose water-soluble SUPRACOLOR PENCILS to lay on color loosely/broadly. Then I made decisions based on value. Wetting the pencils created a much darker, more saturated mark. Experimenting here with leaving broad strokes of color alone and occasionally activating the pencil with water.

WORKSHOP DEMO: BINDERS ART SUPPLY, CHARLOTTE NC    5.25.13  ”BE THERE OR BE SQUARE”!

* 3 hits on the pause button while watching MASTERPIECE CLASSIC’S : “MR. SELFRIDGE”

 

BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART: CONVERSATIONS IN SPACE

There is no conversation more boring
than the one where everybody agrees.
MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE

MORNING FIREBIRD. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. STILLMAN AND BIRN EPSILON JOURNAL with CARAN D’ACHE SUPRACOLOR PENCILS & Blue India Ink.

Niki de Saint Phalle’s sculpture FIREBIRD sits in front of the BECHTLER MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. It is an excellent landmark. If you need to meet someone Uptown, convening under the FIREBIRD is a good way to get started on your journey. It is impossible to miss this visual event in the urban landscape. Light is bounced off the many mirrors embedded in the mosaic like laser beams.

The FIREBIRD engages in a kind of street conversation that may move beyond the question of whether one likes or dislikes the piece. Through drawing and observing people I began to see it differently.

In the morning, a photographer uses the sculpture in a series of staged shots using two models. The shadow of morning is still present. I sit on the ground to get a different perspective and draw from a dog’s eye view. Drawing can sometimes change your opinion about things. It is slow and silent and relies on parts of the brain that transcend logic.

LARGE FIREBIRD. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. STILLMAN & BIRN EPSILON JOURNAL, CARAN D’ACHE SUPRACOLOR PENCILS, & BLUE INDIA INK.

Later in the day, I take a seat in the lobby and begin to capture the FIREBIRD as the sun hits the surface. People come and go as I draw. Children touch the mirrors and examine themselves. Mothers deliver the speedy and time-honored “snappy-slap-smack” when fingers try to pry off part of the mosaic as a prize.

Everyone likes to stand in the arch of the FIREBIRD’s legs: tourists, natives, children, teenagers, and adults. Men often do not just stand balanced in the curve, but touch both sides of its legs as if bracing for the shot. I watched with interest: this is a ‘guy’ thing.

BECHTLER GALLERY. ©2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. STILLMAN & BIRN EPSILON JOURNAL, CARAN D’ACHE SUPRACOLOR PENCILS, & GOUACHE.

Two young people walk the gallery with a helpful man who explains the finer points of the exhibit. It is a sparking conversation seen from a distance: mutual interaction and long moments spent looking at each piece.

FEMME SAUTERELLE. © 2013 ELLEN WARD.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. STILLMAN AND BIRN EPSILON JOURNAL, CARAN D’ACHE SUPRACOLOR PENCILS, BLUE & BLACK INDIA INK.

The FEMME SAUTERELLE statue sits on an open-air balcony overlooking TRYON STREET. As I draw her, it begins to appear as if she is trying to get back into the gallery, hands posed and ready to spring forward. By the time the sketch is complete I feel I know her through some magic of identification.

URBAN SKETCHING CHANGES YOUR POINT OF VIEW.

 

 

 

 

 

MAD MEN: sketching the drama

MAD MEN: TARZAN’S PLAN. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

“Don’t act like you have a plan! You’re TARZAN swinging from vine to vine!”

MAD MEN, last night’s episode

I have been doing some drawing while watching MAD MEN. Hitting the pause button two or three times is my best method for trying to capture a quick sketch of the drama. These drawings take fifteen minutes or under to complete and I am not aiming for a likeness in that narrow time window. The goal is to either create a sense of place or mood.

MADMEN: THE PROPOSITION. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

I just noticed how different these drawings look from my sketches watching DOWNTON ABBEY. There is a sense of isolation in these, a kind of cold light.

MAD MEN: FONDUE PARTY. ©2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

These were done using a waterbrush filled with blue DR MARTIN”S BOMBAY INK,  colored pencil, CARAN D’ACHE NEOCOLOR 2 wax pastels, and FABER CASTELL CONNECTOR GOUACHE PANS.

MADMEN: WHEN KING WAS SHOT. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

The scenes showing the impact of MLK’s murder were so strong, it was hard not to keep hitting that pause button. But practice capturing brief visual encounters is valuable in its ability to strip away extraneous details and get to the heart of the matter.

KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS BASEBALL: MAJOR LEAGUE SKETCHING

KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS NIGHT GAME MAY 2013. © ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE,REBLOG OR PIN. India Inks and colored pencil

Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments.
The intervals are the tough things.
ROBERT FROST

KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS NIGHT GAME WITH SLEEPING BABY. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. India inks and colored pencil.

Last evening at the KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS game was our first of the season. We wore layers of clothes to keep warm and sat in our usual seats above the dugout. The mother of a player sat nearby watching her son enact his childhood dream on the field. A newborn baby slept nearby swaddled in fleece like a fuzzy corndog, never once lifting a head to the screams and cheers.

KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS, 28 at bat. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. INDIA INKS AND COLORED PENCIL.

Drawing at these events helps me see the bigger picture.

EXERCISES IN CREATIVITY: COMPLETING ROZ STENDAHL’S INTERNATIONAL FAKE JOURNAL MONTH

RAVENEAU BRIDGE. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

See my prior posting about “fake journaling” so you can follow the train of thought !

It was a bit like climbing up a hill with bad shoes in the beginning, but eventually a creative flow began after the project got underway. As someone who does not journal in normal life, it was a new experience in all respects. I learned a few things in the process and really would advise anyone up for creative challenge to try a project of this kind.
Roz Stendahl’s site has a wealth of knowledge and encouragement for beginners and experienced journal keepers.

AVIAN MAPPING. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

IN THE WIN/WIN COLUMN:

• I explored my love of maps and mapmaking by envisioning an imaginary city through the eyes of my main character. I drew some key geographical points over and over from different perspectives, forming a sense of the city in my mind as it all progressed organically. I also found a very interesting book during the project that I am now beginning to read: THE IMAGE OF THE CITY by KEVIN LYNCH. It discusses the basic tools of mental mapmaking.

HUMAN INTERACTION MAPPING © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

• My routine changed for the month to allow time to do the project. Re-purposing “ dead time” (  I chose to relinquish 45 minutes of before bed television, get up a bit early, carry a sheet of paper with me in case I had a minute to work…) opened up the space to try something new.
• I got interested in the idea of a serial visual narrative and started a book of ink renderings tentatively titled *“MEN IN SUITS” while I was doing the mapmaker’s entries for this project. SO, I got MORE PRODUCTIVE and ENERGIZED despite undertaking MORE WORK with less time available to me. I conclude that a creative challenge generates its own fuel and woe to those who avoid one! The challenge is the prize.

• Roz sent me swag: I got an official commemorative button! It takes me back to the special joy of a GIRL SCOUT BADGE!  It is nice to have a touchstone for completion of any project.
• Seeing how other participants approached the month is very inspiring.
  

TINY MAP. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

IN THE “ I WOULD /COULD /SHOULDA COLUMN:

• Next time I will get a commercially bound book with plenty of pages

• Working with a smaller field would have made for entries that could have been briefer and built the narrative more completely. This field was 8.5” x 11” so a spread was 17” wide. Next time I would like to go minimalist and use a small book with compact images and very brief written narrative. Try to keep my sessions down to 15 minutes per entry.

PANORAMA of NETWORK 5. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN.

* The book is filled with drawings of MEN IN SUITS. I will accept  the crown for ruling as Master Of The Obvious…

ROZ STENDAHL’S INTERNATIONAL FAKE JOURNAL MONTH

First you need to go HERE and get the lowdown on the nature of a fake journal.

INTERNATIONAL FAKE JOURNAL MONTH PROJECT MONTAGE. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. MIXED MEDIA

The fake journal was a creative challenge, in part because I am not a “ journal keeper” by nature. My sketchbooks are mostly filled with images. Limited “BLAH BLAH BLAH”.

In order to make progress, I set up a few rules:

• I decided that a fictitious narrative would occur naturally and spontaneously as the journal developed. I started with the basic premise that the book was written by a 90 year old woman in 2050 who is a mapmaker. I would use the book to map the city, her past, and perhaps her future. Paper in 2050 is a precious commodity, so she draws over the maps after they are transmitted to the government office that employs teams of mapmakers in the city, NETWORK FIVE.

• A chosen color palette for the project would be limited to unify the look of the project, using materials that are quick and on hand in my studio: TOMBOW MARKERS, COLORED PENCILS, GOUACHE, GEL PENS.

• I chose a working notebook of CLASSIC CREST paper, bound by a smooth plastic binding strip. I ran out of pages, because the initial plan was that each page would have several dated entries. Working in spurts of time late at night, I really needed to work bigger and the maps needed to have some sense of sprawl.

The project developed its own life rather quickly. The first few pages seemed a bit like climbing a hill because I felt they needed to convey a large amount of information in order to inform my working path. Mapping the imaginary city allowed it to become real in my own mind. When the month is over and all the participants have completed their entries I will share some additional images and thoughts. For now, here is a montage of some of the mind maps and imaginary journey.

 

 

 

 

EVERYTHING BLACK LOOKS BETTER PINK

BECHTLER MUSEUM PINKED UP. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. INDIA INK.

Pink is the navy blue of India.

DIANA VREELAND

It was a gray stormy day, so I turned black into pink.

THINK PINK.

CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA : AMERICAN MUSIC MASTERS AND PIONEERS

CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: REHEARSAL.© 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. INDIA INK.

If you don’t practice you don’t deserve to win.

ANDRE AGASSI

On Friday URBAN SKETCHERS CHARLOTTE had the opportunity to attend a morning rehearsal and an evening concert at the Knight Theater.

CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: AMERICAN IN PARIS. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. INDIA INK.

 

PRACTICE: If you want to be creative.
If you want to be good? PRACTICE.

CHARLOTTE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: WOODWINDS & STRINGS. © 2013 ELLEN WARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. DO NOT REPRODUCE REBLOG OR PIN. INDIA INK.