Something Truly Great Happened...

Frankly, I can't even believe it. I EXPERIENCED something at class last night that I can not even explain. We were doing an exercise where a piece of paper is put over our drawing/hand so that we draw blind. As I was drawing something happened in my brain...I FELT where to draw. OH MY!!!!

Pentel Color Brush Pen

I'm employing a new tool for figure drawing practice. Here are my early attempts.

How does one place in mid tone values with this medium...hum. Maybe I should just leave them out.

Can't make any mistakes . . . not very forgiving but not too bad so far. The next drawings are getting better and you can see that I'm beginning to figure out the brush ... the absorption of the paper is a bit tricky.

Now this drawing looks so pin up-ish (ugh)...but I'm beginning to get the feel for the brush.



Drew this pose twice...

I'm working on expressive strokes. The object of this work is to draw precisely, keeping the figure in balance, in proportion and showing movement ... what the figure is doing.






I know these look rather cartooned but that is not important right now . . . I'm learning something . . . I'm not concentrating on beautiful faces or aesthetics per se. I don't want to draw in a formulaic way . . . so I have to be careful here. This is more to help my eyes and brain see and increase the simplicity and structure of forms . . . I am understanding better the power of thin/thickness of strokes appropriately placed. I'm learning to see into the blankness of the paper first before drawing the stroke and "SEEING" where and what to drawn in my mind first and "SEEING" what to leave out. There is a place to for a heavier line and edges are still important even in high contrast drawing . . . . Seeing bigger and bigger shapes which is extremely exciting. I feel like I am gaining tools . . . physical human tools to put in my artistic tool box.

Soon I will see what this will do on canvas with a brush. Very encouraged my hard work is finally paying off. . .













These are my first effort using a Pentel® Color Brush Pen ... Sepa, black/gray, and a water brush (I haven't incorporated that yet).

Recent sketches...

Random sketches...and a few class work sessions.





















Here are some done with ball point pen...my favorite is a Zebra.

Watercolor study #1

This is a study . . . to learn to control watercolor. In this case, the secret is controlling the water first, the color and then edges.

Blindness....slavery versus freedom

⁴For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

This is heavy on my heart today. How true. Blindness.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHT....R E L A T I O N S H I P S
¹⁴For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is complied with in the one precept, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.

¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another [in partisan strife], be careful that you [and your whole fellowship] are not consumed by one another.

¹⁶But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).

¹⁷For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.

Come, let us reason together. . . if one is a slave to his/her flesh, does that one really have a free will? Can there be a choice?

That is why God has to intervene. Every good work and every good deed is orchestrated by God in this world . . . ponder that. If you think you are the originator of goodness in your life, you do not give credit where credit is due and there is no recognition of man's true plight and why he must be saved from himself.

God has to step in and do for man what he cannot do for himself.

If one is born again by the Spirit, he/she will finally gain a "freed will" to choose righteousness over unrighteousness. With a new spirit, a new heart, he/she has the power to choose and the flesh is conquered and subdued.

Otherwise, if one can save himself within his own power to choose, why would you need the Holy Spirit or Christ's cross? In essence if man can save himself, he gets all the glory and can boast . . . when clearly salvation is "not of works lest any man can boast." Salvation is a gift given man by God. A gift.

Ponder that. . . a deep thought.

¹⁸But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

¹⁹ Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, ²⁰ Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), ²¹ Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, ²³Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge] ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

²⁵If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.] ²⁶Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.

AMEN . . . there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ. If you are free, you are free indeed....not unto perfection and sin-lessness but free from the slavery to sin. Freedom to choose.

Charcoal Drawing Commission

This is a commission I just delivered to my client today. She was very happy with it...and that pleases me.

I received this email forward entitled Two Wolves... so the picture and cut line below are not mine and I'd give credit if I could.

I was immediately struck at how this illustrates a passage in scripture wonderfully.

TWO WOLVES

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson
about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between
two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow,
regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love,
hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then
asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

Now CLICK HERE....and read this passage of scripture from the Amplified Versions

Zero in on this and ponder it.

Christ's Spirit taking up residence IN YOU. This is what is meant by being born again. So the two wolves are the flesh and the spirit. Which is in control of your body? Which one do you feed?

(There is much to say about this and if any of you do not understand this very basic concept of the Gospel, I would be happy to share more privately. The truth will set you free and when you are free, you are free indeed. If you are a prisoner of your flesh and this control has literally killed you, if you feel dead inside and do not want to live, you can be set free and come alive. When a man or woman finds spiritual understanding, and what is the purpose of living, though he were dead he shall surly live. Jesus said, "You must lose your life, to find it." I encourage you to feed your spirit; "if you seek me you shall surly fine Me" . . . and Jesus cannot lie.)

Break through....at last

This wash drawing I did in class a few days ago, really got a lot of praise from fellow artists; nearly everyone thought I should frame it... I frankly don't see it (I was floored). Even my instructor said it was very good. Could it be that it was just a good likeness of the model? Any comments on the wash drawing are welcome...please tell me what it is that you like or don't like . . . I'm curious why I can't see what they see or maybe I'm right and they are wrong.

Some ink drawings recently ... I think are really some of my best work so far in figure drawing aesthetically speaking. I will post them soon in a new post.

Thanks Jon for your comment (below).
This drawing will be signed and framed.

"You've had a major break through, Patti and you have gone to another level in your drawing," instructor Glen says. At life drawing class, he pulled me aside, "I've watched you for the last two classes and I can confirm it is a real advancement, he goes on, "This is how it goes in art; you have advanced. It's unpredictable." I had noticed that Glen had stepped back and was just letting me go lately. I thought he was not wanting to pressure me because of my grief and stress when actually, he was watching to see if this was a true advancement.

Puzzling isn't it? One would think progress would halt in such circumstances since I have not been able to focus down on drawing since my mother passed away? The last few weeks has me drawing here and there and fearing my recent progress was slipping back. Instead, something great was happening.

Apparently this is how artists grow . . . in plateaus and often suddenly. One can never plan for it and it goes against logic for you work and work and struggle and don't feel you are getting any where and then all of a sudden "things click" and you see differently as you draw. Yet, I know how the subconscious mind continues to work on problems even when our conscious mind is unaware. This phenomena happened in brainstorming for ideas in my former career in graphic arts. The greatest ideas would often come a day or two after brainstorming for hours and hours. The mind works on problem solving even when we are not fully conscious of doing so.

(I will edit this post and upload some more recent sketches. Truly feeling blessed for I needed a boost right now badly . . . no time today to do it.)

Pondering this great mysterious passage...

¹AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins in which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God] among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God's] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind but God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) and He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus. For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor toward you) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Therefore, remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands. [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God. But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
--Ephesians 2:1 (Amplified Version)

Pondering this great transform-ative Gospel which is the work of God at work in us . . . i.e. Christ being IN US. This is a mystery. It is truly a miraculous work of the Spirit of God . . . a work that is God's purpose in creating us in the first place. The first two chapter of Ephesians if taken to heart and understood will transform a person's thinking.

Returning to Art . . .

Here are some recent sketches.

I'm working on giving weight to the figure, balance, proportion, and movement.



Last figure drawing class, I had a really good night and there wasn't any good reason for that because I hadn't drawn in over a week. I was just on. I truly think I was given a bit of grace and favor to encourage me a bit...I wasn't expecting to do any good at all.