Day 15: Bus Stop and Chipotle

Note:  I apologize for not making it to the OSU area. I had every intention of doing so, but took a nap an hour before class and set the alarm wrong, so by the time I woke up it was 5:20 and it wouldn't have been worth it to drive up.  So I thought I'd just make up the work with my own venture.  

Warming up.  I like how the guy holding the basketball has the whole Shakespear skull thing going on.  Should've given him a word bubble "Alas, poor Yorick!  I knew him well."

Drawing some more, trying to work on filling in blanks with my imagination.

Below is an interesting page.  The bottom is a collaboration between me and a homeless woman I got to talking with at the bus stop.  I think we talked for a least a half hour, mainly about a construction project of converting a semi truck trailer into a livable home.  It was a really fun conversation, where I drew a diagram of my conception of her idea (didn't show up well in the scan) and she drew over it to explain other concepts.


I though about asking to draw her, but a police officer came then asking about a suspicious backpack reported in the area.  He danced around the phrase "bomb threat" so I thought it would be wise to head somewhere else to draw...

Below is when I went to Chipotle.  There was this very unpleasant-seeming woman there.  Big jewelry and leather coat, with hair teased out in this perm I associate with bossy upper-middle class women and a rather sour expression/fake smile.  She seemed to be putting down her husband(?) a lot, so I tried to bring that out that unpleasantness in the drawing.

Just messing around here with exaggerations...

Day 14: Guest Speaker, Library, and Hospital Cafeteria

I kind of spread out my "free day" to a few locations (though together they added up to a day's worth, or more). I started out drawing audience members during a CCAD guest lecture (can you guess who the faculty member is on the first one?)

I later went to the library courtyard.  I realize that the these subjects seem "head on", but one guy was laying very low on the bench (his body was at an angle coming towards me), and the other guy had his head down in an odd way, showing his neck above his head.  I guess that counted as foreshortening in my book.

I then crossed the street to visit my favorite sketch hangout-- the hospital cafeteria!  I drew the lady on the upper left (with the chair) to make sure I had a good token foreshortening one, hehehe... Then I sat down with my cheap sushi to draw people.

I had fun with the exaggerated ones.  For some reason, I enjoy making people look weirder and less flattering than they really are...

Finally, I snuck in a developed drawing that's entirely from my head.  Can you spot which one it is?

Day 13: North Market and Nationwide

Another fun North Market excursion.  I'm trying to get better at using the side of my pencil.

The lady on top was working for the La Viet Market.  The guy on the bottom right was working at the meat place in the back (kind of a weird bending/foreshortening pose).

 I had fun with the woman on the top right, all done with the side of the lead.  The guy on the bottom was awesome- like mad scientist/professor.  I played it up a little but not much!

Yeah, this one's kinda bad in the anatomy department, but I sorta like the weirdness of it...

The top figure is Bert buying oysters.

Some people at the nationwide arena.  I was sitting on the ground and got this cool underside view of someone looking at the map above me.

Homework: Musical Gestures

OK, here they are!  I spread them out to 4 pages because I didn't have room to comfortably fit them, but it's still the right number of drawings so I'm hoping it's OK?  Anyhow, I used black colored pencil for all of these and focused on using the side of the lead to my advantage.


The first image features Vanessa Mae.  I'm a fan of the way she interprets classical music from the likes of Bach and Vivaldi, fusing it with modern beats, and injects energy into it both with performance style and the music itself.  The first image and the top drawing of the second are her.  


Here is the video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNc278W45ck

The pianist at the bottom of this second image and top of the third is Glenn Gould, a famous pianist.  I chose him partially because he has a very odd posture, sitting low and close to the piano.  His music style is very technical and staccato, well-suited to Bach.  I tried to capture the staccato by using lots of "points" emphasized on the line in strategic points.  Though I'm afraid I got caught up in the line more than the gesture perhaps?

Here is the Gould video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB76jxBq_gQ

The bottom two drawings are of a harpist interpreting "Fireflies" by Owl City.  I really like how it flows, and hands of harpists are awesome to watch.

Here's the video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eBnlAfvbqE

Finally, I wanted something with a lot of rhythm so I went after some African drumming/dancing.  The following are from two videos:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3D5Kt2nTEk (Kind of a long one-- she's near the beginning)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re9gkLLvxbA&feature=related

I'm rather happy with how I did the line on the top woman especially.

Day 12: Micky-D's

I decided to go down to the Grant Street McDonalds for the free day.  I had originally planned for the High/Broad bus hub, but the rain made that an issue.

It was a cozy experience.  Cold rain outside, and many people slowly sipping hot coffee.  And luckily it contained some characters.  I used black colored pencil for all of them.

This guy never once looked at me.  But he got up and moved behind me after awhile.  Guess he didn't want to be drawn then?  Anyway, he was fun because he seemed deep in thought.  And he was slightly cross-eyed, which was hard to try to capture right.

 This guy on top was funny.  He was deeply involved in some paper work.  His small round eyes and stretched mouth were fun.  I regret not exaggerating more.

Guy doing his homework from the looks of it.  He seemed to really be enjoying it, grinning and such.  Fun to watch.  I don't like the way I drew him though.  Maybe because I made up most of it from my head.  (Why do they always leave as soon as you start drawing them?  :-\)

Professor guy:  This man appeared to be meeting with a favorite student to discuss cutting edge and controversial modern philosophy.  (I don't know what he was really talking about though-- too far away.)  I really worked on capturing his expression, which was one of the weirdest expressions I've ever tried to draw.  He seemed to be excited (but skeptical), deep in thought, receptive but a little haughty at the same time.  He was furrowing his brows almost in anger, but he certainly wasn't angry.

Yeah, I know both hands are wonky.  I spent most of my time on the face...

Day 12: Classroom session

We had sort of a "regroup" meeting in class where we did very quick sketches and learned about what mistakes we were making (hands/line quality, etc...)  Eventful day!  Though I can't say I'm too happy with how any of these came out... guess it was an off day.

Drawing the hands of classmates.  The top two are Bert's.

Here are some hands I drew from imagination.  I tackled what I view to be my weakness, which is "hands holding large round things" like cups.

Top:  15-second conception of a vampire (half bat) and bottom is guy straining against wind.

Left:  Rene Magritte tribute guy, left: My vampire with posed student (2 mins?)

Bass player!  I had a hard time trying to "extend" the lines from the drawing to make it look more lyrical.  I suspect I overdid it...

I turned the big-skull costume into a Mexican "Day of the Dead" celebrator.

Guitar player.  Wish I would've made the style more musical...

Homework: Foreshortening

This was the foreshortening homework.  With the exception of the skeleton (who I did at the Halloween shop) all of them were done from the 2nd floor overhang at the Crane Center (the "deck" thing).  I happened to be out there on "National Coming Out Day" (this past Monday) where they had a table set up below me, though I drew some of the people walking down the sidewalk as well.

I hope I was able to get enough of the foreshortening effect... looking at these again, I'm a little worried it's not pushed enough... ?

Skeleton from the Halloween store:

Day 11: Easton Town Center (Halloween Store)

Ok, so I know I didn't show up at the MoJoe lounge but honestly I couldn't find it.  I'd never been to Easton Town Center and had no idea it was SO huge, and divided.  I kept driving around the different "sections" but when it started to feel like a waste of time I found the halloween store.  I thought it would be an awesome place to draw the decorations and try to capture their gesture.

Yes, I know it wasn't technically drawing from "life", but at the same time it didn't feel like I was drawing a still lfie either...  I was still trying to draw "characters".

I think the floor manager didn't like my presence there (got kicked out of one spot for blocking a shelf right as I was finishing the first drawing).  But I made sure to avoid blocking merchandise on the other ones so she left me alone.

I used black colored pencil.  I think it worked out for the subject matter.

Day 10: Grant Hospital Cafeteria

So I'm back to the hospital!  Once again, I took advantage of people watching the TV in the cafeteria.  I found that if I sat in the front where the TV was I could get a better vantage, while they were too distracted by the news to notice me drawing them.

Once again with the brush pen... I think I've been making some progress and really want to get better at it.  I also want to keep pushing facial/body features, slowly but surely.

Day 9: MoJoe Lounge

I busted out the brushpen again.  It's good fun!