I had a wonderfully long weekend with my BFF in San Francisco shopping and eating, in Nevada City shopping and eating and at her beautiful home in Penn Valley, Ca....shopping and eating!!!! I love you gf!
San Francisco cablecar
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9:25 PM
Very, very quick sketch done in less than 2 minutes! The cable car was loading people at the turnaround so it wasn't moving. I added the color at home.
Posted In
fountain pen,
moleskeine,
travel,
watercolor
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4
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So where am I now?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
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5:12 PM
a few hundred miles from home, with my bff, a bottle of wine, bread and a happy reunion. This was lunch at the top of the Macy,a building in.....,,,,?
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10
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charcoal on sketch paper 18x24
Monday, March 24, 2008
at
7:01 PM
This was done last week at the March Figure Drawing session at the Riverside Art Museum.
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7
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Bunnies
Saturday, March 22, 2008
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12:17 PM
Bunnies, originally uploaded by mmvgonzales.
Sent from me and my cool iPhone
I'm at work today and tomorrow. We are trying to send as many kids as we can home for Easter. I had about an hour between medications and care so I painted the bunnies on one of the doors to a patient room. So, Happy Easter everyone!!!!
Posted In
window art
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5
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Mile Grazie Michelangelo!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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4:54 PM
I had said I wasn't going to post all my class drawings every week. But this week was an especially frustrating and insightful. Apart from getting a start to the master study assignment, there were new concepts to learn and employ.
On Monday she had us begin looking at the figures basic geometric shape and even though we aren't drawing it every time, we should be seeing those shapes when we approach a figure drawing. If you look closely at the long pose of the seated girl you can see the fine box shape around the head.
Today after our warm up gesture sketches we did 3 erasure drawings. I didn't like this exercise at all! You cover the paper with conte, smear it with a chamois and then with a kneaded erasure you begin to lift out the lights to bring the figure out of the paper. Some students really liked this, I wanted desperately to pick up my conte!
*I had a very insightful dream last night. I was in the studio at school all by myself. I had just finished a drawing on a grey sheet of paper and was unhappy with it. While pondering what was wrong with it I heard a male voice tell me to "pick up the head."
"What?" I said
"Pick up the head"
I looked around to see a pleasant young man dressed in robes talking to me. I knew instantly it was Michelangelo.
I asked again, " Pick up the head?" I wasn't sure what he meant so I reached for the drawing. As soon as I touched it the head of the drawn figure was in my hands in 3 dimensional form. I gaped in astonishment!
He handed me a wooden dowel and told me to drive it through the top of the head; and told me that should help solve some of my problems.
Speechless........I woke up.
If you notice on some of the gestures from today.....I have a fine line (dowel) drawn through the top of the head. It did help!
Mile Grazie Michelangelo!!!!!! Baci!!!
ps: the crease in the drawings is from a stack of books that fell on the roll of drawings. Dammmmm. I might have to iron them out because I have to turn in some of these drawings.
Posted In
conte,
erasure,
figure drawing
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11
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Marter Study no. 1
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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3:38 PM
First of eight is complete. This was hard work! I had to pick a figure drawing done by one of the masters. I choose Michelangelo. Then after obtaining a good photocopy I was to trace the drawing's tonal values. Next I had to copy the drawing using the materials the artist used and take observational notes about what I was obseving and learning by doing this. Lastly I was to do my own drawing using what I learned from the master and in the media used by the master artist. M poor Rudy agreed to posing nude for me but I told him I wanted to do some sketching first. So, he could keep his underpants on while i sketched. But I liked this seated pose so well (at least in conte) that I decided to use it for my study. Whee...he narrowly escaped this time!
Now, off to get ready for the theater! Rudy and I are going into Los Angeles to see Sweeny Todd at the Ahmenson.
Posted In
conte,
figure drawing,
ink,
other artist
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7
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Personal Best!!!
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10:25 AM
Today I hit a milestone with a personal best for a 5km run, 32min & 33sec. After recovering from my respiratory infection I am back to my good state of health and have begun to kick up the pace a bit on my training runs. It's been really cold out so I have opted for the treadmill at the gym this week. I'm still slow but for a 52 year old just getting started, I'm proud of myself! 6 weeks to go for the 5k in Century City to support Children's Cancer Research.
Posted In
running
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4
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Monday, March 17, 2008
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5:27 PM
I am on campus an hour before my class starts which gives me time to check out the stacks in the library and/or do some quick sketching. This morning was beautiful and sunny but very cold and windy. I finished up the sketch I had begun last week of the building surrounding the quad and did a new one of the kids napping by the large picture windows.
I had a good session in class today. Can't wait to post some of today's sketches. She had us simplifying the body into geometric shapes before beginning a long pose with the model. We also had some play time with a couple of the poses; pretending we were small children and approaching the drawing with that mindset. It was fun!
Posted In
fountain pen,
moleskeine,
pencil,
watercolor
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9
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Another week of Figure Class under my belt.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
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4:43 PM
Oh that key lime pie was good yesterday! Glad you all savored it along with me. I went out for a 4 mile run this morning to work off those calories. Much better to have virtually enjoyed it!
Another week of figure class come and gone. I feel like I am learning so much but applying so little! This week began with doing contour drawings after our gesture warm ups. I won't be posting too many gestures as you all have the idea. If you click on the drawing above it will take you to the set of drawings from figure class. I added 8 new ones from this week.
The contour was fun but difficult to do. She didn't want us outlining but rather to use a calligraphic line to move through the figure from one place to another. The first exercises were total blind contour but then we progressed to peeks at the paper but mostly keeping our eyes on the model. My final sketch that day I felt like I didn't do what she was asking so I didn't even put it up for a critique.
Today we continue with the idea of contour drawing and including using the basics from the previous weeks: spirit line, stick figure, filling in volume with the wire form or smoke ribbons. I had a hard time today and got so frustrated at myself. She stepped in and began a drawing for me and then it clicked what she was teaching. I did much better with my drawing after that. The above is what I did after her private mini lesson with me.
Work the next two days and then I really have to get going on my master studies, two which are due on the 26th.
Posted In
conte,
figure drawing
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6
comments
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Key lime by the seaside
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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1:19 PM
Sent from me and my cool iPhone
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8
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Students in Motion
Monday, March 10, 2008
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6:12 PM
I caught these images as I sat out in the afternoon sunshine on campus.
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6
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From Mama's arms to God's
Saturday, March 8, 2008
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9:20 PM
I got the news that Devin died at the hospital this evening. He had been there for several weeks; desperately fighting his disease. You always found Devin in his mama's arms. He was a sweet and extremely bright little boy; barely two years old and he knew his alphabet and numbers. He was very much loved by his parents and grandma who were with him constantly. My heart was broken when I got the phone call from one of the other nurses. We loved our boy and we are all feeling such a great loss. This portrait I did of Devin in his mama's arms last summer, hangs in my studio. I will be relinquishing it soon and I will miss it and my boy.
When such a tremendous ache falls upon my heart I reach for my art tools and loose myself there for a bit. This evening I sat alone and did this little copy from a book I borrowed at the library last week. The sound of the gentle strokes of the charcoal pencil on the paper brought me comfort. Thank you God for filling my life with art and little ones.
Posted In
charcoal,
graphite,
pastel,
pencil
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18
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The Gonzales' European Family Vacation 2007
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12:43 PM
For the holidays Amy's boyfriend, Seth put together this DVD of our trip to Europe in October 2007. What a special gift! It's taken me a few months but I figured out how to copy it into my itunes library and into Youtube. Hope I did it right and you can all see and enjoy it!
Posted In
travel,
video
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5
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muscular and skeletal system
Thursday, March 6, 2008
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12:01 PM
I am really sick. I went to see the PA at my Doctor's office today and saw this behind the door. It's a large laminated poster. I asked her how much $$$$ I had to give her for it. She laughed and pulled it from the door and gave it to me. It's now on the door to the studio! Oh, and she handed me rx for codine cough syrup, an inhaler and anitbiotics...and told to stay home all weekend from work and get better. So I'm off to make some hot tea and go lay down for the afternoon.
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9
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Week 2 of Figure Drawing class
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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5:17 PM
Lots happening in figure class this week. We continue to do gesture sketches with emphasis on beginning the figure with the 'spirit line' which is usually the midline. After getting our stick figure in with all the proportions correct we are to move on and 'bulk up' the figure. We do this by filling in volume using the imaginary wire around the forms, the smoke or ribbon effect or beginning to explore with contour line.
She also stressed the importance to get into the studio, set up your easel and have your tools ready to work. She wants to see us using our grids, viewfinders and pencils to measure distances and proportions and decide on composition. *Note to self: Get to class a few minutes earlier and be ready next time!
Lastly this weeks discussions and lectures were anatomy on Monday which covered going over a skeleton model and it's bones. I shouldn't have a problem with this since I know the bones like the back of my hand. She also showed us what she expects from out master studies she assigned. Basically we are to get a good photocopy of a master drawing (nude) then lay a sheet of tracing paper over it and block out three to five values in pencil and shade them in. Next we are to freehand draw the copy which we may use a grid system to ensure accuracy. We have to use the materials the artist used in our sketch as well. Lastly we are to draw an original drawing encompassing what we learned from that particular study. Whew!!!!! I think my firsto of the eight assigned is going to be a Michelangelo which I hope to start soon.
*I'm feeling under the weather, sore throat and achy all over. I made a doctor appointment for tomorrow because I fear this is going to get worse and I might need a doctor's note for work. I won't be able to take care of sick kiddos if I'm sick! Gonna drink lots of hot tea with honey and lemon and maybe something a bit stronger!
Posted In
conte,
figure drawing
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12
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Intensity
Monday, March 3, 2008
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8:29 PM
The figure class is in full swing this week with lectures, studio time, critiques and assignments for the semester. I realized today that my artistic focus is going to have to be committed 100% to this new direction. I am missing my watercolors but am willing to sacrifice for now to learn the most that I can from this class. I feel very fortunate to be in this class with this particular instructor that I highly admire. I'll post some of this week's work on Thursday with some notes on what I am learning. This sketch is done in my sketchbook/journal that I have begun for this class. I copied it from one of my new books: Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Peck. It's done in pencil: 2b to 6b.
Posted In
figure drawing,
pencil
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8
comments
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