Thank You, Charlie O!

I don’t know Charlie O’Shields personally, but I’ve always felt a bit of a connection with him. He’s from Kansas … More

7 Observational Drawing Exercises

Athletes play sports, yet they also go through extensive drills. Musicians perform at recitals, but first they must spend a … More

A Full Range of Values

Critiques are helpful; criticism, not so much. We sometimes confuse the two. The difference, of course, is that a critique … More

Throwing Shade

I’ve been told that until my accuracy in drawing improves, I really don’t need to worry about learning to shade. … More

Lines of Action

My first gesture drawings — done in May 2016 — were a lot of fun. They were also (in my … More

Day 5 — Making It Easy

Who says drawing has to be difficult? Who says fashion illustration is a complex, complicated process? Some books seem to … More

When Did Gesture Drawing Become So Hard?

I’m reminded again of that quote from Degas about how easy painting is when we don’t know how to do … More

Musicians at Play

OK, so where have I been and what have I been doing? I obviously haven’t been drawing or painting recently. … More

Not Bad for a Barn

Finding this sketch tucked away among my art books brought a smile to my face.

Sketchbooks are for Sketching

I’ve often recounted the story of buying my first sketchbook, how odd it felt to walk through the art supply … More

Fun with Figures

I love the looseness and relaxed quality I can get by making these timed sketches, such as this “Weeping Woman” – the final pose of my class today.

Go Figure!

When I was first introduced to gesture drawing last year, it made no sense to me at all. What could possibly be gained from quickly scribbling down lines that only remotely resembled a human being?

Bringing Art to Life

I am absolutely in love with gesture drawings and the Quick Poses website. I’ve done gesture drawings in the past. … More