Month End: A Story and Lessons in the Image

I was much pleased with today's sketch. Not only did the person offer some character in the view and perspective but the resultant image tells a contemplative, meditative story. I had been having difficulty with hands and fingers and this pose was motivating for it presented palm gloves with fingers extruded. This was a suitable ending to the last  month long journey and worthy to me of showing my progress after 60 days of sketch practice during my rail commutes. This was a good likeness, showed light-dark contrast, tells a story, and has some feeling associated with it.  In my humble apprentice opinion.

Daily Sketch: Contemplative - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

I went back and reviewed my first set of Lessons Learned after 30 days of sketching.

What are my Lessons Learned for the second 30 day period of sketching? I had some firsts: Group sketch, assembled composite of multiple individuals, and Beauty. Matured my ability to capture a likeness but not always. Also, was able to start thinking about how to capture a feeling in the sketch. Increasing the size of the sketchbook and each sketch may be helping the resultant effort. I am working up the scale from cartoon caricature to realism. I have occasionally been able to move away from the flat face two-dimensional graphic to a more 3D depiction. In this last 30 days, I feel better about eyes, nose, and mouth. And that focus has resulted in better Likeness.

What are potential challenges going forward? Recognized the need to capture attributes such as childness, agedness, frailty, etc. Adding more body posture and position to the head portraits I have been doing? Detailing hands only perhaps. Maybe being willing to sit at the depot at the end of a workday for an extra 45 minutes and sketch people at the cafe tables. Or standing waiting for their ride. Or working at the eateries and kiosks. Methods might include using a tinted marker or wash to add depth to the outline sketch Could consider switching to some type of pen to darken the outlines and eliminate erasures from the method. Some of my opportunities come from Serendipity. Must be on the lookout for her.

Opportunities to Sketch: May have to Create Some

Another Daily but only one in the morning commute. Fewer subjects and fewer vantage points, it seems, to gain something lively.

Grinding It Out: Sometimes

Just one today.

Daily Sketch: Likeness AM - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Same But Different: Size

Still working on achieving likeness of the subjects. But scaling up the sketchbook and assigning one portrait per page changes the task and the results, I think. Its a bit more precarious on the train and subway...what with the movements of the car. It's more obvious and tougher to hide my activity! There may be an effect whereby I tend to select subjects for whom I have more time to sketch them. I filter out the quick sketch subjects. We shall monitor and see if this is an undesireable side effect. Only ended with a mediocre likeness at the end of the day.

Daily Sketch: Crowd - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Mediocre Likeness - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Sizing Up the SketchBook: Effects in the Future

Started a new sketchbook today after filling the previous. Larger format 7.25 in x 9.75 in Moleskin. We shall see if it has an effect on the drawings and compilations.

Daily Sketch - Resting 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch - Curly Wavy 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch - Hairline PM - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch - Likeness 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch - Melancholy Self - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Yeah. I am feeling a bit of the blues today.

Exaggerated Caricature: Memorable

On the subway today, a very remarkable character boarded with just an amazing face. The person walked by me and took a seat at the far end of the car. I did not have a good vantage point to sketch them with any detail. But I stole occasional glances and sketched almost from memory what I observed. Very quickly, Memorable was gone at the next stop.

Daily Sketch: Exaggerated - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

The Phillipine man to my right was watching me do the sketch and smiled as he saw the sketch taking shape. Then he asked if I would sketch him after Exaggerated left the car. So I did, and he asked for the sketch. So I tore it out of my book and gave it to him.  He had an amazing complexion, a wonderful grin, and crinkly eyes. His hairline was distinctive. Of course I had to give away the sketch so I don't have it to scan and publish. But I decided to try and re-create it from memory but did not care for it as much. Both sketches were done extremely fast because my stop was coming up. His mouth was distinctive but it was the last attribute I was working on and I couldn't even get close to getting it right.

Daily Sketch: Phillipine from Memory- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Being Watched During Sketch

Most of the time I have been surreptitious in my sketching without openly displaying or discussing the activity. Occasionally though, the effort leaks out and there is some dialog and interaction with those around me. In the case of Likeness 02, I took an entire train ride and only worked the lady's image from afar - about 6 seats away. She was very animated in discussions with a friend.

Daily Sketch: Likeness 01- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

 Daily Sketch: Someone Watching Self - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Sometimes I only see a person out of the corner of my eye and work the sketch.

Likeness: Drawing Larger

Recently I have been increasing the scale of my portrait sketches a tad. Instead of multiple sketches to a page, I have enlarged each visage. I think it helps my confidence a bit and assertiveness in the process a bit.

Daily Sketch: Likeness 01- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Likeness: With a Bit of Self

Today's efforts continue the saga of seeking a likeness with quick sketches along the daily commute. As the mornings get darker heading into late fall and early winter, my reflection is darkly indistinct in the train windows. Sometimes with no one else to sketch, I work on the boring artist in the mirror.

Daily Sketch: Likeness 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 03 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 04 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Bit of Self 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Likeness: Getting More Consistent

After 45 days of sketching, I feel I am getting more consistent at catching a likeness of a person. Not always. Occasionally, my efforts are a disaster. But the probability of being able to express what I see is maturing somewhat. Today I was able to capture two likeness'.

Daily Sketch: Likeness 01- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 02- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

I am not yet convinced that my own personal "style" has emerged from the deep but I imagine that the thread of my self is within these sketches and that it will become more apparent at a later date when I look back.

Beauty: A Grasp Not Quite Yet Within My Reach

This morning a pretty lady with some nurse's garb sat in the commuter rail bench seat next to me. She promptly closed her eyes and rested and only occasionally moved or opened her eyes to get her morning bearings. I have to say I was struck by her Beauty and figured to see if I could capture Beauty with my pencil. Although I managed a likeness of her, I think the Beauty that I saw was not quite within my artistic grasp this morning. A sketching goal to continue towards to have the ability to capture femininity, beauty, innocence, child likeness, or even venerable ageing, or frailty, or character in a drawing. The sketch makes her slightly younger than perhaps I remember.



Daily Sketch: Beauty with Likeness 01- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

So I continue the Daily Trudge. An apprentice to sketching and a journeyman seeking noble but elusive object attributes. But this is a first for me to move towards this attribute with my pencil. Thank you, Beauty.

Fleeting Glimpses: A Momentary Interaction

The city life and the commuting path involve lots of people. The diversity and character is amazing. There are so many momentary glimpses of an image during this daily walk that I think have the potential to make great art.  But to tell a story in the graphic or to attach a feeling with the image is also a challenge. What is the message to be sent? What is the message received?

Daily Sketch: Baby 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Excerpt 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Excerpt 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Fleeting Glimpse 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Fleeting Glimpse 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Group 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Likeness 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Shading 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Shading 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Emergency Exit: A Sense of Foreboding

Getting up really early because I can't sleep is becoming a habit. After a few hours of work where I don't get interrupted or affect the family because they are sleeping, I ready for the train ride into the city. Today's ride in had a sense of foreboding. I seemed to be asking myself the question "Can I keep up this pace? I had thoughts of "pulling the plug" and "exiting stage right" from this frenetic fever and fury in employment. Hence, the Doom sketch. Seeking emergency exit and getting off the hook.

Daily Sketch: Doom - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Columbus Day 03 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Columbus Day Likeness 01- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Columbus Day Likeness 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Not in Isolation 01- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Subway Likeness 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Subway Likeness 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Subway Likeness 03 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Subway Likeness 04 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

So I am not in isolation during the planetary commute on this Columbus Day state holiday. Peeking out and observing in a quiet fashion. Captured many likenesses. Some with simple lines. Depicting larger sketches which is helping either the confidence or the flourish. I think this is the first group sketch of figures I have ever done. Sometimes I have only minutes or seconds to sketch what I see because subjects move their posture or leave their seat. 

Femininity: The Challenge of Capturing the Mind's Eye

One challenge I have been working towards the last thirty days has been capturing a "likeness". Not everytime but sometimes I think I have been able to achieve some of the essence of a person. Today for some reason I was stricken to work towards "femininity". So I worked from several photos that I liked to see what I could get down on tablet.

 Daily Sketch: Feminine 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Feminine 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Feminine 03 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Feminine 04- Copyright James E. Martin 2012

I definitely feel like a self-taught artist. Better than I ever thought I might accomplish with my own hand but still not what is completely in my mind's eye. This is a journey.

End of the Week: Mixed Results

I have mixed feelings about today's drawings. The first two must have been warm-ups because I had difficulty getting them down and they seem a bit cartoonish. The two Profiles were good likenesses. I like the Three Quarters sketch for its relaxed composure. Although I wouldn't have admitted that it was a likeness at the moment of creation, I enjoy the end result as a drawing the more I view it.

Daily Sketch: First 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Second 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Profile 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Three Quarters 01 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Sleeping Sister of Three - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Daily Sketch: Profile 02 - Copyright James E. Martin 2012

Three beautiful sisters on the subway across from me fidgeting while starting their trek to school with their mama in the early morning. I could only capture the one Sleeping Sister of Three resting her head on mama's lap. I so much wanted to capture the three heads in many different positions and postures but the two oldest, maybe twins, were always moving. To get the one resting sister will have to be today's satisfaction enough.

I had shared my sketch book drawings with a young man from work because we had previously discussed the mutual appreciation for art study. He made some comments that made me think I was on the right track but still had work to do. I thought it interesting that he speculated I was making the images up out of my head. But I recall that he is studying art because he wants to create fantasy creatures and people for video gaming. He was gently surprised that I was sketching people from life and direct observation while on the train and subway. To each his own path on the Journey.