On a break ?

The past few days have been a struggle in my artistic pursuits...several horrendous sketches, painting disasters followed by hours of sulking. After repeated failures and wallowing in self pity I concluded that sometimes it is important to let go and not try too hard..so, I am on a break doing things that need to be done but I hate doing.. Apartment hunting, laundry, marathon cleaning, financial paperwork and WORKOUT ! But, the week has ended on a very good note.I have had the privilege and pleasure of attending Qiang Huang's workshop. Enriching and motivating..It ends tommorrow and I shall dedicate my next blog posting to him (hopefully with a fine painting)

A Study of 'Indecision'

Oil on Canvas, 14X16

I painted this as a study of Andrew Atroshenko's 'Indecision'. Andrew Atroshenko is one of my favorite figurative artist and I plan on doing more of his paintings to study his style...his choice of colors are warm and vibrant. The strokes are loose, there is a richness in his work. I would love to see his work in person and probably own his original work some day :)

Came across this model in a magazine. Loved the folds in her white sarong..decided to leave out the rest of her :) I think a blue/orange wooden frame ( weathered looking) will be ideal !

Charcoal on paper 

 In this sketch I was aiming for simplicity..minimum strokes and details.That is sort of a challenge for me because I am drawn to the details.  A detailed realistic sketch can be very static..loose bold strokes make it more dynamic and generate visual interest. There will be many more of these charcoal sketches on my blog as I try to loosen my strokes. 

Btw, I've ordered Henry Yan's Figure Drawing book. It has a compilation of his sketches. I can't wait to see it..will be an absolute treat to the eyes.

I sketched this weeks back from a live model. She had a beautiful curvaceous figure, and an elegance in her pose. To give a sense of movement to the sketch, I added the hair strands and heavy directional strokes in the background.  I am happy with the outcome :)