Sunday's figure painting

Venue: Konstnärshuset, Stockholm. 20160228

On the last Sunday of each month I go to a two hour - one position life drawing or figure painting session. It's a fun day because I meet up with the local Stockholm UrbanSketchers beforehand to sketch for at least 3 hours! :)

Model Jonas who is a dancer on Arches rough 300g watercolour paper

Saturday's life drawing

Venue: Basis, Stockholm 20160227

3 minute pose

10 minute pose

10 minute pose

Getting there

I wonder what type of watercolour artist I will become. I know I want to leave something for the viewer of my work to interpreted. A form of mystery you could say. So, I have no plan to be a realist even if some of my paintings look that way. I'm in transition. This watercolour of a woman with her head in her hands, what is she thinking? I leave that up to you. I like that, the mystery.

Woman in thought. 50 x 32 cm Saunders rough 300g watercolour paper

Tuesday's life drawing

Venue: Konstnärshuset, Stockholm 20160223.

I found this model hard to draw. I blamed her figure at first but then I realised that it was my attitude that was totally wrong. It's amazing what a difference such enlightenment makes.

5 minute pose

5 minute pose

10 minute pose

A workmate's best friend

This was a commission. I presented it to the dog owner a few days ago. He liked it a lot so that made me happy. It's the first time I painted a dog, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Actually, I have painted horses in the past so I'm not a total beginner when it comes to animals. I'm not happy with the grass, next time I'll be less fussy.

Tax 29 x 39 Arches rough 300g

Espresso House Café

Espresso House Café. 21 x 14.5 cm Clairefontaine watercolour sketchbook.

Saturday's life drawing

Venue: Basis, Stockholm 20160220

I was in the groove so I enjoyed this session. Currently using a charcoal pencil on A3 paper. The model was excellent which helps a lot.

3 minute pose

3 minute pose

3 minute pose

5 minute pose

3 minute pose

3 minute pose

3 minute pose

5 minute pose

3 minute pose

Tuesday's life drawing

Venue: Konstnärshuset, Stockholm 20160216
These drawings are from last week. I have a back-log right now, just too busy to blog. Terrible thing!

A3 - 2 minute pose

A3 - 5 minute pose

A3 - 5 minute pose

A3 - 2 minute pose

Lunchtime watercolour

This is one of my lunchtime watercolours from during the week. Last year I visited Brittany, France. I took a blurred photo from the speeding train outside Paris on my way to the west. The wheat fields with their islands of trees reminded me of the Stockholm archipelago.

Wheat fields outside Paris 30 x 24

Tuesday's life drawing

Venue: Konstnärshuset, Stockholm. 20160209

I have to admit I struggled with this model. Her poses were mostly complex and her body was nymph like in appearance but I must say she was very good. I have no complaints, it was a pleasure to struggle over such things.

10 minutes pose

5 minute pose

5 minute pose

5 minute pose

5 minute pose

5 minute pose

Saturday's life drawing

Venue: Basis, Stockholm 20160206

We had Saturday life drawing at last. Our old teacher, Harald left town at Christmas and the school had difficulty filling the guy's shoes obviously. Harald is missed but the new teacher seems promising. He got his art education in Budapest so that's interesting at least. He changed the amount of time we spent on each pose after the first two five minute ones. He made them shorter, very short - one minute ones! Funny but after a series of one minute poses we moved up to two minute poses and then it felt we had ages to complete a sketch.

3 minute pose

2 minute pose

2 minute pose

4 minute pose

4 minute pose

4 minute pose

2 minute poses

2 minute pose

3 minute pose

2 minute pose

5 minute pose

1 minute poses

1 minute poses

Cheap palette

This is the last time I buy a cheap palette to hold my expensive watercolours. It lasted a year,  it was the palette I used at work for my lunchtime watercolours. Live and learn :)

Rusty palette

Tuesday's life drawing

Venue: Konstnärshuset, Stockholm. 20160202

I enjoyed this life drawing session. I was happy with most of my sketches which rarely happens. I was trying out a new charcoal pencil, a Kuelox Charcoal pencil - 1803 Soft. I liked it a lot, the only negative is that the pencil is very hard to sharpen without shattering the compressed coal.
Rosa, the model is an ex-circus artist who is very strong, her figure is quite short and stocky. She's a great model and I've been drawing her since the very start, but these days I tend to stretch her, I make her taller than she really is in my sketches. I guess it is to suit my ideal female form, it's my artistic licence, sorry about that Rosa if you ever happen to stumble over this post.

5 minute sketch

2 minute sketch

5 minute sketch

10 minute sketch

10 minute sketch

5 minute sketch

5 minute sketch

5 minute sketch

2 minute sketch

5 minute sketch

2 minute sketch

2 minute sketch

2 minute sketch