Yay!

This is my first post in forever! I wanted to announce that I now have a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology! I finished my last class in December 2011.

I only had one class for my last term, so I had a bit of time to draw and have since finished a couple of small graphite portraits for a friend and a small colored-pencil drawing of a sparrow. I still have a few more portraits to do and I have a couple more drawing projects planned.

Finished!

Just a Minute
11" x 14"
Colored Pencil on Pastel Board

Finally finished with this one. Now all that's left to do is color the outside edge (not necessary, but I think it looks better), spray it, attach a hanger or purchase a stand for it. I am really happy with the way this turned out. Hopefully, my son will pass it down to his children. For now, though, it's Mama's.

Almost Finished

I have been taking classes and, as a result, haven't had too much time for anything creative. I decided that I was going to do my best to get this finished before classes start again. They start on the 11th, so that doesn't give me much more time...but, I think I can finish this. After that, I am planning on going back to a drawing that I started over a year ago, and see how far I get. Hopefully I'll get it finished soon. There is no way to get it finished in between this term and the next, so it may take another year-smile. So it doesn't become jinxed, I am not even going to mention anything else about the next drawing until it's finished and ready to post. I plan to take photos of the continuing stages. Well, that's enough typing for this post, hopefully there will be a final entry for this portrait before too long.

Just A Minute

11x14

Colored Pencil on Pastel board

Just a Minute

Just A Minute

11 x 14

CP on Board

This is what I am working on at the moment. I just started it today. I am experimenting once again with different supports (surfaces). This is an ongoing, slow, process. I have been busy with other things lately, so this is the first actual sit-down-take-a-bit drawing I've started in a while. All I've had time for has been a few "skudies"--my new word for projects that fall somewhere in between a sketch and a study. It's either that or "stetches."

I've worked on pastel board before. The first time was in a Nicole Caulfield kit that I purchased. Since it was from a kit, I'll ask her permission before posting my results here. When working on the kit, I kept thinking, "This stuff would be great for portraits!" I've had this particular piece laying around for some time with this particular portrait in mind; finally, I got to take the plastic wrap off and get started. One of the biggest challenges for me when using a colored surface is getting the final drawing transferred to the surface. I never draw directly on the surface when creating the preliminary drawing, so that it won't suffer the brunt of my many mistakes (smile).

So far, this is my favorite surface/support for colored pencil because it allows so many layers and holds up to my heavy-handed drawing style.

Apple: Colored Pencil Study

This is an apple drawing from the pages of my sketchbook, but I would consider it more a color study than a sketch, due to the greater detail involved. Hey! I think I'll Google the difference between these terms that are often used in the art world to see how they differ...I'll be right back, but before I go, I want to explain what I think the basic difference is.
I consider a sketch as a quick, loosely-drawn rendition of a subject to capture the general shape, feature placement, proportion, and/or movement.

I always think of a study as a quick drawing with elements similar to a sketch in that it's a rough draft. However, a study differs from a sketch, in my mind, because it involves a bit more time and detail for a specific focus area, or areas, that an artist feels the need to "study" in order to improve his or her knowledge or technique. (e.g. the various colors used, how the colors work together, the proportion, minute details that add character to the subject, composition, etc.) Writing detailed notes about these observations, I also relate more with a study than a sketch; although a sketch can have notes and notes are not a necessary component of a study. I know, I overthink everything...I had someone tell me once that I got too caught up in minor details.

What do you think the difference is between the two terms?

Most of my sketches end up somewhere in the middle of a sketch and a study, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary. Should I call these "skudies" or "stetches?"