Donny's Blog

From life. Watercolor and beer on paper. 9'' x 12''

From life. Watercolor and beer on paper. I had brought a tube of red watercolor but didn't have any water to mix it with. So, I used what was readily available, PBR. 9'' x 12''

In homage to Foucault, I'm renaming Like Breeding to...

Sometimes, in the course of drawing I'll do several figures on a single sheet of paper and I'll realize that most of the drawings suck. Though, if there's a portion of the drawing that I think is good, I'll try to save it.

My drawings are like, Breeding. multiplying like rabbits... So, I'm going to change the name of the blog from "Like Breathing" to "Like Breeding."

This sketch was done live from an Isabel Toledo Hermaphrodite Dress that was part of the exhibition American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion on display at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology from November 6, 2009 - April 10, 2010. 9'' x 10''.

It's so nice outside. Decent temperature and a nice breeze. All the pretty girls are out walking their doggies. I think I'm going to go and draw outside. I'll be back Monday August 9th, with new drawings, perhaps some I do over this lovely weekend.

This is a sketch probably done during last winter in the subway. When sketching from life in the city, it's often less intrusive to sketch people when they are not looking directly at you. That usually results in drawings of people reading the paper, sleeping and views from above or from behind. I think this sketch is successful for having captured the pose, the bulk of his jacket and the look of his head with hat and glasses. 5'' x 8''

This sketch was done with a  rotring artpen  which I love for the flow of the ink and ease of use with its ink cartridges. With the artpen, my mark marking tends to be more angular and scratchy (as opposed to the ballpoint which tends to be more circular and fluid). Generally, I find sketching easier with the artpen and drawing easier with ballpoint. I really like the composition in this sketch and the economy of line used to achieve a likeness. Sometimes, though it's a little shallow in terms of artistic aspiration, nailing a likeness with just a few lines can be very satisfying. 5.5'' x 8.5''

I do a lot of sketching from life when I'm out. Sometimes I sketch from the whole foods overlooking union square while enjoying a salad and coffee. This is a sketch of a lady, from above who is probably on the sidewalk at the bus stop at union square. People are always moving, so as quickly as possible I try to capture the pose and some essence of what that person looks like at that moment. 5'' x 8''

In the context of this blog, I have divided the work into two categories: drawings and sketches. I'd like to clarify the distinctions. Drawings I consider works that are done primarily from imagination and remembered inspiration. As opposed to sketches, which are done from life (that is, real people or animals or environments in the physical world that I am sketching from at the moment).

I love drawing hands. And lately, I've been really into elbows and forearms. 8.5'' x 11''

Sometimes, figures make the most beautiful silhouettes. I wanted to emphasize the shape with the heavy permanent marker. I also created a tilted and slightly under the head perspective. 8.5'' x 11''

According to the wikipedia entry on wire frame models : "A wire frame model is a visual presentation of a three dimensional or physical object used in 3D computer graphics... Using a wire frame model allows visualization of the underlying design structure of a 3D model." Similarly, I sometimes use line in my drawings to represent three dimensional form. (I also use line for it's emotive and lyrical qualities, but that's a different topic). Often in areas with a lot of detail, there will be a massing of lines, which also give it the effect of shadow or darkness. 8.5'' x 11''.