Pieces and parts...

Today I wasn't able to fully catch people, but instead of starting over, I just picked a different spot on the paper and started over. I think it was kinda fun. :) Now I have no more pages in my small sketchbook, and a 40% off coupon that unfortunately doesn't start until August the 2nd. Looks like for the next couple days I'll be carrying my big sketchbook around... hmmm.....

Same dude

The second time in as many days I've seen this guy on the train. And for the second time... he fell asleep. To give him credit, though, the book that he was reading looked like a manual... and pretty boring... :-)

Webby's dad.

Sadly, yesterday, I spilled some water on my sketchpad. Luckily it dried. But left wrinkles. We'll call it character. :-D  This is Webby's dad. More fun with lines today.

line

Yup. Something's off. Probably the shadow on the neck and under the chin. But I had fun with the line. :)

sorta done

I didn't quite get to the thicker marker pen today. Had to get off the train. :) Funny how different that thicker line makes them look....

Peoples

On the train reading, sleeping, etcetera-ing. :-)

twofer

Today was a fun day on the train. Relaxed hands, nice ride (no slamming on the brakes)... :)

Staring into nothing

This guy I was rather pleased with. Everything went smoothly...probably because the train ride took FOREVER (dramatic much?). So it was slow and smooth, and while I was using the movement of the train, it was slight and not fast and jolting so the lines went pretty much where I wanted them to go instead of having the pen slip off and zoom across the page at a particularly big bump. :)

Meh and Hey, not too bad!

The two smaller were on the way in on the train. Whether they were too small, or whatever, they seemed way too stiff. The way home felt better. loosened up, and bigger. And I didn't try to cover everything in  thick black line. :-P

Timmy

Timmy was nice enough to let me go through his albums and find a photo to practice on. :-) Thanks, Timmy.

More Than Just a Pretty Face...

I borrowed Germany again, this time to practice on his body. Ever since I was a kid I've had trouble sketching full body and not having them look stiff and robotic. While I'm not as satisfied with keeping the lines loose as I could have (probably from concentrating more on getting him more naturally posed) I AM satisfied that he doesn't look like a stiff mannequin. :-)

Soft Bun, Deep Lighting

She had a soft bun looped up onto her head, and she sat in harsh lighting. I loved to draw her face... :-)

Moms

Well, not MY moms. Ceej's mom. Circa 1970ish. Thanks for letting me borrow your mom, C.J. :)

Jim

Once again, not an easy day to sketch via transit. Loaded with bags and backpacks on the way, and a train packed with people on the way back, I borrowed a photo from my friend Jim. :-)

Heddy snoozing

Oh, okay, she wasn't sleeping. But she looked nice and cozy. :) And she let me borrow her to practice my loose sketching today. YAY!  :)

From the back...

Not too many people facing my seat today. Hmmm. Problem solved. :-D

Taking a peek

Busted mom peeking in my niece's plastic prize bag. So of course, I had to sketch it. I started with three circles and three lines with a pencil. Two for the head, one for the tip of the nose, and the lines to show approximately where the eyes, nose, and mouth were supposed to go.

Dinner

No, I didn't drink my dinner. But today I discovered that the chicken that I'd gotten out of the freezer was still frozen. The coffee shop started closing at 6...and I was there at 6... so I wandered until I found a bar that I used to go to to get food once in a while. And while I was waiting for my grilled chicken on a pita I sipped on a cranberry juice, chatted a bit with a guy about his two brushes with death (one was appendicitis) and sketched the beer on tap and a few other things behind. How's that for breaking up the monotony? :-D

Well, I DID say "Sketches From A Train".

So.... it's another sketch of a guy on a train. I think it's time to play more, though... experiment more... how? Hmmm... we shall see, we shall see....

Both Ways

I've taken to sketching on the train on both the way to work and the way back home. I used to do it one way, then read on the other one. But I gotta admit, this seems to be more fun most times.  :-)

Train guy

huh. Who'da thunk? :-D

kisses

I saw this guy on the train today. And couldn't help but wonder who's lips those were... and if they kissed a piece of paper with lipstick on, or if the guy who did them freehanded it... :)

No Book

Today, I had no kindle. But I did have a sketchbook, a pencil,  a pen, and several sleeping people just begging to be sketched... :-)

A Work In Progress

Let me start out with the fact that this is one of the most atrocious photos that I've ever taken of a work in progress. But I'll qualify that by saying that it's late, there is no natural sunlight, so what once was a lovely warm brownish grey flannel look has, by the incandescent setting on my camera, been lightened up and made more blue. But this is just so that you'll get the idea of why I LIKE this so much. Well, for now. We'll see when it gets closer to done.

So WHY do I like it? Because 1.) this is the first five person portrait that I've ever attempted. 2.) I haven't tried to do one in a long time, and prior to this I used to draw out a grid and carefully measure and sketch in with a pencil all the lines, and would follow them religiously. But since I started this sketchbook project I have discovered that as perfectly rendered like a photograph is not nearly so interesting as what the lines (and in this case, the pastels) do to and for the subject. So I let go. I chose a different paper, one that's smoother without the exact dimples in the paper, but more one that feels like a fine grit sandpaper. I took a lighter pastel pencil and blocked in the circles for the head and the basic body shapes, and went back in with a darker umber pastel pencil to block in the features. I won't be going for exacting detail, but more for "paint strokes"... more Degas, less Close if you get what I mean. and 3.) I didn't do too bad on the beginning. I'll be spraying fixative on it, then going back in and mixing things in and around on the paper. I just want to keep the basic facial structures where they are so that suddenly I don't give child #3 a nose in the middle of her forehead... :)

Germany and Chicago

From a candid photo... yours truly, along with her boyfriend, the aforementioned Germany. It's fascinating that one small muscle movement changes the landscape of the face so much. Pulls the skin, causes a dimple, adds in a wrinkle,  moves a feature... so suddenly you're wondering if that IS you, if you didn't screw it up royally. But then you realize that that's the most bizarre and fun part ABOUT capturing the face. The fact that it IS always changing. :-)

twofer

Today was a VERY bumpy ride. Can you tell?  :-)

3/4 away (ish)

Well, almost a 3/4 view. The gent in question was constantly turning his head away, and back. The ear stymied me for a bit. And still does.  :)

looking up...

There's something graceful about people looking up. The neck, I think. :-)

June 27- July 3rd.

 Due to unfortunate circumstances beyond my control, I've been away from Facebook for a week. I've still been practicing though... as you see by the sketch of my nephew......

 And my mom....

 and my foot....

 and the organist at mom's church...

 and my head...

 and my hand...

annnndddd....the guy on the train who was pretty hot and sweaty. Well, it WAS pretty warm today... :)