Pushing Through Some Resistance – Drawings!

Posted on by

I did not really want to draw today. I know we all reach these points – where we just don’t really feel like it!

I felt as though I had slipped back a few notches on the ladder of momentum

I was experienceing myself the exact same way I was when I first arrived back in Calgary, and had NOTHING in my sketchbook. Where to begin? I wondered. I experienced a great resistance to starting making drawings in my sketchbook – This lasted for around 3 drawings, where I had to push myself through  a kind of dissatisfaction/unsatisfactory, And Again today I felt as though I was standing in this place once more.

Having to build everything up again.

It was cool to see how the resistance dissipated as I drew.  I noticed my concerns/worries/resistances  were met, and dealt with, and that really, all that was required was an “actual doing” to get through them – An “actual doing” rather than a “thinking or worrying”

I have included some drawings where I have sectioned off the page into 4 quadrents. I wanted to include these examples because I have found this  sectioning off, to be one of the most useful applications I have “picked – up along the way” – I was introduced to this method of sectioning the page off into smaller portions by landscape painter, John Burton, while I attended the “en plen air masters landscape painting workshop in 2007. And have adoped it ever since.

Oh I also included to images showing each half of my face from a self portrait I did becaue i noticed each side looks quite different from the other – In one, I look like my father, and in the other, my mother…interesting.

enjoy

Andrew Gable

Posted on by

Andrew Gable’s – NEW SKETCHBOOK DRAWINGS – April 2009
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkAS7SH_Nz4]

Natural Expression – Drawing the Model

Posted on by

(SEE DRAWINGS AT BOTTOM)

I had the opportunity to attend two figure drawing sessions this past week.  It had been a while since i was last drawing from a model and so decided i would re-investigate this process of drawing.

I forgot how much I enjoyed drawing from the model. Earlier that week I had been thinking to myself…”wouldn’t it be nice if someone would just sit still for a moment so I could draw them. This thought emerging out of the process of simply, drawing the passer’s by on the street.

One of the reasons why I have also adopted exploring techniques in Landscape painting and drawing, in that – the landscape does not move as dramatically as the human, and offeres the opportunity to explore your medium in a different way – I have found working with the landscape very supportive as I have been experimenting with my latest drawings using pencil crayon on colored paper.

Interestingly enough – one of my favoite drawings i did this week, came as I was sitting on the street drawing the passer’s by! – I had just boughten a brand new burnt sienna pencil craoyon!!! – woo whoo0….Anyways, I thought I would get a feel for the color by making a quick drawing as I waited for the bus to figure drawing.  “The first drawing of the day”  I explained to a man who asked to see what i was sketching. ” To losen up”  and “get the feel of the pencil on the paper”

The night before I had attended my first session with the model and spent about three hours drawing (with breaks in beetween) I found the application of drawing the night before assisted much the next day as I nonchalontly sketched ‘the passers by”  My observation was stronger and I was able to move much quicker with much less effort and strain.

As I draw – this is my goal – I am looking for that natural expression of  drawing.  And I find that the more drawings I do, the more natural my expression becomes in that, that which I strained to draw before now is rendered without thought or hesitation, as if it is nothing, as if it is natural, easy.  I find I enjoy the experience of drawing and painting much more when it becomes natural. When I do not have to think about it, When I do not have to strain to create an image – I mean, don’t get me wrong – I have done my fair share of straining (in fact, last week i gave myself a headache as I attempted to filter through what i was seeing onto the page – no more filtering – just draw, I told myself afterwords) So, I have done  Enough straining , to realize that straining is not an expression i would wish to perpetuate – In actuality, i find my interest and observations about working “naturally” Naturally come to me. It just makes sense.

So to sum up – I found the two figure drawing sessions were nice to push this point about natural expression – looking at what is the best way for me to create images – where I dont kill myself in the process, but that if becomes about flow – I am finding that the best way to do this – is to just draw naturally, now! That its not something that I have to “build up to” but that if I want to draw naturally – then simply start now – embrace the process of getting to know my medium – and jsut keep it flowy.

Within this I find i can breath as I work,  and just draw some shit!

Andrew Gable

Who The Hell am I, and Who Have I Become?

Posted on by

self-portrait-on-wash-background1

Who the hell am I, and who have I become? I have to ask…in fact, I am compelled to ask, I cannot help but ask , i Have reached then end where the only thing left to do is ask

To look at myself and realize what I am actually living for. What I have accepted as Life and have “made peace with” in terms of what I actually believe this a life is all about.

I haven’t made that much money selling my art or utilizing my skills as an artist. Mostly I have been reluctant to “put myself out there” I have always taken a passive approach to promoting myself and my art and I see this as one of the main reasons I have never really developed a stable cash flow with my art. Most of the time my art  just piled up in my studio. I Never really considered that I would actually have to sell it myself. That I would have to make myself seen – in the same way as I deliberately painted a painting, I would have to then deliberately place the artwork and myself into view so that it can be seen – a step that I entirely ignored…UNTIL NOW

However I am aware of the “starving artist construct” and have observed my experience within this, and my beliefs around this. I am/was fine to create the art, but when it came down to the point of money, I became self conscious and was usually ready to compromise on the selling price. I have done this to the point of  giving it away by donation on the street – to selling original drawings for a few bucks right out of sketchbook.  Even when I was represented by a gallery I always had a fear about the price of my work.  A fear that I would never find a buyer.

I can see that this fear did not have so much to do with art as it did with my Fear of having no money – looking at the world and seeing how money basically equals comfort – that was what I was really afraid of not having – Comfort, freedom, the ability to move, to rest comfortably at night – Linking all of these points to money – so really when I had a fear of not selling my art – it was because of the my perceptions/observations of how essential money has become in this world – in the functionality of our existence – And me being afraid of not  having enough to live comfortably in this world. And also for me as an artist – It costs money to create art – And Being an artist is a cool occupation – its like I worked to get myself into a postion that I was utterly afraid of losing – No money = no studio, no art supplies, no dream occupation, and I would find myself working some labor job somewhere – I realize now that there is nothing wrong with working a labor job or something like that – I was working to get my piece of the pie…i just wanted a comfortable life. And I mean how cool would it be to paint paintings all day – it really was a “dream” occupation.  Interesting to what a human being will end up settling for in this world – this existence –  In asking myself – what is actually possible in this existence? and to see that “the bottom line” that I had defined and created for myself all on my own – was to just get my piece of the pie – “to live comfortable” out of infinite potential within existence – this is what I “settled” on – living comforty.  I mean what is actually possible in this world/existence. What are we really capable of.  its seems stupid to have devoted my entire life to “getting comfort” its like I put on the blinders and zeroed in on this one point only – everything I did – was to get that one point. I wonder what we are actually capable of?

Surely more than what we have come to know as “living a comfortable life”  If this is all we are living for…..I mean dosent that seem a little funny to you?

Sketchbook Stories – April 7

Posted on by

Sketchbook Stories – April 07

I left the house at around 9:30am this morning. It was a little chilly and I went to get a coffee. I also applied for a job while in the coffee shop, so waited around to have a brief meeting with the manger – I found I had all the answers to her questions only after I left the shop.

My first drawing only lasted about 5 minutes before the bus showed up…I then continued working on the drawing as i sat on the bus – exploring the use of pencil crayons on the washed paper – I knew that I wanted to keep it as observational as possible but I found just playing around on the paper attempting to finish off some areas on my first drawing while the actual subject was long gone behind me which I left when i got on the bus

red-bus-drawings

I then moved right from this drawing – seeing as how I had all my materials out and I was busy drawing anyway into drawing I few heads on the bus – again exploring how the pencil crayon works on the prepared paper surfaces.

I thought getting effective with drawing was much like fishing – Those who catch the most fish, I bet, have their hook in the water the most – thus, I am working on getting my pencil on the paper as much as possible. involved in the actual process of drawing – this I find is really the only way – the bottom line when it comes to wanting to build up drawings skills – or catch fish…..

Off the bus I headed into the heart of the city – it was cold because the tall buildings were blocking any sun from getting in.  So I sought out a sunny spot and began drawing the passers bye – I found there was too much movement for me at that stage. I still was/am in the process of seeing how my pencil crayons work so in a way drawing people walking around wasn’t really suiting what I was wanting to do – which is become effective in my color work with my pencil crayons on the colored paper

andrews-calgary-drawings-004

I found with drawing the people simple line drawings seemed more appropriate and I was looking more at developing a painterly technique which is applying blocks of color and establishing/building a drawing that way – I then went for lunch – I said “medium” spicy, but next time I will get mild! –

After lunch I decided that I would head toward a park area where there is less activity and movement – or rather where the movement is slower. This way I can take my time with my drawings.

The first drawing I made was of some trees with the buildings in the background – what drew me to the scene was the blue of the buildings which set a background for the entire setting – I had pencil crayons falling all over the place by the time I finished the drawing.

andrews-calgary-drawings-0032

I find that I usually figure out what I am doing as I go along – And much of the time if not all, I find i establish how I am going to layout the drawing only after Ive started – so for me, when im unsure, I just keep it simple and START.

So as mentioned I had way to many pencil crayons going with this drawing – but in a way this drawing was preparing me for the next one, which is usually how it goes.

I then gathered my stuff, and stood up to leave looking for another spot to draw. I took about 5 steps and noticed that the table I had been sitting at made a nice subject – so I litterally found my next subject…..or let me rephrase – I was sitting at my next subject already – I just had to take a few steps away from it to realize

I then set out to draw the green table I was sitting at – “SIMPLIFY”

green-table

I then walked down to the river and set up to draw the river winding into the distance – The subject stuck out because if its utter simplicity – I have found the simpler I work the more effective the drawing – So the subject also suited the simplicity I was already working at achieving.  In this drawing I only used a few select colors keeping the other pencils in the bag – and choosing to keep the drawing small to further simplify things – overall I was satisfyed with how this one turned out – Just as i finished two Canada Geese flow in to give me a walk bye – they were moving slow enough for me to make a few drawings – I had not time to sort out composition or anything like that – I just drew the geese right there on the page.

uncropped-river-with-geese

The I caught the bus home.

The end.

canada-geese-23

canada-goose-12

frozen-river-with-orange-trees

More Colored Drawings

Posted on by

Here I am going to talk about a technique i have been using for a while now (mostly in painting) but can be applied with drawing as well. The technique is to take your already existing white surface and apply medium/paint to it to change it into a neutral/grey  color/value.

There is a a few reasons for doing this :

When using colored pencil, this grayed down surface allows me to use my white pencil crayon – Now, not applying white onto white, but white onto a darker Grey surface that i have prepared

To prepare the paper surface i find water color works fine for this. Simply take out some water colors and proceed to stain the entire surface, giving the entire page equal coverage – I tend to mix opposite colors (blue/orange – red/green – purple/yellow) or even browns to get colors that are not to bright.

What I find is now when you begin your drawing on a grayed down/neutral, surface (this case paper) you are starting somewhere closer to the middle of the value spectrum as opposed to, at one extreme with working directly on white.

Here are two examples of colored pencil drawings

Blue cups done on white paper.

Orange water done on colored paper.

Still Life – April 5th – Consider Everything

Posted on by

I drew this still life this afternoon and it brought to my attention a very important principle in creating pictures – that being – Consider Everything.

Initially I never considered the very background nor the very foreground. What I found as i continued is that the image began to suffer because I did not consider these areas to begin with and as I drew continued to ignore them.

I eventually gave attention to both areas which revealed this principle of drawing (consider everything equally)  very nicely because once I gave attention to those areas I was not earlier, my eye then found itself resting upon the primary subject much longer than before. What I found is that the primary focus of the still life (central subject/boots) was entirely compromised because “the eye” kept being drawn away from the subject to those areas that I was attempting to ignore.

So I realized I must consider everything on the picture plane – if it is within the 4 corners of the composition than it is as equally important as the next part – even if it is not “the primary focus” of the picture – its as if  the mind/observer/eye does not care what you intend to be the primary subject – its simply, LOOKS.  And will pick up everything in the picture plane – essentially giving the entire plane an equal glance – thus if the eye sees the picture plane in this way(equally) than I would say its worth while to take this into consideration when going to make an image. To take Everything within the picture plane into consideration equally

Andrew Gableandrews-calgary-drawings-0031

Drawing Session – April 5 – Color

Posted on by

Today I went out to do more drawings.  I ended up using colored pencil because I was finding that the graphite from the pencils was smudging to easily on my page – so I decided to use my pencil crayons because they smudge much less.  So I began using color! Again I was keeping it simple for the most part using the colored pencil how I would normally use a pencil – not too much mixing of colors, but rather just using basic colors within an application where still much of the white paper shows through in the end.

I realized also that I am in a way prooving myself wrong – how? – I realized that I believe deep down that i wont actually continue on with drawing, that I somehow won’t be able to do it – I have noticed this experience going on inside of me.  So this process of drawing daily that I have undertaken is really a point of pushing through resistances, fears, and beliefs i have about what is apparently going to happen in my world.

In fact I have found a great resitance to this project and actually have never really gotten back into art since I stopped doing it “seriously” in 2007.

But for now I will keep it physical, and trust the physical – meaning – I will simply continue to draw to make physical drawings and work with that.  And I will continue to apply myself in this matter – no matter how much resistance there is.

It was nice to get into some color use today – I started out with making a few sketches on the bus. Just to get things started. eventually taking a seat by the river and then in a park to draw the trees.

I am looking into figure drawing classes at the moment to get back into drawing the figure which I have always found to be nice.

But for now here are the drawings I did today – April 05

Drawing – Starting From Scratch

Posted on by

Today I went out and made some drawings. I feel as though I am starting from scratch again so this is exactly what i am doing, meaning, I am simply starting with small thumbnail sketches and using only pencil on paper. Keeping it simple. This way I will build up my tolerance and begin on a simplistic level to build up my skill level as well.

The have found the technique of using small thumbnail sized drawings to begin the process of drawing and painting to work very effectively. I learned this technique from master plien air painter John Burton while I was on a one week mentorship program in the fall of 2007. I have been utilizing it ever since.

So, Just as he did, I would also suggest this method for getting started.

Thumbnail technique = quadrents!

First, what you do is simply section your page off into 4 quadrants using your pencil. You can do this freehand. I personally don’t mind if my lines are a bit wobbly, so I just section the page off free hand using my best judgment. I also find, when in doubt i always tend to “go freehand” this way I train myself to work in the moment and this way I also train myself to become much more steady with my hand. As you will notice in one of the drawings posted below I will also turn my sketchbook to suit the format I find works best as I search out compositions to draw. The basic idea is to keep the drawings relatively quick, sketching in the primary elements of the composition. With these drawings I tended to focus on value and shape, much like you would if you were creating a painting. I find this way to be a good way to simplify my compositions and create a nice unity within the composition – What do I mean by Unity – What I mean by unity is that i look at the whole image before and pick out the primary elements of the composition that will bring across the scene before me effectively. I find if I tend to only focus on one part of the composition i miss the “IMPACT” of the scene – The very “IMPACT” that was the reason I would choose a particular composition to begin with.  So…

1. Section off paper into 4 smaller quadrants

2. Focus on doing relatively quick sketches looking at value and shape as a way to create unity

3. Unity = Impact

4. Focus on simplicity of shape and value

Thats basically it!

thanks

Andrew Gable

where did the art go

Posted on by

I have reached a point in time now where art has become almost non-existant. And within this is continues to fall into non-existence more and more each day.  What does it mean to be an artist. I look at art as a skill I have that I can use to assist and support myself and others as well. However there is a difference within myself now. That being I no longer care to do it. I no longer have inspiration to do it. No valid reason. As if before I had a reason to explore painting and drawing where now there is none. But Actually it is more that now I have reasons not to do it, justifications as to why I will not do it. Before I did not have a reason – I simply did it and explored – now…I do have reasons, only they are reasons why I should not do it, and they suck out any motivation I have to express through painting and drawing. Until I am left with only bitterness and anger. Becasue I can think of numerous reasons not to do art. And actually what is occuring is a kind of self destruction, self abuse modality of  application – self mutaliative – where I actually abuse mysefl with these reasons “not” to move myself. And I participate with these reasons, rather than expressing – why it won’t work – and why it is a worthless endevor. And the result…no art and anger, frustration, bitterness.  Failure.