More Sketching in the Park

More Photos and a Gesture Drawing from our last Saturday in

Virginia Field Park

Calvert, Texas

1. Merry go round and one gazebo Looking northeast toward the merry go round and gazebo from where I was sketching in the bandstand.

2. Gesture Drawing of Two Girls on the merry go round Two young girls, who I wrote about previously, walked, after exercising in the bandstand over to the merry go round. They very thoughtfully asked if I was through sketching the merry go round before they walked over to it. They whirled around on the wooden merry go round, not realizing that they were giving life to the scene and stirring memories when other young girls spent time in the park. I did a quick gesture drawing and also took pictures of the scene, but not with the girls. I thought that I could complete drawings or even paintings, later from what I had recorded with sketches, gestures, and the camera.

3. Shaded Walk and Street looking from my viewpoint toward what was the east entrance to the park. Across the street, on the left, is the home that will host the Victorian Tea October 4. The tea will be on the grounds. If you click on the link at the top of my page, and also under events, or even do a Google or Yahoo search, you will see pictures of previous Victorian Teas and Galas. The street leads to the high school.

4. View to the East from where I was sketching. This is part of the neighborhood where I grew up. Complete with sounds of the Mourning Doves in the park, the rattling of the chain on the flagpole and bells echoing in the halls of Calvert High School.

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Scratch our plea for rain in this area right now. We could use it for grass, etc., but the farmers don't need it now. There was a segment on KBTX tv last night, showing what rain would do to the crops like cotton, and the possibility that, when it's time to harvest crops, machinery couldn't get into the fields. So, I guess our little rain from TS Edouard helped cool us off for a couple of days, and gave us a little moisture. They got more to the south, in the Houston area, though. And it certainly made us watch the skies and the radar!

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Pictures from our last Calvert Trip

Here's some of what I do in the car when I am going somewhere with someone else.

In the top picture, I sketched shoppers in the parking lot while my sister went into the store. Good poses and movement of figures. People walking out of the store, in the summer heat, putting things in their cars, looking at their cell phone or game. At the grocery store, one young worker pushed a shopping cart out with his head covered with some kind of cloth or poster board on a frame. I wondered how he could see where he was going!

In the second picture, I was fiddling with the camera, thinking of taking pictures of some of the shoppers, if I saw a good pose. All that was in front of me was a sidewalk and a brick wall. I thought that I should try to figure out the camera before I got to a place that I wanted to take pictures. I thought I was trying to figure out how to turn the flash off, but, instead, one of those little doohickies on the camera was to make movies. I ended up with some pictures of myself in the car mirror. Which is kind of interesting, actually. Some possibilities for doing self portraits.

The bottom picture is a sketch I did while my sister was driving. I guess this could be called a drive by, only I sure didn't try to paint. I was doing good to get this much done with a pencil!

This is the "new" water tower at Benchly, Texas. I was looking at some tiny puffy white clouds in a cerulean blue sky, more than the water tower, but thought I would fill my space on my paper with the structure.

There are more pictures that show our sketching and our trip. But this was our start on a Friday afternoon, on our way to Calvert. Maybe I will do those as a slide show, or do another post.

Where has this week gone! In fact, where has the whole month of July gone! I think I have spent most of it trying to make the computer do something or another, usually just have to give up after a while though and wait until another day. Then, another day, another problem to try to figure out. Wish these machines were more cooperative, and simple.

Please notice a couple of changes.

*Martha Marshall has a new blog. I fixed the link to her in my sidebar.

* I added a link to another interesting site under Eye Sites. This one is Age Related Macular Degeneration Support, listed as ARMD Support.

*At the top of my page, in the upper right hand corner, there is a link to the coming Victorian Gala and Tea and Street Fair in Calvert Oct. 4.

*Check out Virginia Vaughan's blog, too, in my sidebar. She has had a really fantastic opportunity this past week, teaching a workshop to the young winners of the Houston Fat Stock Show youth art show. These are some really talented kids to have won that competition! The workshop was in Kerrville, Texas, so I know that they had a wonderful experience.

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In Calvert, they are looking for vendors for their street fair to be held Oct. 4 during the Victorian Gala and Tea. If you are a vendor and would like to participate, there is more information on the link that I put at the top of the page. Groups, or anyone that would have something that is appropriate for a Victorian event, might be interested. It could be for fund raising, or even if you make something like aprons or quilts that you would like to show. The Lions Club is one group that plans to participate and have a place where people can donate their old eye glasses.

Vendors do need to dress in Victorian costume, and there is information on that on their website.

Visitors don't have to dress up, but they are encouraged to participate, if they wish.

If you, or someone you know would like to participate, there are forms and more information on the website or you can contact Jody at Zamykal Kolache Shop in Calvert.

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It looks like summer has arrived, with all its heat and dry weather. I'm amazed that people are amazed that it has reached 100 degrees and over outside, and that it is dry with no rain in sight. The amazing thing to me is that anyone is amazed! They do it every year! So called "record setting temperatures and record low rainfall". I think I've been hearing that even before we had so much news on the radio! Like over 60 years! Now, in the '5os, we really had a drought! No rain for years. We had begun to think that nature was no longer able to produce rain! We looked eagerly at dry lightning to the east, and hoped it would rain. People had to haul water from the fire department in barrels and anything they could find. Cattle died or had to be sold. But, my great-aunt predicted that the drought would last for 7 years and then we would have 7 wet years, and we did. In the '70s, without air conditioning, the thermometer often hit 117 in the shade on the south porch. We tried keeping our aquarium on that porch and I guess the poor fish just boiled when we put them in there! They didn't last long. We even tried to cool the water down, but it didn't help. They had been accustomed to air conditioning and an even temperature.

I don't know what people expect. After all, this is Texas in the summer. It's supposed to be hot and dry. We did have a couple of years when it didn't reach 100 degrees, and we had a lot of rain in the summer, without having a hurricane. Now, it seems more normal. Not so pleasant, though, if you have to be outside.

I'm keeping water in the birdbath for the birds, but they seem to have taken off for a cooler place or something. Haven't noticed them splashing in a few days. Maybe they do when I'm not looking. There were some little rabbits hopping about the yard. I think we need to put out some water on the ground for them. But then I don't want to water the fire ants. (I hope that they will move on or die out.) A small lake near us was drained a few years ago, so those critters that hung out there, had to move on to other places.

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Edie and Peggie told me that the building that I wondered about, at the red light in Calvert, was once Molly Tucker's hamburger place. I wonder what else was in there. At one time, Miss Molly had her hamburger place next door to Conitz Dry Goods Store. I'm thinking that she probably moved when the dry goods store burned in the 1950s.

Miss Molly made the best hamburgers. In fact, the only ones I would eat. She made "sissyburgers" for me and I still eat those today.

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Stay cool and have a great weekend. I'm just so glad that we have air conditioning and fans, these days!

Vision-May Sketch

Graduation sketch 4"x5.5" pencil

April ended, and we moved to the end of school, working toward graduation activities for my oldest grandson. Such a huge class! 750 plus. Much more than the school where I had taught. I thought that my whole high school graduation class would fit on the first row of one section, and have seats left over. We had 19, the biggest class that had graduated in years. But, that was many years ago, in another place.

The graduation was held in a large arena, where university graduations and even the circus are held. We had to sit up high, with the band in front of us, and the choir, speakers, administrators, along with all those rows of seniors filling the rest of the floor. Everyone looked tiny to me, but, with my eye problems, it was even worse. They were blurry, distorted, and the colors were different. There was a giant tv screen above the scene, but I couldn't make it out, either. They were also blurry and distorted. I could tell only that they were showing head and shoulder shots, where, in looking at the scene, we could see tiny figures and objects.

I kept asking where my grandson was sitting, or where he might be walking. I never did see him. I clapped when it was appropriate, but I never could see who I was clapping for.

That was frustrating. To not be able to see my grandson graduate, after all these years of working toward that goal, and knowing that there were classmates of his who did not make it because of the TAKS test. I was relieved, excited, tearful, at times, and I couldn't even see him, except before and after the ceremony. I felt like I missed the big moment, when he got that diploma.

But, I did get to see it on tv, finally, this week. But only when I stood in front of the set to watch.

I knew that the ceremony would be very long, with that many diplomas to hand out. I only knew a few of the other seniors. I didn't want to cry, but knew that there would be some choking up, at least. So, I packed my purse with Kleenex, along with some paper, folded, and pens and pencils. I wanted to take along my clipboard, that I use like a sketchbook. It has a compartment for keeping pencils, erasers, paper, and a pencil sharpener, reference photos, or whatever I can pack in there. I've been carrying it everywhere for a few years now. But, such things were not allowed in the arena, due to security. So, this trip, I just folded some typing paper, and put it into a side pocket in my purse. My daughter carried the camera.

And, sure enough, as we entered the lobby of the arena, security was checking purses and belongings. I told her I had a lot of Kleenex because I knew that I was going to cry. She laughed and handed us a program. It looked like it would be a really long morning. But, I was prepared to draw, if it got to be too much to sit through.

The place was packed, because, not only did we have everyone associated with our school graduation, but they had scheduled several schools to graduate that day. And, it rained!

We sat through the band and choir practicing, for the first time for this program, and then the actual ceremony. It did get long, and so I sketched. My daugther took a few photos, but we were so far away, that we couldn't see much in them. Tiny little people and objects.

The above sketch, not finished, shows the scene as the students received their diplomas. I thought that my grandson had received his diploma and was being hugged by someone as he returned to his seat. However, he said that this was not him. So, again, I didn't see him. I didn't fill in all those rows of little mortar boards. My eyes just couldn't take it!

I was showing the youngest grandson how to start with a "stick" or gesture drawing, that can be completed later, and that also helps the artist to observe enough that they can remember much of what they saw, really fast. And, now, in his art class, they have been drawing fast, scribble drawings of people. He has done a good job with that project.

I also did a gesture drawing of my daughter and grandson sitting next to me, as they read their programs.

At this stage of my Macular Degeneration and cataracts, I can see up close, most of the time. Although I do have trouble connecting lines when I draw, at times, or patterns and certain light, seem to make my eyes do funny things, I can still read and see faces. Sometimes light can make things look like there is glitter all over an area, like the way that strong sunlight seems to sparkle on a sidewalk that has reflective material, or bits of glass, in it .

The sketch below is the gesture type drawing of my daughter and grandson, as I already mentioned. I like the simplicity of it, just the way it is, as well as the lines and curves. I could do a more detailed drawing from it, but I like the way this turned out.Reading Programs 4" x 5.5" graphite
You can go back and read my other posts on my experiences with Macular Degeneration in my Archives, or earlier posts. I interrupt one series to add in other things as I feel they are appropriate. All the posts on AMD experiences, are prefaced with the word Vision, which might make them easier to find. I have been trying to show what happened to me, in the order that things have occured. The next post will be about what I saw in early June.
At first, I thought that the graduation sketches were not all that significiant. But, as I wrote this, I realized that it was quite a big deal that I couldn't see my grandson get his diploma because of my eyes.
At some events, I have thought that, they should allow people who can't see very well, to sit up front. It is frustrating to go to see events, and not be able to see. To be fighting being almost nauseated and dizzy from the distortion and wavey lines, blurring, etc. instead of listening to and seeing the person you came to see. I did request that I be allowed to sit on an aisle seat at the George Bush Library when we went to see Tony Snow speak. I still couldn't see other than figures, as we were about midway back in the auditorium. They were telling me to sit by a wall, behind tall people, until I told them that I couldn't see out of one eye. I still wonder what the Secret Service people thought, when, as Snow and Bush 41 were talking to us, and there was this one old lady, leaning out in the aisle, and winking at them! I caught myself closing one eye, trying to see better, and thought that I had better stop that before the Secret Service men pounced on me for doing who knows what. So, I spent the rest of the Q&A session, straining to keep both eyes open, and see. All I could do was listen, and visit with the man sitting next to me, during lulls in the program.
I'm beginning to think that they need to provide seating for people who can't see very well, just as they provide places for wheelchairs. Another thing I experienced, due to my knees and surgery, not my eyes, is that stores need to have merchandise located down low for people who have to ride in those little electric carts in stores. You can't see merchandise, as you shop, or reach what you need from those little carts. Now, I have to ask people to read labels or tell me what items say. I have to look for shape, color, and size of familiar objects in stores.
I had remarked thatTony Snow looked really well, then, and I was surprised that his hair looked brown. It was only a few days later when he announced that cancer had returned. He was one of the most enthusiastic and intelligent speakers I have ever heard. The place was packed with an overflow audience. I still hope that all will be well for him. I hope he didn't see the elderly lady who seemed to be winking at him when he visited the George Bush Library!
Tomorrow, look for another watercolor in my series on Macular Degeneration.
Thanks for reading and sharing my work. I do welcome comments and inquiries. If you see something of interest to you, please let me know.

Drawing People

Drawing People
Gesture Drawing
8.5" x 13"
Ink
Today's artwork is a cartoon I did on gesture drawing. I submitted it to "The Artist's" magazine but got one of those well-known to writers and artists, rejection slips. They said they didn't feel it would generate enough interest. So, here, for your enjoyment, is my cartoon on gesture drawing.
While I can draw in the cartoon style, I just can't think of many things that are funny or would make a good cartoon.
At the time that I did this cartoon, I was doing a cartoon strip for the local newspaper each week. "The Calvert General Store" was based around daily life in the town and my grandfather's dry goods store. I was also teaching art and taking night classes in figure drawing at Texas A&M University.
One day, in my junior high school class, I was going to demonstrate, then have my students do, some gesture, then contour drawing, and other exercises that we did in my university class. As we got our paper passed out, roll checked, and prepared to start class, two maintainance men came in my room to check on the large overhead gas heater in my room. Instead of climbing ladders to work on the heater, they relaxed against the window sill under the heater. I don't know if they were enjoying my class or what, but they spent a lot of that day and the next, leaning on the window sill. I never did see them do anything to that heater. Maybe they worked on it after we left the room, or maybe they were just looking for a place to hang out.
Being a rather flexible teacher, I took advantage of the two "models" in the room. I sketched them as gesture drawings, then had my students do some gesture drawing using each other as models. Then they went on to do contour, cross contour, positive and negative drawings, and then we moved on to draw things like the chairs in the room, and the chair with a person posing with the chair.
Later, I put the gesture drawing on paper the size I used for my cartoon strip, inked it , and added the Life Drawing Lab in the background, where people are contour drawings, using a gesture person as a model.
My "models" became gesture people, in a gesture world, going to a gesture art school, and struggling with having to draw real people. After all, they don't see realistic people, only more people like themselves-gesture people and contour people. They don't have anything to base a real person on, since that is not what they are exposed to. So, that would make it difficult for them to draw realistically.
Would the person who is having trouble drawing people even fail his class because he can't get the hang of drawing people? Would he struggle, practice, get more help, or just give up and turn to doing still life or landscapes, leaving the difficult people out of his work? Would more observation or maturity help him? Maybe he is just not yet ready to see people realistically.
I told my students that, with these loose, "stick" drawings, I could observe enough, and have the pose down, so that I could go back and do a more realistic picture of the models, later.
For those of you who may not have worked with gesture drawings, they just basically help the artist to get a pose down, fast. It's a stick figure that bends and moves like a person, and can even be done using one line without lifting the drawing instrument.
I try to get the angle of the head, first, with a lot of loose lines. (The more, lightly drawn lines that you have, in this type of drawing, the better chance you have of getting one that is right, or where you need it to be later.) Then I add the main stick that will be the backbone and neck, and add the shoulders and hips with a line that shows their slant. Then I add legs, and arms, hands and feet, with loose, squiggley lines. If I think I need to add extras, such as the cap and portfolio (it was actually a clipboard) in this cartoon, I will add those as sort of a note to myself.
They don't have to be just people. They can be animals, objects, even landscapes.
I often took a clipboard with paper, and a pen or pencil, with me when I had to be on duty or attend pep rallies or meetings, and enjoyed doing gesture drawings while action was taking place. It was fun to do these at the pep rallies and programs, and football or basketball games, to the rhythm of the cheers, the band playing, or the game itself. It forces you to work fast, and to be more observant. Especially if you want to develop the drawings into something more finished later.
My hand lettering is not always perfect in my cartoons, but, now, that can be done with computers. I've done a few cartoons recently using computer lettering, that I cut and paste. I don't have the program needed to do cartooning on computers.
This drawing is in India Ink on acid free Strathmore drawing paper.
Sometimes, I like those free first drawings more than those that I spend a long time on. Once I start reworking those first expressions, they just lose something, I think. The llines are different and I just can't get that feeling back.
I also tend to try to finish things by working straight through. If I stop to do something else, and go back to it, you can just tell that the new part is different. I lose that feeling that I first had. I've been known to work straight through, night and day, for several days, to finish a painting or sculpture. I'm trying not to do that, though, because my legs are all swollen and numb when I work that way. But, the time flies and I really don't notice what is happening around me, as long as I am working. I've always been sort of a night owl, too, and like to work all night. I couldn't do that and teach, and now, with my eye problems, I have noticed that I need to rest my eyes. I get to the point where I can't see enough to work, so I have to give up and go to bed. Daylight seems to be better to work in, at this stage of my life, though I do turn on several lamps and go on and work if I am doing something when night falls.
Hope you enjoyed this one, and will share with others. Thanks for reading and I hope you will check back again. If you want to be notified when I add something new, please join my Google group. There is a link in the sidebar that you can just click on to go to my group and see more of my art work. Let me know if you see anything of interest to you. I do appreciate your comments, and your interest in my work.