Beautiful ball-point pen

Leah Hayes.com This illustrator uses beautiful hatching and cross hatching with ball point pens in those bound, non-spiral composition books, proving that good art can be made with simple tools.

Wishing you a...

Warm Regards,

Connie

Draw from Life Listmania

"What are her mutant powers?" was the opening question at a brainstorm meeting. We were to choose for each other.

A few friends declared mine as "drawing from life". Admittedly, I'm a bit of a nerd about it. Fortunately, this works out well for my high school seniors who need it at the moment more than other art skills.

So in similar format as before, here is my listmania list from Amazon for books re: Draw from life. (note my impressive qualifications: art teacher crazy about drawing)

1. Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson
Great seeing skills. Unique to other texts: learn "mapping”: how to draw values/shadows. (High school+, for those who want to draw from life)

2. Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters: 100 Great Drawings Analyzed, Figure Drawing Fundamentals Defined by Robert Beverly Hale
Excellent lessons that only the Masters can teach you. Some classical nudity. (for more serious & experienced students)

3. Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Beverly Hale
Anatomy in non-dry presentation. Read his lectures, they are rich. Classical nudity included. (for serious & experienced students)

4. Sargent Portrait Drawings : 42 Works (Dover Art Library) by John Singer Sargent
Draw a little copy of these to learn how to draw portraits (costs less than a starbucks drink!)

5. The Art of Responsive Drawing (5th Edition) by Nathan Goldstein
Beautiful but expensive textbook

6. Art of Drawing by Bernard Chaet
Another beautiful textbook - find it used

Printmaking Link

If you've ever searched for something related to printmaking online, maybe you've bumped into this educational site, What is a Print? on printmaking by Moma (Museum of Modern Art).

It defines Lithography, Woodcut, Etching, and Screen print (where's Intaglio? That's always hard to explain.). There is animation showing a print being made for each (press start) and galleries of beautiful work for each.

Rembrandt 400

400 years after his birth, Amsterdam is throwing Rembrandt a party. Events will be held throughout the year. “All the Rembrandts” from the Rijksmuseum’s extensive collection will be exhibited through out the year: “All the Paintings” in Jan-Feb, and “All the Drawings” parts I & II in the summer and fall. There will also be a musical in the summer and various tours throughout the year.

And Caravaggio!! A combined Rembrandt-Caravaggio show will be at the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, February 24 through June 18. Wow! What a show!

And get this. Have you ever heard of Rembrandt referred to as Jewish? A show will be dedicated to this debate, put on by the Jewish Historical Museum of Amsterdam. Interesting.

The Rembrandt 400 website has research tools re: Rembrandt’s life and times and corresponding 2006 events.

I’m thinking Holland sounds mighty inviting in the new year.