Bus Stop Series

coming soon to a theater near me

a.k.a. carpe momento

I was able to get out for a little bit yesterday and even get a little urban sketching in! It’s been soooo long. It’s been years since I’ve been able to meet up with the Urban Sketchers Prague group. I really miss working with them. It has been have such a lovingly understanding and supportive community … and oh so cool.

It sure would be grand to find some way out of this box of pain I’m in and seem to have become. All of this being said, I think I’ve just figured out a way to get some urban sketching done in a way that deals with my finicky condition.

Every corner, no matter how pedestrian is just teeming with its own unique visual poetry and sketching opportunities. Often this is true for individual bus and tram stops. Some of those even have benches or ledges on hand so a disabled sketcher might jump (hobble) off the bus and do some sketching if at that moment the symptoms aren’t too bad.

… I’m going to finish this post later. Right now I’m heading out to get a haircut! Maybe there will be a bus stop sketching opportunity on my way home 🙂

Pod Dálnicí *bus* *stop*

*Ink and colored pencil, 15*21 cm*

Regardless … I do look forward to doing more random bus stop urban sketches. I guess this is going to have to be the modus operandi that I settle for if I am going to get any urban sketching at all done. Gotta jump at every opportunity to take advantage of those random slivered moments when I happen to be out and about on public transport and feel at all able to get off the bus to sketch and sketch.

Things aren’t getting any easier and there’s no point in waiting for a chronic progressive disease to stop chronically progressing. I guess whether I’m aware of it or not, I am continuously confronted by some kind of relationship with a set of limits that confine (define?) me. As those limits become less distant and vague, that relationship needs to get more accepting and less dismissive and antagonistic if I’m going to get anything sketched out there.

Doorway ať Jungmannovo Náměstí
Ink, 15*21 cm

April 14, 2022June 17, 2024

How’s Everyone’s Sanity and Balance Doing?

I feel a need to check in with whoever’s there. Coming across this sketch I did from exactly two years ago, and a thorny late poem by William Carlos Williams really drives home for me this sudden urge to connect with … something.

I tried to have only two things in mind back while I was nervously sketching this while listening to news about protests against common sense Covid-19 protection, namely:

to think about anything other than myself and everything else that was worrying me even sicker than I was at that time. Which time? Well … chronic illnesses — especially ones causing cognitive damage — make that one kinda tricky to pin down. These were some of the unravelings happening within my “edge of one of many circles.” Past the palm at the edge of that mind the “de facto” stabilities of most things I had held my exterior to hold were collapsed or collapsing.
to see how my new Canson Mix Media 9*12’ sketchbook behaved with different charcoals and inks.

Many of these worries were universal, like Covid-19 (and the ways it was then being dealt with) or Climate Change (and the ways it was then being dealt with) or, say, systemic racism or the continued growth of a Trumpist fascist state (and the ways …)

“A society must assume that it is stable, but the artist must know, and he must let us know, that there is nothing stable under heaven.”
James Baldwin

Other worries were more individualized. For me, the growing disability and ferocious pain that Multiple Sclerosis was doling out had eclipsed itself on every frayed fiber. There were a few times that I looked deep down into myself and swore to remember that “yes, it really was this indescribably agonizing!” so a future me would not forget when/if things ever moved past the present state.

That was two years ago

That was before George Floyd.
It was before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the new (hot) Cold War arrived.
It was before attitudes about vaccination against covid insanely became ferocious ideological and political tenets.
It was before almost two million (and counting) people had died of covid.
There hadn’t yet been a coup attempt on the Capitol and the illusion that America was not in an existential crisis was still generally held. Now democracy itself seems impossible to sustain going forward.
I hadn’t realized that even while having long been deeply impressed by the first part of that quote of James Baldwin about a society needing to assume that it is stable, I had no clue how blind I was in failing to appreciate the crucial remainder of that sentence All this while being an “artist” no less.
…
Oh yeah … my then lousy condition has continued to worsen.

The ways so many things have fallen apart since April 2020 — when I made those sketches — make the worried existence of two years ago seem charmingly naive.

William Carlos Williams wrote a poem in 1961 titled “Poem” where emotionally and spiritually he was also confronting the clash of madnesses of the then not too distant past with the even more terrifying madness that followed through his present; he might as well have written it today.

Poem

William Carlos Williams

The plastic surgeon who has
concerned himself
with the repair of the mole

on my ear could not be
more pointedly
employed

let all men confess it
Gaugin or Van Gogh
were intimates

who fell out finally
and parted going
to the ends of the earth

to be apart, wild men
one of them cut
his ear off with a pair of shears

which made him none the less
a surpassing genius
this happened

yesterday forgive him
he was mad
and who among us has retained

his sanity or balance
in the course the
events have taken since these days

Here’s to looking forward to a day when this poem is not applicable to that day’s then present.

In the meantime, given that the instability of everything is making itself achingly clear, I don’t know that an artist is needed to fill that role right now. Rather, I’ll just keep being aware that my search for something stable under our violent sun is futile and keep on creating images anyway.

Cheers 🥂

February 14, 2022

February 2022 With Love Life Drawing Starting Tomorrow!

Woohoo 🎉

Lots of us have been waiting for this; I sure know I have. The now month of Figuary — a month devoted to exploring figure drawing in an online community setting has been one of the most resourceful and rewarding annual markers since it’s inception and development over the past 3 (I think) years. The challenges figure drawing are brilliantly complemented with insightful tips and insights from Kenzo and his impishly brilliant mom and mentor, Mayko — plus and occasional cameo from a lovely dog named Maggie.

In addition, there are often guest mini lectures from some truly inspiring contemporary figure drawing greats like Richard Powell and Lane Brown … and almost everything is free for the standard broke a.f. artist like me.

I understand that this year’s iteration had to contend with a number of unforeseen logistical complications, which speak to why it’s starting in the middle of this already shortened month of February. It’s a shame that the word “figure” doesn’t aliterate with a 31 day month.

Postings from this site http://lovelifedrawing.com have indicated that this year’s difficulties have been used to present a particular slate of presentations for the upcoming weeks. I don’t know what they’ll be, but I do trust Kenzo et al’s creativity and devotion to come up with some great stuff.

In short, I encourage everyone of all levels of figure drawing to check it out at any level from being a fly on the wall to being a more active member of the community.

Free sign up is here https://community.lovelifedrawing.com

I copied the plan from lovelifedrawing’s page here:

Welcome and Schedule

Welcome to the Fresh Eyes Challenge. This challenge is all about transforming the way that you see the figure. Day 1 is on Tuesday 15th February. Over the next ten days, you’ll be accessing a variety of tutorials, live sessions, custom reference images, and a community platform where you can connect to other people who are also taking part in the challenge.

The exercises are designed to be suitable to all abilities, so it doesn’t matter whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced artist: if you’re interested in improving your life drawing skills, you’re in the right place!

How does it work?

I’ll be sharing a new post on every morning of the challenge which will contain the exercises and reference images. You can log on each day to follow along with the practice for that day.

What will we work on each day?

Other (than) the 10 days, there will be 2 main YouTube tutorials, 3-4 extra mini-tutorials, 4 live sessions, and 5 references images to draw each day. As always, I will keep everything as concise and clear as possible. Here’s a summary of how the challenge will be structured:

Day 1 (Tues 15^thFeb)

YouTube Tutorial: the Fresh Eyes 2D model, approx 15 mins
Extra explanation mini-tutorial: how to use the 2D model in practice
Exercise 1: recreating poses with the 2D model for 5 front poses

Day 2 (Wed 16^th Feb)

Exercise 2: recreating and drawing 5 front view poses with the 2D model
9pm (GMT) : LIVE session, 45 mins – how to see the major forms and ideas in the front poses and addressing common mistakes.

Day 3 (Thurs 17th Feb)

Extra explanation mini-tutorial: Introducing the side view.
Exercise 3: Recreating and drawing 5 side view poses using the 2D model.

Day 4 (Fri 18th Feb)

Exercise 4: Further side view practice with 5 poses
3pm (GMT) : LIVE session, 45 mins – understanding the forms in side view and addressing common mistakes.

Day 5 (Sat 19th Feb)

Exercise 5: drawing 6 poses in front and side views without the 2D model.

Day 6 (Sun 20th Feb)

YouTube Tutorial: Moving to 3D forms, approx 15 mins
Exercise 6 – drawing 5 simple poses with foreshortened limbs using simple forms and surface lines

Day 7 (Mon 21st Feb)

Exercise 7 – drawing rotated torsos using simple 3D forms for ribcage and pelvis
9pm (GMT) : LIVE session, 45 mins – using observations to lay down 3D forms

Day 8 (Tues 22nd Feb)

Exercise 8 – drawing twisting torsos using simple 3D forms
Extra explanation mini-tutorial: how the pelvis, ribcage, shoulders and twist create different twists.

Day 9 (Wed 23rd Feb)

Exercise 9 – drawing complex ribcage and pelvis relationships with angle difference, tilt difference and rotation difference / twist. At this point, we start to understand the relationships between forms in 3 dimensions at once.

Day 10 (Thurs 24th Feb)

Drawing Exercise 9, accompanied with new reference poses
9pm (GMT) : LIVE session, 45 mins – the finale live session, where we tackle all sorts of poses using our Fresh Eyes to understand the forms we see.

When will live sessions be and how do I join?

The live sessions (which you don’t have to attend live as there will be a recording) are a chance to gain extra clarity about the simplified forms we are studying, address common problems that are coming up in the community area and answer your questions. These sessions are optional and not required for you to complete the challenge, but they will be useful! Make sure you register if you’d like to join the live sessions!

Weds 16^th Feb (Day 2) – 9pm (GMT)

Fri 18th (Day 4) – 3pm (GMT)

Mon 21^st Feb (Day 7)- 9pm (GMT)

Thurs 24^th Feb (Day 10) 9pm (GMT)

You’ll need to register to join the live sessions here: https://my.demio.com/ref/02V2yH0wIGu1SS6r

The times above are UK (GMT). If you live in a different timezone, you can check the start time here

What if I miss a live session?

If you can’t make any of the live sessions, don’t worry! There will be a recording posted on the page for that day of the challenge.

How do I join the community?

You can join the community here: https://community2.lovelifedrawing.com/

One of the most fun things about this challenge will be to do it together, so whether you want to share your drawings, encourage others or just see whats going on, it would be great to have you join the community!

Thanks everyone, and hope you enjoy the challenge