Art Journal » moleskines

Mondoodle 14-06-2010

elise — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:27:34 +0000

I was writing today in a cafe and (everyone who has ever workshopped with me can laugh now) I did a new beginning to my novel. This is something I do (shuffles awkwardly) well, quite often. In fact I am known for multiple first chapters. It’s a talent. Someone’s got to have it. One day I will write a final chapter. Now that will be an exciting day! Anyway, I was writing a dream sequence. Yes, I know. Don’t worry, it won’t get into the novel, I was really just trying something out. But I liked the imagery. The character was walking on the ocean, blind fish beneath his feet and a huge moon hanging impossibly low overhead. It was day, but night as well.

And then I drew this. It happens a lot – I have a theme or an idea and it keeps coming out in different things until I am done with exploring it.

Drawn in my fifth moleskine, on the afternoon and evening of Monday 14 June, 2010. This was not a quick one – but as it was my last present-to-myself day off after the exhibition, I thought I’d just keep going.

Anatomy of a Drawing 1

elise — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:30:52 +0000

I thought it would be interesting to dissect a drawing, so to speak. This is one from my Moleskines collection, book two. It began with a what should I draw? kind of question, and a suggestion from Peter of a walrus. No more of an idea than that. I pulled up photos from the computer of walruses (I never work from someone else’s sketches) and roughly drew the face in pencil. He looked so much like a bearded and mustached character from the first second that it was natural to sketch in a bowler hat and the suit. One of the great things about drawing highly detailed work is that I have lots of thinking time while I’m methodically rendering stroke after stroke. There are no rulers, I just use the natural motion of my hand pivoting at my wrist to help me do long even strokes. You get very fast and even with practice. It’s funny how one thought leads to the next. The tilt of the walrus’ head mad him look asleep and the hat sat best on his head when pulled down low. And as he looked like a businessman, I asked where does a businessman sleep in his suit? – which led me to decide he was commuting. Then the setting and the need for other characters emerged.

Although I didn’t know what else would be in the picture when I began with the walrus’ head, I made sure it was placed in the upper right third so that there would be plenty of room for the rest of the picture, whatever it was. Unless I am doing a character study where I want the main character to be staring out at us, front and centre, I usually place main features off-centre. Here’s my reasoning for it: nature is generally wonky – most things that we see are in flux – the sun moves across the sky, people move through their environments, shadows lengthen and flutter, stars in clusters wheel across the heavens, rain falls, wind blows, observers glance about and what we see with our peripheral vision is usually as important as what is in front of us when forming our feelings about a scene. Balance, when it occurs, is something that stands out. If you capture it in a picture it is there forever. Three boats scuttling past each other may line up for a second but that is one moment in a minute of drawing-closer. What moment would best describe the scene? Showing them in a regular line? That suggests that their natural state is order, predictable and stable. That would be false. No, I would draw one dipped, one turning, one close, one far and one passing… Where we place things tells us about their natures.

In this scene, although I started with the walrus, the real focus is on the environment – the whole ensemble. The bird-lady is central but absorbed, she is not engaging our attention. The walrus, although dominating by his size and plainer form (amongst a mass of pattern), is not king of this scene. He is off-centre and asleep. It is not a portrait, it is an illustration. It shows you a moment of a story – it allows you to glance in a carriage and wonder who these people are, where they are going and what their individual stories might be.

As for design… the shapes lead us around the picture fairly evenly.These below images are blurred to signify a trick Ido all the time when I’m painting or drawing… if I make my vision blurry I can better see the shapes, darks and lights and the structure of the piece, rather than getting distracted by the details. So, looking at the picture again, I’ve drawn in some of the things that are intended to direct your gaze a little. Here’s a summary…

All three main figures face the same way and create a diagonal sweep up to the right (arrows). Although the inside of the train is fairly dark, there are passages of light on the figures which are a counterpoint for the outside light. In the same way, outside, there are darker shapes and the dark point of the balloon. Where possible you want light against dark or dark against light. After all it is the presence of shadows that define shapes. It is the clustering of shapes and the passages of light that show us where to look, what is important, and how things relate to each other. In any picture, especially one with lots of detail, you usually need to have something that stands out that says – look over here, I’m important! There are three punctuation points for me here (circled). Three things that intentionally draw the eye: his bowler hat (very dark on a light background), the dark of the lady’s hat in the centre of the picture and the ship outside the window. There are also three small details of similar type, tone and size that hopefully form a chain, leading you into the landscape outside the window.

How much of this is designed and intentional? As I said, I didn’t plan it. But I am drawn to certain ways of doing things. I know I like threes in uneven clusters. I know I like lines that skirt the picture. I know I like to use a rule of thirds for where important lines and shapes should occur (a third up/down and in from an edge). I know that a white space needs a fleck of dark and a dark space needs a fleck of light. I know that relentless detail must be harmonised by something plain. And so whether it is intended or simply occurs, it is much the same. This visual expression is a language we speak with greater fluency the more we practise it. The exciting thing is that every artist speaks a slightly different dialect and would draw the same scene in so many different ways… I love that.

Mondoodle 4-1-10

elise — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:36:22 +0000

Greetings from the other side of the new year. I hope some of you got to travel to wonderful places…

This is a Part One style mondoodle. Let’s see where it goes from here… there’s a whole blank page to the left still to be filled.

Drawn in the lounge at 10.50pm, Monday 4th January 2010.

Mondoodle 14-12-09

elise — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:44:53 +0000

I started this on the 11th December, when Pete and I were in the Paris Cat jazz club. A beautiful lady was singing, the lights were low and we were celebrating Pete’s birthday with cocktails and fine wine. A magical night. Most of this was drawn in the semi-dark and finished off today.

Paris Cat, Melbourne 11pm, 11-12-09

The studio, Monday 14th December 2009.

Mondoodle 7-12-09

elise — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:47:21 +0000

So I found myself today on Lygon st in Carlton, having mistaken the date for another and arrived, all aflutter, for a meeting that wasn’t. Earlier I had lost a notebook with story ideas and pictures then found it at the gym. I had, in between these events, inspected my recycling twice, come to know all the nooks and crannies of the house overwell and generally, thereafter, scurried. So when I found myself at a loose end on Lygon st at 4pm, I adjourned to Trotters and simultaneously relaxed and awakened with coffee and a drink.

And, of course, my Moleskine sketchbook.

Which made me much much happier.

Trotters, Lygon St, 4-6pm Monday 7th December 2009.

All that remains is to ask – what caption would you give it?

Mondoodle 30-11-09

elise — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:40:47 +0000

Here’s today’s offering – the completion of the picture last week.

Monday 30 November 2009

Mondoodle 23-11-09

elise — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:56:16 +0000

This one is a work-in-progress. I’ll keep updating it as I go. It’s in my current Moleskine sketchbook, started today.

Lounge, 8pm, Monday 23 November 2009

I’m not getting to cafes enough to draw so this is wish-fulfillment!

Mondoodle 9-11-09

elise — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:44:22 +0000

Here’s today’s picture. I don’t think this is Melbourne…

Drawn in pen and black pencil, 20 mins, lounge at 9:15pm

November 9, 2009.

Quick-draw – Solemn Rabbit

elise — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:58:34 +0000

Hello my loves.

I have been playing… and you know how important I think play-time is…

This was done on a Wacom Tablet and captured with CamStudio. I started with a reference photo of a hare and then made up the rest as I went along. I’m basically trying to do some pictures like I do in my Moleskines… but live! I’m still learning how to draw with the tablet… this is my third go. It’s a real mind-twister looking at the screen as you draw, not your hand. Makes some angles and movements a little harder. You can twist yourself and your hand around but the screen doesn’t move with you. That’s ol’ blue eyes singing, by the way. I liked its melancholy air… she’s a melancholy hare.

Of course I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun!

On a different note – market tomorrow at the convent. And what a gorgeous day for it!

oh ek its cold!

elise — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:53:42 +0000

Ok so last week we were in Cairns. Yes a holiday! It was beautiful and warm and the seas were brimful of fluorescent fish. Like puppy here… oh what a gorgeous boy. Makes me want to get back into my fish book idea.

And now we’re back in Melbourne and it’s cold. Oh, so cold. So here’s today’s picture. Brrrrr