I spent most of my time recently working on new paintings that are still too raw to show. I am also working on a new cycle of pieces that are still in the drawing stage. I had to order a box of pencils. I also got some new sharpeners. I do not like the electric type. I prefer to the old-fashioned sharpeners.
I’ve done a lot of charcoal and pastel work but pencils and pens seem most natural in my hand. I like sharp, incisive lines. I also like the discipline required to convey my thought with line only. Plus, for preparatory drawings for paintings, pencils deposit less residue on the surface. With pencil, I can fix the drawing with ink. With charcoal, you have to apply spray varnish over the surface before starting the painting. That is how I used to do it: sketch with charcoal, then fix the drawing with spray varnish.
I worked some more on Man and Woman in a Room and I am starting to like it a little bit. As always, when the design is simple, details become more potent. I am trying for a more painterly look with this piece than my normal style. In paintings intended to look sketchy or painterly, details are very important. I think a lot of young artists miss this. It might sound counter-intuitive but if you think about caricature, you will get a sense of my meaning. A sketch is about capturing some important or distinctive detail–right?
A Man and a Woman in a Room is 36″ x 48,” which used to be one of my preferred formats, although that’s no longer the case.