Pencil Beauty
Artwork by Marco Guannue
I love art and its my passion.
DrawingAcademy
The Last Master of Glazing
Article by Luca Molnar
Have you ever heard of William-Adolphe Bouguereau? Or the old technique of glazing? I don’t blame you if you haven’t yet.
Bouguereau was a famous Franch painter in the 19th century, who died more than a hundred years ago in 1905. He studied the academic style (the technique of the great renaissance masters) for years as a young artist, and perfected his knowledge in the almost forgotten, mysterious technique of the renaissance masters. He became one of the best and most celebrated painters of his generation; and a true master of his profession at a very young age. In 1850, at the tender age of 26 Bouguereau completed his famous painting, Zenobia Found by Shepherds on the Banks of the Araxes, which clearly shows his amazing talent and unmatchable skills and knowledge. An art critic stated at the time “Bouguereau has a natural instinct and knowledge of contour. The eurythmie of the human body preoccupies him, and in recalling the happy results which, in this genre, the ancients and the artists of the sixteenth century arrived at, one can only congratulate Bouguereau in attempting to follow in their footsteps … Raphael was inspired by the ancients … and no one accused him of not being original.” But what was this technique? What was the secret behind his larger than life paintings?…
“Shushi”
From Tanya
I came across the “Old Masters Method’s” of classical drawing and painting when I lived in Rome about 2 years ago.
It was love at first sight. Unfortunately I could not afford to study at a one of the Schools/Atelier that taught this method. I am now back home in Cape Town and have been trying to teach myself mostly from books and you-tube videos. This course would be invaluable to me. I would love to eventually start selling my work, but I lack the confidence and need that extra guidance and help to take my drawing to the next level…
Medea in The Fields
From Gilberto Mello
My name is Gilberto Mello, l live now in Houston, TX, but originally come from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Despite my age (I won’t tell you!) I consider myself a young artist who seeks inspiration in nature as well as in man-made creations, such as cityscapes. I learned the drawing and painting of portraits in New York City; I find it very challenging and I try hard to hone my skills in every piece I make.
This one that I present here came from a picture posed by my niece (yes, I draw and paint from both live models and pictures), a recent graduate from acting school, posed in one of her character representations as Medea. I loved the pose and I decided to give it a try on canvas. I mostly did her face and upper body from picture. The rest, including background, grass and pic-nic sheet were fruits of my own imagination.
I am entering this contest because I enjoy what I learned from Web Art and Drawing Academies, in fact Medea is the first work I do after my lessons from these two wonderful fine art courses. With all honesty, I don’t hope to win, but I truly hope to be noticed by other young artists and friends out there in the world…
Lines to Dots
From H. Ashley
I’m not quite sure what to do with my life but I’m pretty certain drawing will be apart of it.
Education isn’t my cup of tea being a high school drop out and still trying to get my GED. Drawing is a maze for me. One path lends to accomplishment but I find myself wanting more, a harder challenge, in which that path lends me to frustration and disappointment which cuts me off and not wanting to draw any more. But when I sit and stare at that wall I think maybe some things aren’t meant to be…maybe drawing isn’t what I was meant to do…just maybe. But how come I was able to teach myself how to draw, why is it that I have pictures in my head that were meant to be shown to strangers for they can have purpose to draw. It has to be some thing…
An outsider learning
by Edward Setien
They (the critics) tell me I am an outsider artist because I never went to art school or had have an art or training education.
My passion for painting was like the Big bang theory, it just exploded in my brain one day that a friend gave me some art supplies and I started splashing the canvas with brushes and oils. I got hooked from the beginning. All the time I wanted to be a writer but it was complicated and time consuming, painting was faster and free my spirit to express my emotions in a way that did not need translation like a book does.
It became an obsession and a quest to paint in a way never done before. I created a Non-forgeable technique in a studio-gallery I had in Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach. My drawing skills are still naïve and child-like, that is way I would need some lessons to improve my artworks and my life…
Make the Best of Every Medium
By Lucy Chen, Drawing Academy graduate
“Do NOT smudge graphite pencil!”
Now every time I grab my pencil, I hear Vladimir’s voice, “this is an amateurish mistake.”
Some people may disagree, and think that we are the creator or maker of our work, and we can do whatever we want with our material. And I agree.
However, as a skilled artist, it is our responsibility to bring out the best and the unique quality of the different materials we use.
For graphite pencils, it is the crisp marks. For smudging, we have charcoal…
Barguetastic
By GERRY O DONNELL
Hi,
I have been drawing all my life. Self taught, I have have no formal training. I mostly read books on art and now with YouTube, I scan for tips and tricks. I have always wanted to be a true artist, and would love to have a formal training that would take me to the next level. I currently live in Scotland with my wife and 2 children…
Please critique my portrait drawings
From Anna Festa
Hello,
I want to thank you again for picking me to be one of the winners for last month. I am enjoying it thoroughly. I would like to submit a before and after sketch to see if there is any improvement. I did one a week before I started your class, and have done several since. I never knew smudging was not accepted in the school of higher learning, but I must admit cross hatching although a challenge makes the picture look a little more realistic.
I go to a portrait group once a week, and they told me that this method is making my pictures look like I am an illustrator. This is what I came up with for an hour and a half working at it. I went home and worked on it a little more. I will send you the revised one shortly. How to make this drawing realistic? It looks cartoonish to me. The child is naturally crossed eyed. I think the portrait doesn’t look realistic. How can I improve? I am not quite getting three quarter view, the eyes look wrong…
Drawing Equipment vs Drawing Skills
Question from Ryan
Hi Vladimir,
I have a question regarding ergonomics when sketching or drawing using a drawing board. Prior to doing the Drawing Academy course I was only used to drawing on a flat surface using the three-finger writing grip. I have a somewhat shaky hand and tend to grip quite tight on my pencil, and I constantly have to rest my hand or arm whilst drawing.
Not sure if this is a bad habit developed from childhood or a hyperextension issue. I find such a grip quite restrictive, especially when bringing the stroke to my body.
Since completing the Drawing Academy course, I have found that drawing on my easel in more vertical positions has so many advantages, such as being able to work larger, creating broader strokes with a wider gamut, and being able to step back and view the work. It’s easier to check perspective and mistakes, so that’s a huge bonus.
When I watch you drawing in each video, no matter what grip or what media you use, you have complete control and mastery of your craft.
I hope I can resolve this problem as I feel it’s the number one issue that’s stopping my progression. I’m thinking of buying a good drafting table to see if this will help, or maybe I just need to practice more often. Not sure if any other students have these issues or if it is just me – any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated…
