(Fogra 29) Job:11-41057 Title:Drawing club Handbook
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001-144_41057.indd 65 4/24/14 7:23 PM64 The Drawing Club(Text)
ExErcisE:Redraw a drawing
A friend of mine used to take his painting class on a field trip
every term. He would ask his students to bring basic drawing
materials, and they would go to a local museum’s park to draw.
His students were thrilled; they were looking forward to a casual
day drawing outside. Once there, he would gather them around a
beautiful oak tree in the park and instruct them to start drawing.
After about twenty minutes, he would announce to them that
they would have to pack up their stuff and meet back in class
in thirty minutes. Confused, the students scribbled down a few
marks in between their socializing, then packed up and rushed
back to class. Back in class, he then asked them to do a painting
based on their twenty-minute drawing of the tree in the park.
The paintings became an interesting combination of observation
and memory.
When artists come and draw at The Drawing Club, it can be
a little bit like drawing the tree in my friend’s class. You are
trying your best to capture your impression of the moment inExErcisE:Random box of stuff
My friends and I like seeing improvisational comedy groups
perform. My favorite part is when they take suggestions from
the audience or are given a random prop and from that are able
to create a comic sketch on the spot. Everything is improvised.
You can see the thrill in their eyes as they react with energy
and spontaneity. Something interesting happens from a random,
unpredictable prompt. These people are fearless on stage, so it
is always fun to see what they come up with.
Improvising at The Drawing Club is really fun, too. I see
artists do this all the time. If you want to challenge yourself,try this: Put a random box of drawing materials next to you when
you draw. You can put whatever you want in there, such as char-
coal pencils, pens, pastel colors, charcoal sticks, etc. The con-
cept is really simple. When you start a drawing, reach into the
box and without looking, grab something to draw with. What you
grab might not be what you would have chosen if you looked, but
you will have to improvise because the model will hold that pose
for only so long. This exercise helps us to react in the moment
and learn to be more spontaneous through improvisation.Various, random materials in a boxCruella Deville,
crayon on paper, Don Gillies(Fogra 29) Job:11-41057 Title:Drawing club Handbook
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65(Text)
ExErcisE:Redraw a drawing
A friend of mine used to take his painting class on a field trip
every term. He would ask his students to bring basic drawing
materials, and they would go to a local museum’s park to draw.
His students were thrilled; they were looking forward to a casual
day drawing outside. Once there, he would gather them around a
beautiful oak tree in the park and instruct them to start drawing.
After about twenty minutes, he would announce to them that
they would have to pack up their stuff and meet back in class
in thirty minutes. Confused, the students scribbled down a few
marks in between their socializing, then packed up and rushed
back to class. Back in class, he then asked them to do a painting
based on their twenty-minute drawing of the tree in the park.
The paintings became an interesting combination of observation
and memory.
When artists come and draw at The Drawing Club, it can be
a little bit like drawing the tree in my friend’s class. You are
trying your best to capture your impression of the moment inyour drawings. For most artists that is enough, but for some,
redrawing from memory adds an extra element. To redraw
an observation you made from life creates an opportunity to
enhance or even develop a greater sense of storytelling.
When Mike Greenholt draws from life, he is limited to the
model’s five- or ten-minute poses, so sometimes he likes to
redraw his drawings later when he gets home. This gives him
the opportunity to add whatever he wants. There is a freedom
to doing this because the model is no longer standing there.
You feel much more open to changing parts of the pose, facial
expression, or costume if you want.
Try taking one of your drawings and creating a whole new
drawing based on it and what you remember. You will notice
yourself judging that drawing on its own versus comparing it
to what was actually there the day you drew the first one. Your
redrawn drawing is 100 percent yours.The Princess,
china marker on paper, Mike GreenholtChapter 4: Improvisation(Fogra 29) Job:11-41057 Title:Drawing club Handbook
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