Jackie, Wonder Woman

This 74 year old woman has 13 customers for whom she cleans and does helpful tasks, volunteers weekly for her church's needs. She walks miles if she needs to, to get from one job to another when her car isn't working.

And still going strong, in spite of diabetes and a former heart attack. Wonder Woman, indeed.

Colored pencil in the Reflexions journal.

a fellow passenger

Colored pencil on random paper.

head shot

Again, in blue w/c pencil

on Strathmore drawing paper.

N in her hat

The scanner lets in too much light when I'm trying to fit the 11x14 spiral pad on.

There needs to be a shadow under her leaning arm, she looks like she's leaning into mid-air.

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

winter layers

Hoping we're past the fleece and winter scarf weather (that's in the house without the woodstove) until the heat gets going.

Colored pencil in the journal.

quick pencilled head

on Strathmore drawing paper

punky hair

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

A quick sketch of a woman who is thinking of modeling for the painting group.

M in blue

Blue and brown pencil on Strathmore drawing paper

yellow on purple, not a favorite

I did a lot in purple, then upon a suggestion by a fellow sketcher, added some yellow to create darker shadows. Not so successful. Effort abandoned.

And the model is a beautiful woman, but you'd never know it from this drawing! But she's used to art students distorting her reality.

Colored pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

drawing from memory

After spending 2 hours painting a portrait in lifestudy, I came home and drew this pencil version. I think it turned out better than the 2-hour oil.

4B on Fabriano Venezia paper.

imagined face

I used up what was left on the palette, on a previously painted piece of canvas paper. A hour, maybe.

Lots of issues--what's with that white nose?, but I like the bright eyes and the mouth.

Oil.

dreads piled on top

Three feet of teeny braids make a huge top knot.

Oil on canvas board.

new cornrows

It's fun when a model shows up with completely different hair, after I've been drawing and painting her for over 2 years.

Oil on canvas board.

always practicing heads

And practicing trying to fit the whole figure on the canvas without cutting off the top. Whoops.

Oil on Centurion canvas.

B in orange

Oil on canvas board.

G with all natural hair

The head portion of an 11x14 oil.

G in a scarf

She has lovely big eyes, but this came out a bit cartoonish.

Oil on cotton canvas board.

a doodle and a face

I didn't have to pause the video. In Danny Gregory's interviews of the people in his book, An Illustrated Journey, each person faces the camera for so long as they listen and talk, they move very little.

Great book, great interviews about each person's process and gear. And this new doodle that I'm fascinated with making.

pre-sketching

Before I did a long (2 hour) charcoal, I did two presketches, one in colored pencil, one in pen (w/c added later).

They help me see what I'm looking at.

On Strathmore drawing paper.

serious moviewatcher

Focused on the struggles in Les Mis.

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.