Culver City Figure Drawing, Dec. 10th

Olivera St. Sketchcrawl

Went to another LA Sketchcrawl event on Saturday. It was at Olivera Street in downtown LA, near Union station. I hadn't been to Olivera before, and I'm glad I went. It is a Spanish style market, I think it's one of the oldest areas of LA. Christmas was in full effect over there, and the muscians were great. Check out what everyone from the sketchcrawl drew.

Here's the Flickr set of my drawings.

Figure drawing in Culver City

http://www.flickr.com/gp/83372690@N00/7LI8v3

longtpose_02 dec3
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

Here's some more figure drawerings. I'm really impressed with the models at this workshop. They seem to really get good posing. The poses went from 5 to 25 minutes. I've got to face the fact that I don't know how to draw hands and feet.. Maybe I'll copy some reference pictures for a while.

Soft

soft2
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

I made this one when I was flying home from my Dad's house in Virginia. It's super uncomfortable for me to fly, so I wanted to do something very soft and mellow. It's a real departure for me, I think it came out well, and I want to do more along this line.

armored jellyfish

armoured jellyfish
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

Did this one for the Creature of the Week competition at Conceptart.org The goal was to create a creature which fit the description "Armored Jellyfish". I think all the figure drawing is helping me work with color and composition better. Still got a ways to go though.

Frigure drawings in Culver City

short_pose_01
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

These are some drawings I did at a figure drawing session in Culver city. The model was super defined, like a Bridgeman drawing.

ConceptArt.Org weekly random contest

challenge01_final
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

marble bust

marble bust
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

I went to the Getty museum with a couple friends today to do some sketches. I wanted to do a painting of a marble statue, and try and pick up the subtle changes in hue that happen. That worked ok, but I feel like I didn't capture the face.

Trip to San Francisco

I did this piece on a hill in San Francisco proper. I wanted to catch the hues of the shadowed victorian houses it a loose way.

This is from a cafe in Tiburon, a wealthy town a ferry ride away from San Francisco. Lisa had a conference here. In the picture the sun is setting, casting a warm glow on the mountain range in the distance.


Here's a mid-morning shot of some trees in a plaza in Tiburon.

LA Figurative week #3

LA Figurative week #3
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

Still working towards a painterly look. It's not super loose, but I like it anyways. 3 hours, plus another 30 mins onthe background.

LateNight_04

LateNight_04
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

So I went to the late night figure drawing jam in downtown LA last night. I had a blast! It was cool that a bunch of my co-worker artists came. It was like a chill party with lots of drawing (and naked chicks). I think I'm going to make this a regular thing.
My short pose skillz are super rusty. This is the only drawing I made that I like of the bunch. I like how the scratchy red in the center of the torso locks down the mass of the body. I'm going to try and get looser and more "photoshoppy" with my sketching brushes. I don't want to be stuck trying to simulate natural media.

Figure Painting

lifedrawing 2_#5
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

Did this today at LA Figurative. I'm really happy with this one. I'm going to a late-night figure drawing "jam" downtown on Tuesday. Apparently there's going to be a bunch of models, a bar and a DJ. Cool daddy-o.

Fast and loose self portrait

self portrait02
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

I did this self portrait this morning, looking in the mirror. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out, I feel like I'm loosening up.. I'm going to try and do more of these quick portraits.

Still Life with Snapple

snapple
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

Did this at the Library Cafe in Venice.

Figure Study from photo reference #2

Kindgirls-02 2
Originally uploaded by Richard N. Smith.

I think this one might have gotten fussy in places. I like how the head turned out, and the light washing in from the window. I need to spend more time locking down the pose, before I start rendering.

Town Hall detail

Town Hall detail
Originally uploaded by rsmith3d.

I joined in the 11th annual Sketch Crawl on September 23rd, in Pasadena. I have to say it was a very inspiring event. I think there was something like 40 artist there, all drawing away as we walked around Pasadena. I had a chance to really try out my tablet pc.
What I discovered was that I needed a bigger battery, the juice ran out before the drawing did. Well I've got one now.
After the sketching, we went to lunch, and I got to know some of my sketchmates a little. I guess I shouldn't be suprised that a bunch of people who spend a day getting together to draw are pretty cool. I really hope to do this again, sooner than next year!

Check out the other artist's work from the event at:
http://www.sketchcrawl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1025
Here's a flickr set of my drawings:
http://flickr.com/photos/richardnsmith/sets/72157594308661967/

forest hike

forest hike
Originally uploaded by rsmith3d.

Lisa and I went on a hike in Santa Ynez Park. I brought a foldup chair and my tablet PC. I did this piece in about 45 mins. I've tried to capture the mood of the scene, without getting into fussy details.

Dredlock girl

dredlock girl
Originally uploaded by rsmith3d.

I did this 3 hour figure painting at the LA figurative institute. I'm pretty happy with it, though I didn't get a chance to finish the boots. The LA fig is a great school, and I hope to go to more drawing sessions there.

Baseman sculpture

IMG_0285
Originally uploaded by rsmith3d.

Trying out the Flickr Blog post function with this picture I took of a sculpture by Gary Baseman that I took on a weekender out to Laguna with Lisa.

Pointy Fellow

this smarmy fellow is a quick sketch I did today as a byproduct of developing new brushes for Photoshop..

Figure painting at The Drawing Club

I went with my friend Paul to a Sunday morning figure drawing session at a place near Burbank called The Drawing Club. It was a costumed long-pose session for 3 hours. The atmosphere was relaxed and I really enjoyed myself (even though the model was kind of a pain). They have a bunch of different sessions throughout the week. Check it out!

Nude figure study from photo reference

I painted this on my slate PC. It's based on a photograph. I'm trying to develop a natural, painterly approach to digital drawing. I think the pose on this one is a little stiff. 

A communique from the interwebs.

Hey all! This is my first blog posting. I'm trying to create a space for all the stuff I've made or that interests me. I'm including a picture in this post to try out the different features at Blogger. I need to make a gallery or portfolio of images. I might need an "add-on" to do it.
I took this picture on the gondola across the San Diego Zoo. I futzed with the colors a bit to enhance that "tower rising from the primeval forest" vibe.