Spring Break Art

I had quite a few paintings and drawings to do over spring break, and I was excited to continue making drawings using the patterns that I had been doing. Since I have been taking painting classes, I have grown accustomed to, rather than painting directly from models, simply making sketches of people whenever I see a possibility for painting, then painting from the sketches. This worked well for me since I generally made up whatever colors I used anyway, however, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed drawing directly from models until I've started drawing again. This is one of the first drawings I made over the break; it is of my sister and brother, and I really tried to use dynamic light and contrast in it.

drawings

This is one of the drawings I did over the weekend for class; it has been almost two years since my last drawing class here, so it feels strange to go back to black and white after so many painting classes :) In this drawing class, I have been using the same ideas of patterns and movement that I had been using in painting class, only without color, and have been really enjoying it. This was of my sister while she was reading (something she does often). I tried to use the light and dark contrast to move throughout the drawing, and make the areas with more contrast show off against more subtle, less noticeable patterns.

This is another drawing of my two sisters, talking. As i continue in the class, I want to start doing more active poses, and really emphasize movement.

paintings

Lately, I have been making paintings that are about patterns and movement, and this was an idea I had to make the same pattern reappear on the people and in the background. I obviously love bright colors and I try to use them to emphasize people's interaction, while painting patterns to give them energy. Though this one is rather small (16" x 20"), I have been painting large ( 3' x 4'), and have really loved it; I think it is so much more fun and easier to capture movement on big canvases.