Katie kept adjusting her hair and was wearing a loose tee, which made her a challenge to draw as shapes kept changing. She might have been thinking she was posing for a photographer: vogue, switch, vogue, switch…click, click, click, click. I draw fast but not that fast! Model Moment event, 5/5/13, Seattle

Lin at Model Moment. A fetching Asian, Lin had “the look” but surprisingly was not a professional model. She was a stylist and designer who wanted to add something else to her resume. No more than 5 minutes drawing time, using an HB pencil (as are all these recent drawings). I kept asking her if she was comfortable or needed to break the pose, but she was cool about it. This was the second drawing I did of her. The first one wasn’t working out so I trashed it.

Drawing of model Mowha at Model Moment, 5/5/13. I captured him switching tees. About 50% of this drawing is direct observation. The other 50% is what I reproduce from memory and conventions of figure drawing that I’ve stored over the past 30 years as “muscle memory”. Less than 2 minutes actual paper on pencil drawing time. Mowha was a bad-lookin’ dude (as in Michael Jackson’s “Bad”). This made him cool and exciting for me to draw. Raw…

Romina was a bright girl of about 12 or 13. Very enthusiastic and outgoing. When asked about what music she’d like to hear while being photographed she said “1 Direction” (also one of my daughter’s faves). Drawn in less than 3 minutes at Model Moment event, 5/5/13, Pike Place Market in Seattle.

2 minute drawing from life at Model Moment event, 5/5/13 at Pike Place Market, Seattle WA

Drawing of one of the models taking part in Model Moment event, 5/5/13 at Pike Place Market, Seattle WA

2 minute drawing from model done at Model Moment event http://www.ModelMoment.com, 5/5/13 at Pike Place Market, seattle

Realism to abstraction, step 1: reduce chiaroscurro drawing to schematic line work. Dispense with modeling, proceed to diagram of forms on surface.

Cold, rainy days in Jet City. Staying indoors mostly, so all I could draw was me in front of the mirror. 12/21/12 (end of Mayan calendar)

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Santa’s helper. Not seen on the streets but drawn from live model at Georgetown Atelier, 12/13/12. Watch future postings as I gradually move this realistic drawing towards abstraction.