The Year Of Drawing Adventurously – Week 36: Something Near You

September 9, 2018September 9, 2018 ~ Meg ~ 32 Comments

Following the chart to 52 drawings this year.

This is kind of wide open. It really could be any person, place or thing in your vicinity. I chose to draw another Philadelphia landmark – the Walt Whitman Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River from Philadelphia to Gloucester City in Camden County, New Jersey. Walt Whitman, one of America’s best loved poets, made Camden his home after suffering a stroke. He died there and his home is open to the public. Here is the Walt Whitman Bridge:

I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. ~ Walt Whitman

Drawing progression: cast of an ear

September 8, 2018September 8, 2018 ~ Meg ~ 33 Comments

This is another drawing tutorial – this time a cast of an ear, one of the most difficult body parts to get right. I begin with measurements, including a box in which the ear will fit. I’ll let the progression show you what I did, beginning with my reference photo:

The Year Of Drawing Adventurously – Week 35: Fairytale Character

September 2, 2018September 2, 2018 ~ Meg ~ 19 Comments

Following the chart to 52 drawings this year.

The story of Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) is included in Grimm’s Fairy Tales, but it’s origin is much older. It’s earliest version appears in the Perceforest, a tale of the fictional origin of Britain with loose connections to the Arthurian Cycles. This narrative was composed between 1330 and 1344 AD by anonymous authors.

The general story is that a wicked fairy, excluded from the christening of the infant princess Briar Rose, places a curse on a spinning wheel so that Briar Rose will prick her finger and die. A good fairy discovers this plot and while she cannot undue the curse, she is able to mitigate it such that Briar Rose will fall into a deep sleep rather than die. She will only be awakened from this sleep by the kiss of a handsome prince. Spoiler alert: it all works out fine in the end. Go figure! Nevertheless, the actual fairy tale is way cooler than the Disney version, trust me. It’s full of symbolism and subtle meaning. So here is my Briar Rose: