Every so often I like to set some kind of painting/drawing discipline to keep on top of my game. John Singer Sargent is one of the artists whose work I love to study. Good habits are hard to form and easy to break. Sadly the converse of that statement is also true!
I tend to find that my regular sketching habit falls by the wayside, particularly if I’m busy with commissions or working towards an exhibition. However, despite being very busy at the moment working on a series of portraits in oils of City Church, Newcastle members, I’ve decide to set myself the goal of doing some kind of sketchbook study every day for about 10-30 minutes.
The two charcoal sketches above were drawn in my Moleskine Sketchbook. They are my studies of John Singer Sargent’s Portrait drawings and one of Cellini’s Perseus. Doing studies like this is a great way to develop your own drawing technique. It’s particularly beneficial if you are unable to find a willing model to sit for you.
I find that I have to be very disciplined to make this a daily habit. It’s one of these situations where you might find it helpful to actually block out the time in your diary. It’s also a good practise to experiment with different drawing implements. Sometimes I will use charcoal pencils. However, on other occasions, I’ll use a fountain pen or even a biro. Just keep drawing and mix it about.
To see my daily (hopefully) sketches, you can follow my twitter accounts @artistalanreed and @adailysketch