Tuesday, November 13, 2012

30 paintings in 30 days, American Samoa, Day 15



Bus and Driver. 
Aiga buses in American Samoa are mostly home made and all wildly colorful. Aiga means "family" and the driver's often own their buses, which is why they all quit and go home at dinner time. 

Joel who used to live in American Samoa and now lives in Delhi, India wrote and asked;
“When I draw people, how do I make them look real?”

Nothing will make you more frustrated than trying to draw people. Part of the problem is because we have learned to 'read' expressions so well. We instinctively look at faces to register what someone is feeling and we gauge our reactions to them. Our eyes can register a 1/64” change in an expression on a face and we remember what it means. It must be a survival mechanism or the desire to know if we are cared for, but we all do it. So getting a face right in a drawing is a complicated problem.    
      Working from live models is difficult since it is boring for the subject to sit for a long time. It could be why many portraits from history look so grim; the subjects had to sit still for hours on end with a blank expression. I used to think people in the past had no fun just from those old serious paintings. Capturing a fleeting expression like joy, surprise or flirtation and making it look natural is extremely hard to do with a camera, much less a pencil. But I’ve only answered how hard it is, not how you actually do it.
     You have to train your hand to draw what your eye sees, not what you think you see. The book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards explains the way our minds work. The book offers lessons in how to see and draw effortlessly using the part of our mind that trusts our hands. If you are looking at a chair and thinking “that is a chair, I can draw that” you are not in the right part of your mind to draw. Language is in another part of our brain. So we have to forget words and for lack of a better way to say it “just space out”. Concentrate on seeing the geometric shapes that define the lines of a chair. But if you’re still thinking, “I’ll draw that square first and then a triangle”, you haven’t spaced out enough. Some people acquire this skill early, but anyone can learn it anytime. It is difficult to get any 3D image to read on a flat piece of paper, but faces are the hardest because we know them so well. You can fudge on a flower, but not on a face if you are hoping to make them look like that person. 
     Start with really soft pencils and use cheap paper like newsprint since you’ll need lots of it. You aren’t going to create a masterpiece first time out the gate. That idea will certainly make you frustrated. Relax, have fun, enjoy making a mess like kids do. Actually that’s a good way to start. Get crayons or sidewalk chalk and draw with kids. They go to the creative part of their mind more readily than adults who have a lot of worries. Or you can do what I do and skip this step. I use a digital projector to enlarge photographs onto canvas, then I paint. Some say this is cheating, but whatever. The end result is what matters and my skill is in manipulating paint, not fighting with a pencil. 

8 comments:

  1. Wow! Thanks Catherine, I never understood it this way, but so true, we humans have such precise perception of the human face (and body language) that it's immensely difficult to capture. Now I know why we get so excited by seeing a good drawing or painting. You made my day! I'm pulling out my drawing pad! :)

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  2. It's easier to see and draw objects, there isn't the same emotional attachment. Being a harsh critic of your efforts is the fastest way to stop doing it so go easy on yourself. Try only looking at the subject and not at the paper until it's finished. You will be amazed. Then stay in that frame of mind. Have fun!

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    1. That was super helpful, Catherine. I have Betty Edward's book. I really must get it out and draw with Vija. She'll help me to be spontaneous. By the way.. I didn't realize you were back in American Samoa! I saw your 30 day series on FB and thought you were painting from photographs while still on Molokai. I love your approach to painting and art and life.. too. :-)

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  3. Kids are amazing for inspiration. I used to think I needed to teach, but I learn more just from drawing with kids and getting in the same frame of mind they do. Plus it's more fun. And that's a definite compliment from you, I've always thought your life was amazing. Would love to meet Vija someday!

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    1. Let's keep tabs where the other one is. With our lives, the planet is a small place and we can find a place to meet. You're inspiring, Catherine. I'm very happy to know you. I want Vija to know you too.

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  4. Deal! I have such fond memories of the day we swam down the coast of Molokai with a turtle. Look forward to painting with you and Vija someday :)

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    1. I remember that day! But now I don't remember if I took pics.. that was predigital, so there is a packet of negatives from Molokai 2005 in a box here. I want to say too, that your blurb from your web site about Rita Gelman's books led me to her site and amazon.co.uk and I'll be buying some of them. They look great, thanks for the reference. I look forward to painting with us too! Thinking.. it's still distant, but there is a total solar eclipse in Indonesia on March 9, 2016. I'll introduce you to eclipses if you hang out with us (Vija and I) and give painting feedback.. I'll likely be there and I'll bet the Indonesian colors will be colorful.. think about it...

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  5. This is really interesting. I just looked up the stats on my blog and second to the US, most of the viewers are in Latvia. Will keep Indonesia in mind!

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