"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday, January 14, 2011

Contour Drawing of My Left Hand

Well - today is my big day - the reception for my solo show!  Soooooooo - needless to say, I have been busy...with little time to create!  So, this is my quick effort for today.  It is a semi-contour drawing of my left hand done  with a 4B pencil on watercolor paper. Then I took a 1/2 inch watercolor wash brush and made a series of strokes across the paper -back and forth - purposely not covering all the paper.  Then I softened my paynes grey watercolor and took my paint brush on which I had sharpened the end and after dipping the sharpened end in the paint, drew onto my wet paper.  Where there is water, the paint runs - where there is no water, you get a beautiful contour line.  My college life drawing professor, Dr. Running,  taught this technique some 54 years ago at Bowling Green State University. He was great! You never know what you are going to get because you have no idea where the water is going to take the paint!  It is a real ADVENTURE!

9 comments:

jgr said...

I love this technique - thank you for sharing it with us, I'd like to try it sometime.

Barbra Joan said...

The Reception for your Solo Show.!! How good does that sound?
Your a fine artist Barbara..
I like this little technique. and will have to try it// thanks !!

Anonymous said...

Hi Barb, Congrats on the show and the opening! I hope it goes well for you.

OH this is wonderful! If you feel like it, I invite you to link to Blind Contour Friday either now or in the future. This is just so inspiring! It's fun to see what you can do with a blind contour drawing.
(www.blindcontourfriday.com)

Autumn Leaves said...

Magical creative hands...er...hand!

Barb Sailor said...

Thanks to you all for your wonderful comments...first of all - my reception for my show went so well - it was well-attended (approx 125 people) and the food and wine were devoured. My heart was bursting with the many blessings of family and friends being there.

This technique is very rewarding. I have used it often in the past - especially when I was teaching art to high school students, but hadn't done it recently.
Peggy - I am looking forward to connecting with Blind Contour Friday!

Joan Sandford-Cook said...

Thanks for sharing this interesting contour technique. Must have a go myself. Good luck with the solo show.

Mrs. Heisey said...

I had Dr. Running too, in the 70s. So glad to find you--I am teaching HS art like you did apparently. I am showing my students the hand contour study.//Beth

Barb Sailor said...

Good to hear from you Beth. I really liked Dr. Running - he was a good instructor - very encouraging. I was sad to see that he passed away last year. He had to be pretty old since I had him in the 50's and I graduated in 1960. I also had him for oil painting. Where do you teach art?
Nice to hear from you.
Barb Sailor

Barb Sailor said...
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