Taking An Art Class At Age 81 3/4 ...

[Dickkooty2]

Dickkooty, did you start with sketching or go straight into painting? Ta

Hi, Bluey,

 

Thanks for asking. I took drawing lessons in black and white, then moved into colour. I am not really painting. I am just colouring with markers or coloured pencils, I am trying to build some attention to shapes or geometry. And make some kind of a statement or achieve some sort of mood. A big order when coupled with minimal skills.

 

I want to have minimum of equipment to tote around, All i want ti some small-scale remembrance of a moment that I can leave with a friend or family member as a carte d'visite.

 

Following up on my trys with postcard size drawing paper and an eight-colour pencil, I think I see a way to make the drawing more interesting with some point.

 

Here is a trial at more interest:

 

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RL]

 

... and my next set of lessons will be figure drawing!

[Bluey]

Hi dickkooty,

I used to love (trying to) paint when I was at school, but I never followed it up because I was awful. Now I'm older I want to have a stab at it some time as it will always be on my bucket list. I don't care if I'm bad, all I want to do is to enjoy it and know that I'm improving. When I was young, I would have been discouraged if there was no chance of becoming good.

 

I thought I'd ask you because all your work so far involves colour, but now you mention it I can see that many are using coloured pencils although I initially thought they were painted. I understand where you're coming from in wanting to get the basic shapes of things and laying the foundations. That's why I thought one had to always start with sketching before painting, although I would have ideally wanted to take a short cut and gone straight into watercolours (from what I've read so far, a very bad idea!)

[Dickkooty2]

Hi dickkooty,

I used to love (trying to) paint when I was at school, but I never followed it up because I was awful. Now I'm older I want to have a stab at it some time as it will always be on my bucket list. I don't care if I'm bad, all I want to do is to enjoy it and know that I'm improving. When I was young, I would have been discouraged if there was no chance of becoming good.

 

I thought I'd ask you because all your work so far involves colour, but now you mention it I can see that many are using coloured pencils although I initially thought they were painted. I understand where you're coming from in wanting to get the basic shapes of things and laying the foundations. That's why I thought one had to always start with sketching before painting, although I would have ideally wanted to take a short cut and gone straight into watercolours (from what I've read so far, a very bad idea!)

Well, I've seem friends do demos of just painting directly on the prepared surface. But these artists have years of learning and practice with media and can get what they want quickly and finish as needed even days later.

 

Take a look at 82 Portraits and a Landscape, D. Hockney's latest big project (actually, they are all big ... and he is 80!!). He just does a minimal charcoal sketch of the subject, fills in the background, and spends the rest of the time capturing the person!

[Bluey]

Hmm I think it's best to learn sketching first then

[Dickkooty2]

Here is what I mean by doing some little postcard size drawings that can be left with friends and relatives.

 

These three from a trip to boston in Mid-October of this election year.

 

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RL]

 

In a house crammed with original art on the walls, I am pleased to have a few of my homily scrawls in situ

[Dickkooty2]

"A reductive block print ... what can go wrong" A very talented friend who saw some scrawl of mine thought I would enjoy her favorite medium. And so thinking. sent me six inks, a burin with five different points, a breyer, paper and an e-z cut sheet of medium. A great gift!

 

I drew a suitable Christmas card that could work ... simple block colors with some strong lines. Alas, could as a condition meant skill. I couldn't begin to see how I could carve the block down in such a way that I'd still have a printing surface left for the last colors.

 

So I just finished my ruff with my Big Boys Roll of Coloring Pencils and a fountain pen with black ink.

 

But following my Mother's tenet of "Waste not, Want not", I post it as a sort-a-sketch Christmas card to those readers of FPN who may get this far down into the bowels of the old posts.

 

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[penrivers]

After you write your will, you can feel free to do whatever you want.

[darazs]

Thanksfor the card and the wishes!

 

Merry Xmas and happy new year to you as well!

[inkyelbows]

Dick, I love your art! And I strongly agree -- it's never too late to practice art.

 

Bluey: You said "I don't care if I'm bad, all I want to do is to enjoy it and know that I'm improving" -- I SO AGREE!

 

I have no art training but just doodled a lot. My educational background is in computer science and my first career was a systems programmer/analyst. Now I write and draw for a living. Life is crazy and wonderful sometimes.

 

Debbie

[Dickkooty2]

A thank-you note to a friend re Rodrigue and Blue Dog ...

 

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https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/316316-international-klein-blue/?p=3754312

[Dickkooty2]

Son Rick and family including dog will take up residence this year in Dubai for a three-year stay.

 

Here is a city view for a note card thanking them for a set of ink drawing pens in 8 colors. I used them for this version of a photo, but done in pen-and-ink...

 

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[ethernautrix]

Wow, I love your drawings!

 

What a service you're doing, too, reminding us to DO IT! DO IT! (More Sam Kinison than Nike, but why not both?) JUST DO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!

 

Thank you for sharing and inspiring!

[inkstainedruth]

Very nice work as always. Hey, is that the James Thurber dog in that one of Blue Dog and his friends?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Dickkooty2]

Very nice work as always. Hey, is that the James Thurber dog in that one of Blue Dog and his friends?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

It is indeed.

 

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All I did was put together a small pack of famous art dogs that were easy to draw. But with different personalities.

[Bluey]

That looks really good!

Keep learning and enjoying your art.

Edited February 14, 2017 by Bluey

[Dickkooty2]

 

 

It has been a while since I have posted. I am now 83 (Good Lord)!. I am still doing small stuff for friends and relatives as souvenirs. I seem to have lost stuff i have put up using photobucket.

 

The small drawing is for a close relative who lives in this interesting older building.

[Bluey]

83 years young. Plenty of spunk left in ya yet.

 

Nice work on the art btw. You've definitely come on leaps and bounds

[Dickkooty2]

I continue to do stuff as mementos for my family and friends. I also see that what is of greater interest to me than the actual skill of handling media for their lay-down qualities, is the sense of the graphic and composition.

 

So ... some B/W photos and a sepia manipulated photo

 

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RL]That's Larry in the middle ( pale Walker Evans homage), an interior Larry designed (Julius Shulman, The Master imitated), and the barn in which a close relative had a wedding reception (turn backward, O Time in thy Flight - We're in the WPA program tonight).

 

The bottom row of time passing is like everyone else's row of time passing but worse and shot through the window of a London coffee bar as I took a break.

[Dickkooty2]

Damn those Ph-ckers at Photobucket!

Their ransom program is on a par with Bad Rabbit!

[Dickkooty2]

OK, Five quick scrawls left at my daughter's house in Boston. This is the quick memento style on postcard size drawing paper with what ever i have taken with me ... usually the cards, two Dollar (Pakistan) pens one in black and one in brown, a couple of #2 soft Dixons, an 8 colored pencil, and a 4 colored BP. And an eraser! and a small ruler. and a small french curve. and a pencil sharpener.

 

 

My thought is to leave a scrawl-shot in under an hour. I spent more time and experimentation on the drawing of the single 20s building (above), the photographs, and this memento of the Vermont house which I'll put in a frame and send.

 

I cleaned up the final a bit. And, yes ... it is a poster from the famous "Ski Vermont" series with the barn removed and an abstracted version of the haus added. I added the shadow for color contrast and for design reinforcement. But is is the orange garage door that makes it work.