Rubens Copy 2nd Attempt

It is the wee hours of the morning and I am still futzing around in the art room. I have been attempting to improve on the nose and mouth of the Rubens boy child that I showed you in yesterday's post. I am still not completely satisfied, but think they are a bit better.

I am supposed to have started a watercolor class through the Artists of the Round Table Yahoo! group to which I belong, but have not yet received lesson 1. I am hoping to add some color to these drawings as I progress.

So here is my latest:

 

And here is the original again:

 

And here are the first attempt (on the left) and the most recent fix (on the right) side by side for a better comparison.

 

I see right away that I am missing a tiny bit of face between the lips and the hair. That will be fixed in the next iteration.

I would like to know if my second attempt is an improvement or not. I think the lips are in a better position compared to the nose, but I think I have compromised the shape of the nose a bit.

Your input is appreciated and is invaluable in my tinkering.

I'd better get to bed. Morning comes mighty early.

xoxo

February is Behind Us; Welcome March

And so it is March 1. I am beginning to be hopeful that the longest, snowiest winter I can remember is drawing to a close. It was warm enough yesterday to melt quite a bit of snow and today promises to melt more.

I have some errands to run today and then am hoping to meet my daughter and my little darling, Momo, for lunch. Later this afternoon, I am meeting a young man for a tutoring session in Algebra. I am hoping it will be a fun and productive day.

Meanwhile, I would like to share with you the product of my Found Book Concertina Workshop that I took with my good friend, Nancy, at Hollander's yesterday. I'd first of all like to tell you that this was the best one day workshop I've experienced to date. Chris Reising, the instructor, was very well organized and explained the process very well, beginning with an overview and then walked us through the process step by step. An added pleasure for me was that her friend and partner who co-taught the class was David Burkam, an old friend from my days of grading AP Calculus exams. David is a professor at the University of Michigan. Chris and David make books together as well as cards and other arty goodies. They brought many of them for us to look at and many of them took my breath away. They are unique and spectacular. You can see their beautiful products at their etsy shop, Moon Moth Press.

Here is the book I made.

And here is the spine.

I can't wait to try another one and will, of course, share it with you.

Earlier this weekend I attempted to sketch a portrait from a picture. This one is by Rubens and I think might be one of his children. Here is his sketch:

 

And here is my pitiful amateurish first attempt:

  

I am afraid I am a bit heavy handed. I have been using a 2B pencil, but think I'd better switch to a 2H or harder so that I can make lighter lines. I have a hard time making light lines. I think I will have to try this again maybe later today and tomorrow morning. 

As usual, I welcome your comments and am so pleased with your suggestions and insights.

Meanwhile, I'd better get this old body onto the treadmill and then get in the shower so that my errands can get done today and I will still have time to do some art.

I hope to "see" you tomorrow.

xoxo