Some more life and Open Studios...

I actually made it to another life drawing session this week! Arrived totally stressed and flustered after a week of dashing around between children and work - had overslept, mad rush to get the children washed, dressed, breakfasted, two lunch boxes packed, them sneak in late to the classroom with one, drop the other one off at pre-school, then dash straight into town for the life class without even so much as a cuppa!
So actually, feeling like I'd only be able to produce frustrated scribbles at best, I was reasonably pleased with this one. It was a 30 minute pose in charcoal pencil again.
I really should branch out and use different mediums, but I do love using the charcoal for life drawing - it seems to suit me. My favourite pencil is only 2 inches long now though!

Here is the other one from this session that I quite liked - a 5 minute pose.
The studio that I go to for these sessions is taking part in the Frome Festival Open Studios, so we've all been asked to show some work. There are some fantastically good artists in the group - some are painters, some sculptors, some ceramicists... I'm probebly one of the youngest and feel quite embarrassed about showing my rough sketches next to some of their work (especially having not exhibited work before - not counting my own shop!)
Still it should be a good bridge to cross, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's work all displayed together with all our very different styles and ways of working.
If anyone's in Somerset you can find out about all the Open Studios at www.fromefestival.co.uk

Tuesday's life drawing (And didn't I used to paint once?)

I finally made it to life drawing this week and picked up a pencil for the first time in nearly a month! The model did some great poses but my hand and eye weren't quite up to speed which was a shame...
This is the closest thing to a finished sketch I've got so far at these sessions (about an hour) although there is a lot wrong with it... I would have liked to have captured the lovely fluid sinuous curve of her back a bit better - it has ended up with some stiffness in the upper back which wasn't present in her pose. I think perhaps some of the shadows are not quite right there in the shoulders too which doesn't help the form.
Although I usually never go back to a life study without the model in front of me, I am tempted just to go and take out some of that straightness of the line from her left shoulder in the hope the curves will flow better... maybe...

This was the other passable sketch of about 30 minutes...

The business has really taken over completely these last couple of months so I've barely had time to see my children never mind think about artwork! Exhaustion has well and truly set in now as well, but hopefully we can settle back down to some kind of normal routine soon and I can get back my children ( who have been so, so good) and my art!
So, sorry for the lack of art posts lately, but sooner or later I shall rediscover my poor forgotten paintbrushes! (Just one big nightmarish mountain of books and tax returns to go! Arrgh!)