Sunday, April 25, 2010

Floating Heads in Jeopardy

Ah, the plight of men! There they are, prisoners of the mall, with nothing to do but wait. What diabolical plan has brought them to this acre? And what, if anything, can they do about it? Alas, there is nothing, nothing at all. There is nothing at all to do but wait.

But I am not like other men. When I began to turn yellow in Marshall's, my wife released me with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "Now you can sketch!" she proclaimed, and I rushed to where the other men were waiting. My only fear was that my wife (or that their wives) would return before I was done.

It is hard to match the challenge of sketching people in public. When I began, I would sketch only their heads. I knew I should sketch more, but I wasn't fast enough and lacked the skill to draw the body. I called them "floating heads" as you can see in one of my earlier posts here.

Gradually I got better, and was able to bring in bodies that were at first too small for the heads, sure - but they were bodies - and then the environment where they stood or sat. But the character of the faces was my starting point, and I remain fascinated with them. Often I have to restrain myself from drawing the face before the body because of this.

Besides public places, there is only one place that I've found that comes close to matching the excitement of drawing faces in public, and that is in front of the tv during the game show "Jeopardy". I've taken to grabbing my Moleskine at the start of the show, and sitting with pen poised.

As each contestant gives a response, I draw what I can, and add to it with each successive question. So I might have A respond to the first, and draw a nose; B respond to the second, and draw an ear; and then A, and then C, and so on, so that I am darting back and forth between contestants on the page.

The bonuses, for me, are the "Daily Doubles" where the camera stays on the person for longer. Obviously, you have more time to sketch the contestants that respond to more clues. I have been left more than once with a poor contestant who lost more than the game: he or she appeared in my Moleskine with nothing more than the impression of a nose and part of an eye because there was not enough camera time.

Anyway, I think "the Jeopardy Challenge" is a great exercise for honing sketching and observational skills. I do not worry about likenesses. If my drawing looks like the contestant when I am done, all the better, but I just want them to look human. This is calisthenics, only a lot more fun.

Here is the first Jeopardy page I did (except for the side-view of the girl - she was drawn in public). I only recently colored it. I used the opportunity to experiment with skin tones and different techniques for painting skin.



I try never to leave the house without my Moleskine and pen although I must admit that sometimes I get tired of the same sized page, and the precise character of the pen. So the other day, I was delighted to go to an Italian restaurant with a paper tablecloth and crayons! There is nothing better than crayons.

There was an elderly man. (I discretely moved the plate over the picture when he walked by my table as he left, because there was a definite likeness):














Then a woman sitting at the table just in front of me. I think this was the best drawing of the meal:













And the drawing of another woman - doesn't look a bit like her. But she's in my universe now - and in my universe, this is what she looks like!

The waitress gave us a big smile each time she came by - I'm convinced she thought I was nuts. But she didn't say anything, so I gave her a big tip.



Great art? Nah. Great fun? Definitely! Every restaurant should be set up like this, don't you think?

33 comments:

  1. As your waitress, I sure would have nabbed that white paper! A great tip indeed! Dan, I so enjoy both your thoughts and your art! I love how you challenge yourself! Me? I just get overwhelmed and quit it all!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dan, I love your drawings and musings. When I first glimpsed the "mall men" I had to chuckle since we've all experienced them! You really captured the mood and attitude. The jeopardy sketches are a great idea, and really challenge you to work fast. And - I agree with A.L. - if I were the waitress I'd take the paper tablecloth and frame it. Nice work!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the story of the progress of your drawing people in public. These are a great selection of drawings and the tale of each.

    Cafes with crayons and paper tablecloths are fun - I've only been to a few. My mother has started this tradition with her grandchildren and it is proving very popular.

    I've been meaning to try drawing tv people - must try it soon !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hahahaha!! Love the sketches Dan! I do that sometimes too, especially in BlueDog Cafe where they give you a crayons on each table and of course the table is already covered with white paper for you to draw on. You're right about the smiles generated by the drawings on waitresses... that to me is priceless ^^ because it gives them a reason to come back over and over again for refills

    ReplyDelete
  5. You always have such fun with your art...I love that! What a great way to make the most of a nice meal...my favorite is the older gentlemen. He kind of reminds me of Frazier's dad, Martin. Have a great week

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is so fun! The results on the tablecloth look great! Your portraits are cool, very expressive (and they definitely look human : ) ).
    Thanks for sharing your tricks and techniques, makes me want to try them! (and thanks for a nice laugh - loved the mall story!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. How fun, Dan, and I love your Jeopardy idea! It's so tricky drawing people out in public, but you're very good at it! I'm always pleased with myself if what end up with looks like a person - it doesn't have to look like the model for me to feel OK about it. If it does happen to look like them - well, that's just a bonus! The fun for me is in the doing. nancy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fab sketches and tales. I have never been to a restaurant with paper table clothes AND crayons; I am so jealous, especially as your results are amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ... first hand direct observation is where it is at (sorry for saying that in 60's-ese haha). When I was much younger I could not understand why anyone would subject themselves to painting or drawing from life. It looked hard and often the results seemed goofy to me..I didn't do much art really but when I did it was from photos. Hooray for being exposed to plein air and the whole "movement" of painting/drawing from life. Your work here has a spontaneity that translates totally to "life". Each mark is so much better than what people get from working from photos. (But of course this is now my bias) I will try the Jeopardy thing.
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dan, I love your sketches. You've done a wonderful job of capturing the personalities of all your subjects!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Did you get to take away your tablecloth?
    Some great ideas here for sketching people, I'm going to try the quiz show one, I definately need more practice and to build up my speed.
    Thanks for an interesting AND fun post!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This time I'm not speechless. This is a great idea, sketching from TV! I'm imagining all sorts of scenarios where a person can draw from people on TV! Once again, a great idea and charming pictures! And free paper! How cool!

    These are all great character sketches. Success again!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the Jeopardy idea. Celeste is right (she always is)--there's something about drawing from life that can't come from a photograph. I spent time in a live-drawing session yesterday. In my first drawing, the seated male model ended up with short legs (like mine)--we laughed. He wanted to buy my second drawing--his floating head.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Next time you go to dinner at the italian place - can I go with you? That's my idea of a fun dinner!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dan, another great post and a fantastic collection of mall people drawings!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your mall sketch is great! I had to laugh though, I'm usually out there with the men when I shop with my sister! Great idea--I never watch jeopardy, but I may have to start! I'm always looking for shows that come back to the person again and again. What impresses me most though, are the crayon sketches! I LOVE them. I am awed by them! I can't stop staring! I think crayon is your medium! (I smile when I say that, knowing you wouldn't want your work to seem childish or cartoony!) But there is just so much character in those lines that are too difficult to capture with a Lamy fountain pen! And what's really great--usually when I see a work that I really love, I go out and buy the materials used to create it...and this time it won't cost me an arm and a leg!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow! Fantastic post! Love the drawings, and the story of men held captive by their wife's shopping at the mall. Yet YOU aren't a prisoner when you're sketching. I bet you kinda wish she would keep on shopping so you can draw more:) Love the paper tablecloth sketches...hope the next person/waiter saved them!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love the drawings!

    I can sympathize with those men you drew - I'm usually the one shifting around impatiently, ready to go - RIGHT NOW. (I hate, hate, hate shopping for clothes/shoes.)

    Here's to a May that is less hectic than April has been.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love your crayon drawings at the restaurant and that you took photos of them—Great idea!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Definitely worth waiting for this post!! I love your people and the paper cloth drawings have so much character and energy!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your sketches are so delightful and I love reading about how you use all of these various opportunities to practice drawing. I really like the idea of drawing faces on Jeopardy. I will sometimes sketch the talking heads on the news shows but listening to all that is usually upsetting, Jeopardy would be much more fun!

    ReplyDelete
  22. my comment vanished also!
    Great post, great portraits and more important for me great fun! Your are brave to draw in public places specially restaurant, I never had the guts to do it.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This is a great post. It helps me to know how to keep going when I try to capture someone on TV. I hate shopping - my dad used to go with my daughter so she could wander from store to store. I shared the crayon pics with my granddaughters who are visiting. I told them this is what a man does with crayons in a restaurant! (They are a little too old for the kiddie placemats but young enough to be bored waiting for dinner).

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks for sharing all these techniques of how/where you draw. Interesting. Good art too.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great post! I love the idea of the Jeopardy Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  26. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great sketches, Dan! I love the way you manage to catch people's expressions: I find it too difficult !

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love posts that explain how an artist taught him/herself. The Jeopardy approach is awesome!

    Your post also reminded me of my father. He used to draw restaurant patrons on the backs of paper placemats when I was a kid. I sure wish I had some of those drawings now.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Dan, wonderful sketches. Being an artist means we never lack something to do while waiting!

    I've been absent a lot from blogging lately because of other commitments. I just read your poem about the loss of your daughter. Thank you for sharing these torturous thoughts and feelings. Though I have lost people close to me -- parents and husband -- I have not lost a child, the most difficult loss of all. Your ability to survive, move on, and stay married is a tribute to your love for your little girl.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you all so much for your uplifting comments! Marsha - you're on! Next time you're in Miami.. Raena, you've convinced me. I'm ditching everything but the crayons. Mary, thank you for your kind thoughts. I do not believe the pain of loss is dependent upon the age of the loved one. I am sorry for what you have endured as well. And freebird, you are correct. This is what a real man does with crayons.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I so admire your ability to render in real life. My favorite is the elderly man in crayon. Beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete