BLIND CONTOUR DRAWING
Every summer in June there is some sort of perfume -y smell that comes off the trees. It is delightful. I have no idea what tree it’s from, but it makes me happy every June. And then July and August roll around and the City just stinks. From people, from trash, from cooking. All those smells congeal, bounce off the simmering sidewalks and melt into the humidity to create a miasma of Stinky Summer City Smell. And don’t even get me started about the smell in the subways in the summer.
To emote how I feel about summer in the City, I found this handy, dandy guide about how to properly act tragic emotions on stage here.
Hopelessness
I’m taking a basic drawing class locally with a friend. We started by doing some blind contour drawing which Leslie White always teaches in her classes too. If you don’t know what it is, here’s a description. I did some of my hand and then a quick portrait of the young guy sitting across from me. Blind contour drawings are great fun. I should have tried a blind contour drawing of my hand holding my nose.
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June 29, 2014 at 8:50 pm
Elena
It must be the Linden trees! Always starts up mid-to-late June. Heavenly!
June 29, 2014 at 11:06 pm
jimmyboi2
SMELLS! Smells we love, smells we hate. And, following our discussions of smells, we embark on a discussion of filth: medieval filth… worldwide filth… all sorts of filth! FILTH!
I think your blind contour works are wonderful- I’m interested in your progression. xoxoxox
June 30, 2014 at 1:28 am
Sketchuniverse
Hi Carol, I think your drawings about hands are wonderful. I mean the type of line that is followed sinuous, which follow a movement and the slick touch of pencil on paper.
I also have that attitude in some of my drawings, but not always achieved.
Sketchuniverse congratulates and appreciates your visits!
June 30, 2014 at 2:47 am
nicsearth
What a lovely description of a horrible thing-stinky City smells sound awful but the smell of those trees sounds delightful-can’t be jasmine-there was lots of that in Tunisia when I lived there and it always reminded me of cat pee! Those blind drawing exercises look like fun!
June 30, 2014 at 10:00 am
Mary
I like your hand drawing series.
June 30, 2014 at 10:51 am
lesliepaints
Ha! I love it!!! You drawing blind. These are excellent, Carol! I consider blind line contour as the beginning of an artist’s journey and fall back to using it for doodling and improving my eye and feel of a subject. http://lesliepaints.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/continuous-line-drawing/
High praise to your drawing instructor for including this! High praise for your blind drawings, above. Thay are wonderful!
June 30, 2014 at 1:27 pm
Sketchuniverse
Exact! I was suspecting that this kind of tree would be a linden. It is one of my favourite. I agree the Elena’s words. Sublime fragance!
Thanks to visit Sketchuniverse blog.
June 30, 2014 at 2:45 pm
candy7
Carol, these are great – I especially like the third drawing!
I love the way the blossoms on the olive trees here smell. The flowers are very tiny and the fragrance is light. I also love the way the desert smells after it rains. However, since it’s a desert, I don’t get to smell that smell very often:)
June 30, 2014 at 9:58 pm
Sketchuniverse
Yeah. Another outstanding fragance and too appreciated is this from orange tree: azahar.
June 30, 2014 at 6:28 pm
cathy
Well at least your drawings don’t stink. There is something to be said for cool crisp fall weather.
June 30, 2014 at 9:49 pm
Sketchuniverse
Excuse me but I think against the autumn, the solution is: ‘Carpe diem’ (Seize this moment).
July 1, 2014 at 1:02 pm
elenacaravela
Your blind contours are excellent! As for summer in the city aromas, pretty ewy.
July 2, 2014 at 10:30 pm
Joan T
The city does have some good and some nasty smells. I just focus on the good ones. lol Good blind contour sketches…you can actually tell what you are sketching. Some of mine are sort of strange looking. Hope you are doing something fun for the 4th of July. I am supposed to be doing an outdoor show in Bellport so I’ll be watching the forecast carefully. Enjoy!
July 5, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Irina
Great blind experience, the face looks very Picasso-ic.