The first is Tombow marker and ink on Yupo paper, about !8"x24".
The remaining two are Tombow marker and ink on 9"x12" drawing paper.
The model has an amazing, elaborate and beautiful tattoo of feathers on her back and upper arms. It was added to her body over the course of a summer.
I did all the one minute poses (the drawings in the background of the top drawing) with my left hand, and I also did large portions of the remaining drawings with my left hand (sometimes I'd forget, when coming back to a longer pose). The longer poses this day were from 15 minutes to 30 minutes long.
Using my left hand for drawing is not what I normally do. So I am much slower with that hand. But the most awkward part was that I am so used to setting things up for right-handed drawing that I placed my easel in a very unnatural position for left-handed drawing.
It's fun to switch to the non-dominant hand, and I find it also helps to diminish bad habits: seems like a fresher take on the subject matter.
Why draw with the non-dominant hand?
Well, it is a standard drawing exercise. The idea is that it frees one up to use the "right brain" to draw with. I don't know how valid this concept is, but it is a popular notion.
A practical reason, that PA is now bumping up against, is that sometimes you need to. Hands wear out or get injured.
Exercising that spare hand and arm and training and strengthening them, just gives the artist an extra drawing arm: a good thing.
Wow. I am left handed, and you are amazing. Love the wings.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margaret.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how well the left-handed drawing went yesterday. I've done it before, but not for such an extended period. It's hard to do much of it at once, usually, because that hand is not "in shape" the way my right hand is.
The model actually has a beautiful, elaborate tattoo of wings covering much of her back.
I so enjoy the poses of the three women.
ReplyDeleteAmazing that you did these with your non dominant hand. I wouldn't have realized that. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteThe results are great, which ever hand. I like the idea of Yupo paper with marker.
ReplyDeleteWow. These are so dynamic! I love the energy of the line work. Non dominant hand is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI think somebody's been to the movies, namely Black Swan . . .
ReplyDeleteBut the leftie biz is really amazing.
yes this is a great result!!
ReplyDeleteExcellent results with your left hand. I need to try using my left and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteI meant to add that I really, really the three figures in one piece--extra interesting, each one and the interplay among them.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what is the rationale for using the non-dominant hand? It's an intriguing idea.
Jean,
ReplyDeleteI love your use of lines to achieve a very gestural impact. Wonderful !!!
This top composition is stunning. Absolutely stunning. Take it from someone whose been forced to become a lefty.
ReplyDeleteThanks, all.
ReplyDeleteAnd welcome, Matt and Kathleen Brennan.
Banjo, I haven't seen Black Swan, yet.
ReplyDeleteThe model has an amazing, elaborate and beautiful tattoo of feathers on her back and upper arms. It was added to her body over the course of a summer.
Banjo, why draw with the non-dominant hand?
ReplyDeleteWell, it is a standard drawing exercise. The idea is that it frees one up to use the "right brain" to draw with. I don't know how valid this concept is, but it is a popular notion.
A practical reason, that PA is now bumping up against, is that sometimes you need to. Hands wear out or get injured.
Exercising that spare hand and arm and training and strengthening them, just gives the artist an extra drawing arm: a good thing.
I use hawks and trowels, pans and broad knives and other tools of destruction in my work. Often, to access difficult areas, I have switched from my dominant hand.
ReplyDeleteit took many years to achieve this without discomfort (mostly of the mind).
My son is an excellent journeyman in his own right. He is right-handed while I am a leftie. We sometimes joke about this and will often divide work for reasons of accessibility due to our "handedness". Say, for example, twenty feet in the air, on platforms.
The best days are when we don't speak, moving naturally, knowing what the other will do. We become like two hands working in unison.
I like that picture, of the two of you, working.
ReplyDeleteJean, did I simply not see your explanation? If so, my apologies. Believe it or not, I was wondering if it had something to do with brain hemispheres. Also, sorry for my missing verb, tho' it's implied: I really LIKE them, both alone and together. Is it just me, or does the lefty background work contribute something, which I cannot name?
ReplyDeleteBandit, that's a really nice image of a father and son. Probably more sense of cooperation than most father-adult son relationships?
Banjo, I added all that explanation after you asked the question, so don't visit the neurologist on my account.
ReplyDeleteVery nice work with the markers! Like your diverse styles and materials but as I've been trying to draw with markers recently this caught my eye. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks and welcome, Rodney.
ReplyDeleteI love markers, especially with this Yupo paper and definitely plan to do more of it.