DC Sketchers @ The National Gallery of Art - the perception of spaces & relationships

The DC Sketchers learned about the importance of the compositional format. We tested our measuring and sighting skills by copying masterworks from the From Impressionism to Modernism exhibit. We then gathered at a table in NGA's cafeteria. There we set up a simple still life of styrofoam cups, observing and recording the negative spaces between the cups and bounded by a compositional viewfinder.

The new Spring I session of DC Sketchers is beginning on Saturday, February 12th. We will meet every Saturday from 10am to Noon for 8 classes, ending on April 2nd.
http://chaw.org/index.php/classes/details/dc_sketchers_s1as1/

Register for eight sessions for $240 by visiting www.chaw.org or calling 202.547.6839. You can also drop-in for $35 per class by contacting Victor (no later than Noon on the Friday before class) at 202.547.6839 or at victor@CHAW.org.

See Course Synopsis and Itinerary for the Spring I session at end of this post.

Course Synopsis and Itinerary
DC Sketchers - Spring I Session
Saturdays, 10am to Noon, 2/12 to 4/2

The course is organized to present author Betty Edwards’ thesis that the global skill of drawing is made up of five perceptual skills
1.The perception of edges
2.The perception of spaces
3.The perception of relationships
4.The perception of lights and shadows
5.The perception of the whole, or gestalt


Week One: 2/12 – The Perception of Edges: Blind Contour
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop

Week Two: 2/19 - The Perception of Edges: Modified Contour
U.S. Botanic Garden

Week Three: 2/26 - The Perception of Edges: Gesture
Trapeze School of New York – DC

Week Four: 3/5 - The Perception of Spaces: Negative Spaces/Picture Plane
National Gallery of Art

Week Five: 3/12 - The Perception of Spaces: Negative Spaces/Picture Plane
U.S. Botanic Garden

Week Six: 3/19 - The Perception of Relationships: Perspective
Library of Congress – Jefferson Building

Week Seven: 3/26 – The Perception of Lights and Darks
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop

Week Eight: 4/2 – The Perception of Lights and Darks
National Gallery of Art

Library of Congress

Detail of Minerva Mosaic
Pen on paper 8.5" x 11"









A composition of eagle and floor icons under an arch.
Pen on paper 8.5" x 11"








Librarian of Congress Mr. Daniel Boorstin.
Pen on paper 8.5" x 11"

Library of Congress sketchcrawl

I left the fancy great hall area of the Library in the afternoon to go get a Library of Congress reader card, and found a really fascinating set of tunnels connecting the different library buildings together (and a surprising number of DANGER DO NOT ENTER signs).

Library of Congress

Some ornate metalwork above the Elevator. Great attention to detail and something interesting everywhere I looked. Pencil on paper, 8"x 11"

Library of Congress

For the 30th World Wide Sketchcrawl, the D.C. contingent went to the Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress (since it was too cold to sketch outside). The Great Hall in that building has a lot of color and detail, and we had no trouble finding subjects to sketch:



Nearly everywhere you look there is some interesting detail to observe:

Missed sketch crawl #30

Still working on a daily sketch at home while sick and stuck in the house. Color brightens up the still life work during this gloomy time of year. Hope to see lots of sketches from the LOC trip soon!

DC Sketchers @ The National Gallery - The Perception of Spaces

Saturday proved to be another successful day of drawing at the National Gallery of Art with DC Sketchers' Winter Workshop. We learned to look for negative space shapes, like in the interesting, interstises between the fingers of the 15 Pairs of Hands sculptural installation by Bruce Nauman.

Then interested students and teaching artist Kent Gay joined other
drawing enthusiasts for the 30th SketchCrawl at the Library of Congress. The idea of SketchCrawl, founded by Enrico Casarosa, is that of a global drawing marathon: taking a day to journal and draw all that is around you.

30th SketchCrawl @ Library of Congress

I joined the 30th SketchCrawl in DC and spent a couple hours on a drawing of the interior of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.
The idea of SketchCrawl, founded by Enrico Casarosa, is that of a global drawing marathon: taking a day to journal and draw all that is around you.

View Kent's Sketches in a larger map

DC Sketchers @ The National Gallery - The Perception of Edges

The DC Sketchers class started it Winter Workshop series of classes. We will be visiting the National Gallery of Art for all four sessions. A group of eight sketchers joined teaching artist Kent Gay last Saturday, January 15th from 10am to Noon. The class started with introductions in the Rotunda of the West Building.

We began with blind contour drawing to develop our perception of edges, sensitively observing and recording the interesting wrinkled edges found in our palms.

And then we proceeded to the East Building and gathered around the marvelous installation of Bruce Nauman's Fifteen Pairs of Hands. Students practiced their contour drawing skills, creating beautifully observed drawings of a variety of sculptural representations of posed hands.

Cybeline at the Shakespeare Theatre

Sketchcrawl #29- National Cathedral/Dupont Circle

Back in October we had the 29th International Sketchcrawl in DC, trekking our way from the National Cathedral to Dupont Circle. At the time I wasn't very happy with my drawings, so I decided not to share them with the online world.

I finally decided to go back and work on a sketch of the Cathedral (since it is such a grand & beautiful structure) and hopefully produce something I was a little happier with.

And after digging around a little bit, I do have one more sketch I'm not too embarrassed to share- a partial sketch of the fountain at Dupont Circle. I've drawn the fountain a few times now, but I always enjoy returning to it for some reason.

P.S. Don't forget about Sketchcrawl #30 happening soon on January 22. The current plan is to try the Library of Congress, but failing that we'll have a backup plan ready. Stop by the forums to stay up to date!