Sketchy Discipline

[Steven Sweeney]

Originally Posted by Anthony Emmolo

You probably remember the old men in the parks and the streets of Taipei and Mainland China playing cards and Chinese chess. They've always been my favorite subjects. There is a playful quality to them, particularly the men of the mainland who roll their tee shirts up to their chests and their pant legs up to this knees on a hot summer day.

Yes, I saw them. I was lucky to get some snapshots, like the ones below, much less sketches. In that culture, information-gatherers understandably cause a certain amount of discomfort. I was probably permitted photos like these (in Beijing) only out of pre-Olympics tolerance of yet another intrusive tourist. Wouldn't these kinds of scenes have been great to have captured in a sketchbook? Maybe a slight watercolor wash to suggest the ubiquitous blue Maoist dress that the older Beijing population still sports.

Anyway, I have to mention that the guy who really gave me the "sketch bug" is the British artist (and host of many BBC instructional television series) Alwyn Crawshaw. (I happened to see those programs when I was living in Sydney. I don't know that they've been shown in the U.S.) Watching him set up at a horse farm and sketch animals that wouldn't hold a position for more than a few minutes at most was inspiring. And they were very good drawings, no lines wasted. I believe his sketch book is available on Amazon, but I can't check on that right at the moment. "Why not have a go?" he'd always sign off. "It's easier than you think!" He made it look pretty easy -- but that was because he was one who filled sketchbooks.

[Lon Haverly]

. . . and has been for 33 years. I am addicted to it. I prefer it to painting. It is a rush every time. Especially from life. But, to be able to sketch from life and do it quickly, you must develop a different approach to drawing than photo realism, which is mostly what I see in the drawing world today. (Not that that is so bad.) I see very little emphasis on it anywhere, and very little understanding of the techniques needed to pull it off.

Sketching was a very important part of my training, and was taught with utmost discipline and structure, a far cry from the "blind gesture drawing" touted in art classrooms today. We followed a very strict procedure until we learned the basics of line technique, blocking in and shading. This was required before we were moved along into painting of any sort.

I hear almost daily, "I wish I could do that!" I spent seven years of my childhood Saturday mornings learning how. It didn't just happen, and I did not just teach myself. I would not be a sketch artist today were it not for that training.

I was once labeled a "street artist" by an insensitive family member, which to me smacked of an insult, like I was some peddler on the street with a plate on the walk asking for a handout for my work. I have always paid my rent (well not always!) I consider my work (portrait sketching) a lifetime passion, and a specialty that requires the utmost dedication and sacrifice if you want to stay on top of it.

[SB Wang]

http://www.marxists.org/reference/ar...s/unk-serf.jpg

By Dong Chensheng, one of the best illustrators, who worked for PLA Daily and later, PLA Pictorial (PLA:The Chinese People's Liberation Army ), which requires end product almost daily. I studied with and was recommended by him. Another painting by him, was possessed by me only few months then took away by someone. His works are basically from imagination and memory, except the face of Mao.