Drawing

I have started attending some local life drawing sessions, that is, drawing from a live model. This is something I enjoy periodically as a means to sharpen my vision and my hand. Drawing the figure has been a learning method for artists for centuries. You can't "fudge" when drawing a figure like you might with a tree or a mountain. You either get it right or not. To practice in between sessions, I use all those catalogs we receive in the mail and draw the model's faces or hands and feet. These critical details make the difference in a strong drawing or a poor one. I've also been using a book of color portraits to paint from for practice. Even though I paint half my work in an abstract and even non-objective manner, one can never be too skilled in observing and painting. Here are a few pages from my sketchbook:

(It snowed in Seattle last night so I skipped my Tuesday drawing session. Roads are pretty icy and no sense putting my car at risk. Only snows here a few times a winter but we have very little equipment because of this so side roads never do get sanded or cleared. Luckily it always warms up in the afternoon and the roads clear up by then. )