Jag
Posted: April 9, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized 13 CommentsEleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Drawing cars scares me. I will do anything to avoid putting them in a sketch. Today I spent a little time analysing why I’m so averse to drawing them. First of all, you have to be super detailed and precise when you draw them — if you mess something up it’s very obvious — and I am neither super detailed nor precise in my drawing. Second of all, there are lots of circles on a car and I am bad at drawing circles. And thirdly, for me, most cars are not that interesting as objects. So I take the easy way out and pretend they are not there. Well today I faced my fear head on and here is the result. Not the best car drawing I have ever seen but at least it looks like a car and if I’m lucky some people may even recognize what type of car it is.
Your title gave it away…otherwise I’d say this is a ‘Ronald Searle’ car, which amongst the USk crowd, is a tremendous compliment.
Yes, I knew my title would give it away.
Now I am curious about the Ronald Searle car reference. Of course I know his work but not for cars. So please explain this to me John.
Shari,
Great job on the Jag!
My theory about drawing cars is we do not have the right hormones!
Do you notice that most of the car drawings on USK are by men?
They start drawing cars/trucks as soon as they are old enough to grasp a pencil.
Anyway, that’s my theory and I am sticking with it!
Linda
You’re right Linda. I never noticed that most of the car drawings are by men.
Well I think I will just have to draw more cars to balance things out a bit.
I could tell it was a Jag, and I drive a Toyota 🙂 Can I ask where you saw it?
It’s always parked at a garage on Ste. Anne St. in Pointe Claire Village.
Just south of Lakeshore Blvd.
If you look on Google Maps there is a red one in the photo.
Nice sketch, and nice post. I’ve learned that one thing that scares me more than a scary subject matter is a blank page because I was too scared to draw something. Over the past two years, I’ve been drawing things that used to scare me in the drawing and sketching arena, namely people (actual life drawing), buildings, and complex objects. I’ve found that I’d rather have them somewhat incorrect on the page and have my memory fill in the rest, then have it perfect in my head and no where on the paper at all.
Thanks for being a role model of “stretching one’s comfort zone”! Good Job!!!
Car is fantastic
Shari your sketchof the Jaguar brought Searle to mind as the car is not very acurate, yet has great character – the wheels are skateboardy and the mass of the car seems ready to spring. It has life.
Last summer at the USk symposium both Melanie Rhiem and Veronica Lawlor’s workshops they started a mini lectures which included several Searl drawings, among others, by way of encouraging us to get at the essence -the curve of the spine, the gesture. They helped me understand that expressiveness can be more truthful than accuracy in telling a story.
Beautiful car sketch, Shari! (Beautiful car, period! I love Jags) You are a woman after my own heart… I call these types of subjects “sketching nemeses,” and cars are one of mine, too (along with architecture and trees). Your blog is very inspiring! I try to tackle my nemeses at least weekly. Here’s a recent blog post: http://www.tina-koyama.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-double-nemesis-kind-of-day.html
– Tina
I immediately took it for the Jaguar Mark 10, even before I saw the title. So you caught the essence of the car well. And Linda is right of course, the first thing I recall drawing were cars. But I ask you, who wants to draw barbies?
I have been fascinated by the comments about drawing cars… and, yes, the first things that I can recall drawing, probably at about the age of 4, were cars… my specialty was the VW Beetle. I can remember trying to capture that very distinctive shape and the air slots to the engine compartment. So, I have to agree, I think it is in the boy genes.
Unfortunately, I could tell immediately from your drawing that you don’t have any boy genes. : )