Alice in pencil
Posted: June 14, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized 13 CommentsWatching the opening segment of James Gurney’s new video “Portraits in the Wild” made me want to grab a water-soluble pencil and draw someone. Unfortunately the only being at the house at the time besides me was Alice.
James Gurney makes location sketching look so easy. Last year we sketched together in Montreal’s Chinatown during late afternoon, and when I looked at his sketchbook he had turned what we were both looking at into a night scene! He creates the same magic with portraits. In his small sketchbook, with a few strokes of the pencil or some quick dabs of the brush, the most amazing faces and figures appear. In the video he paints four full demos that include great closeups of his skillful paint mixing and adept brushwork. If you’d like to read more about it, here’s an excellent review by Marc Taro Holmes.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
Love the biography in pencil of your wonderful dog.
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I love to hear from you Lee. I love your old guys portraits too. Wonderful lines in each of them.
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Lovely – find fast sketching before they move works best!
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Yes, that’s why this pencil is good too. A bit of water and you have some tone in there.
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I am so impressed by your renderings of your dog, Shari. Really need to study how you did this. I feel confident with pencil and animals, but not so much with paint. Thank you for sharing.
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“Let sleeping dogs lie” has an entirely different and particular meaning for artists. Doggie’s asleep, grab the pencil and notebook.
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So true. Alice is only a good model when she’s tired. I’ve made the mistake of trying to draw her when she’s ready for a walk. Big mistake.
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Gorgeous drawing!
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Lovely. Looks so simple, but great skill.
Dee
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Thanks so much Dee.
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Beautiful drawing.
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Darling! And a great portrait, even if your subject wasn’t quite human ;3 I’ve been wanting to get James Gurney’s latest video, and now I want it even more!
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You’ll love the video. Watching James Gurney paint is a real joy!
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