18 x 24 Graphite on paper

Lisa is an experienced model with an hourglass figure that is a pleasure to work with. In addition to her daring and sometimes challenging poses for short sketches, she comes up with classic, academic poses (like this one) that are, at the same time, very tasteful — in this instance, a classic Renaissance figure. I was very happy to have captured the nuances of her contours particularly in the shaded area of her torso and arm.

She is young model capable of holding a pose without props for the longest time. Her beauty, dark skin and Middle Eastern features  make her a fascinating subject to draw.

18 x 24 charcoal on paper

At the end of a six-hour drawing marathon at Merritt College in early December. These two models teamed up and enjoyed posing for 20 minutes for a bunch of artists. I was surprised to have produced a pretty decent sketch in such a short time. Drawing more than one model at a time are rare opportunities that are not to be missed. I spent another 30 minutes at home lifting charcoal here and there to emphasized the highlights.

18 x 24 Graphite on paper

Older, bigger models do have an appeal as age marks and volumes give you the opportunity to develop an appealing drawing. Many viewers that have a preference for this male body type have fewer chances to see it as the slender, gym sculpted bodies are more stereotypical. David’s body lends itself to a pleasing result as he (being an artist himself) projects in his pose a nice disposition to work with the drawers.

Another 3-hour session with this model. The anatomical details in her upper chest and overall relaxed stance helped to convey a realistic rendering of her pose.

A three-hour pose is always long enough for me to get a drawing that is worthwhile. This was the last long seating session of my figure drawing course. I was very happy that I got the likeness of his facial features as well as the alert, yet relaxed expression of the pose in his body.

This is the drawing I submitted to the Figure Drawing Exhibition in a public library in Oakland, California in May. It was a three-hour pose during my figure drawing class on March, 15h 2011. The paper is actually white, not gray as it looks in this picture.

An exhibition of original words created from the live model in the figure drawing class of Merritt College, presented in the upstairs gallery, Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library. Exhibition dates: May 1st to May 28th. Artist’s reception: Saturday May 14th from 3 to 5 pm. Address: 5366 College Avenue (510) 597-5017. I’ll be there. Will I see you there?

I spent some time Down Under last November. It has unique flora, fauna and ecosystems that I could not stop marveling at.  The Great Barrier Reef, in the North Coast in Queensland, must have left a deep impression in my psyche as I meant to do an abstract painting in this piece. After creating the background and decide which direction to take, I could only see an underwater scenery. A reference picture from Quicksliver, the company offering tours to the coral reef, provided the  fish I took inspiration from.