Thank you much for your comments. :) I will keep it up because if -I- can do it, so can anyone on this forum...trust me. Art is hard for me.

Jeanette - our model last night was rock solid, and while I have been trying to get more full on views rather than profiles (full on is more challenging for me), I got there late and ended up with this position.

I am pleased with this - it is a pretty faithful representation of her. :)

Back to frontal views as I really feel I need work on them! This is Holly from our session last night. She had an interesting lip ring and wide spaced features and a dimpled chin which I found attractive and really fun to draw. I am finding a bit more facility in nailing the likeness and feature placement in these past two weeks. Not sure if it is an aberration, or if something finally clicked in my brain. This is giving me more time to try to focus on the ascetics of the drawing to try to make it more attractive as a piece. :)

Great drawings, Michael! I especially like Jeanette. You really nailed the proportions, and somehow went beyond the physical characteristics in describing her.

Thanks Alex! Yea, I seem to be getting the hang of something here...like I said, not willing to say it is not just a fluke quite yet! Time will tell! :)

Micheal, I like how your noses are turning out. A little observation about the eyes if you don't mind. The upper lashes tend to cast a shadow on the eyeball and the white of the eye is usually not really white, but a grayer value. Give it a shot and see if you like that effect.

I admire how you are hanging in there. I signed up to open studio and have not made it once. Absolutely no time and with a Christmas commission in the works, it doesn't look like it will be any time before the holidays are over.

Maybe this will be the New Years resolution for 2009! ;)

Thanks for the comments Enzie. :) I am finding that when I photograph these works I get a bit of reflectivity off the whites in the drawings. This has the effect of making them appear slightly overstated in the photo. Your point is well taken though and I will look to it on my future works to ensure that I get the values right. :)

Well, things may be in flux again for our little life drawing group. I am trying to set up a space in the back of my shop in an area that the landlord is interested in renting, but has never done anything with. It has poor lights, no heat or cooling....but where there is will there is a way!

Here is Rose from last night. Last session for the holidays. I have drawn her before. This was fun as her hair is very shiny and she had it done up in a little oriental style and her eyes done up the same way. Much fun to draw!

Michael,

I have been watching your sketchbook for some time now with a great deal of fascination. Your skills have progressed light years since you started this post. You have become quite a good draftsmen and that will have a dramatic impact on your paintings. One only has to look at your first few sketches and compare them to the last three to see how far you have progressed. Bravo! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Michael,

I like the way you have indicated the planes of her face with different values. And I'm intrigued by the way you've used cross-hatching to show the contours of her upper chest. In fact I'd love to see you take that farther and get even more expressive with your shading by varying the direction, pressure and spacing of your strokes.