I think I’m getting into the swing of things. Our topic this week in drawing class: flowers. We were supposed to bring a flower and a vase and of course I forgot mine. Luckily a class mate offered to let me look at her set-up and I was depressed to see Daisies. It’s not that I don’t like them, but they have so many petals! Other students were smart and brought Hibiscus (only five petals) or Anthirium (no petals!)
I did the best I could to really slow down, and I also decided to start at the center of the flower and work my way out. Here is the result.

Next we did another arrangement with a Hibiscus and small Tuberose, but I didn’t have quite enough time to finish it.

While I was out at lunch, I was checking my Facebook page, and saw that a friend had posted a copy of a portrait painted by Jacob Van Loo. I loved it so I pulled out they small sketchbook I keep in my bag and did a quick study.

Then at home I decided to do another still life. I picked up a centerpiece from a Honolulu Pen Women luncheon, created by the ever-so-talented Elsha Bohnert. I mean a shoe wrapped in ribbon, how cool is this. And the perfume bottle for scale, but I didn’t get the scale of the shoe just right.

In my mother’s collection of treasures I pulled out a brass pitcher and tried my hand at it with slowing down again and trying to get the outline right.

I also picked up a book recently called, “Lessons in Classical Drawing,” by Juliette Aristides. In it I found an exercise that asks you to begin your drawing using measure lines and looking for basic geometric shapes and blocking those in first. I kinda like the technique, I think I’ll try some more.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have enjoyed what I’m trying to do, which is practice, practice, practice. You are welcome to use these images in your blogs, all I ask is that you credit them to Rachel Funk Heller and add a link to this site, rachelfunkheller.com Thanks for stopping by!