Art by Robert B. Eaton, works in oil and various mediums.

Today, when I out to the beer garden event at The Olpalka Gallery (the current show In-Faux-Structureis is fantastic, so you really should check it out) I brought a diminutive mole-skin sketch pad and tried surreptitiously catching people as they interacted with the art. The skill I was practicing was to glance once, and hold the image in my mind long enough (usually about 30 seconds) to get a small sketch.

The resultant sketches are loose, some are somewhat humorous, and make me think of the little sketches that populated the books of Kurt Vonnegut.

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It’s been a little while since I have updated this particular page. The sketching events have been wonderful, and I have gotten some great images over the last several months.

Here is a small selection of some of the things that came off my easel. Enjoy!

Figure Study, mixed media on paper, model Kyo

Study, model Kyo, compressed charcoal.

fFigure study, model, Kyo, mixed media on gessoed paper.

Figure study, model Tabbi, mixed media on gessoed paper.

Figure study, model, Tabbi, mixed media on paper.

Figure study, model, Hayley, mixed media on paper.

figure study, model, Hayley, mixed media on paper.

figure study, model Muse, mixed media on gessoed paper.

All these studies are coming from the past couple months, I am hoping to find time to rummage through my port and add a few more to what is here.

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Our new model Kyo did a great job tonight. He wants to see images of his modeling, so get them to him if you can:

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Adding the images from our previous session. We meet and sketch and drink again, this October 24th.

Enjoy.

Study, female figure, graphite on paper. (The note, right is a reminder for me to recreate this image in a series of works done in wet gesso and acrylic paint)

Study, back, male, graphite on paper

Study, female figure, Prismacolor marker

two studies, female figure with lap-harp, right, study of arm and clasped hands.

Dancing, interactive pose, graphite on paper

Back, female, graphite on paper

interactive pose, graphite on paper

graphite on paper

Interactive pose, Casein paint, on paper

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Thanks to everyone who attended, and special thanks to the models. Let me know if/how you would like your attribution to appear here). It was a great night for me and a great first night for the event.

Also, I came away with a lot of useful studies and sketches which might serve as jumping off points for other works down the line.

Enjoy the sketches, and keep reading below.

figure studies, female and male, standing graphite on paper

Female standing, male seated, figure study, graphite on paper

Figure studies, female and male, standing, back view, graphite on paper

Male, standing, study with figure aids (was explaining a concept to a class attendee) pencil on paper.

Study, female figure, kneeling, graphite and casein paint on paper

Male figure,seated, graphite and Casein paint

Male figure, standing, graphite and Casein paint on paper

Interactive pose, figure study, graphite and Casein paint on paper.

[continued below]

As many of my readers know, I am getting geared up to start a sketch and sip event at a local club. Since I am the host, it’s not like I can let my sketching game get slack. Nope. It’s time to get to work and pick up some graphite and brushes.

I booked a room at the Albany Barn, and scheduled a session with model, J, who is going to be one of our figure models for the event.

Before I scheduled the session, I talked with my model and I wanted to have a theme or an idea to build the session around so I might then have some images to work into a later piece. I decided on a post apocalyptic theme, and borrowed a Kukri (a type of machete) from a friend.

One of the things that is challenging at first, to learn about drawing figure is you simply do not have time to work in great detail. The key here is make each image a study of gesture, –the shapes you see in the body, light and the pose of the body. The images here are presented out of the order in which I did them. I began with a few short (5 minute) poses in graphite, the sketches done in Molotow acrylic paint markers were slightly longer poses (10 minutes) and the poses in which I used a mixture of graphite and Casein paint were 15-20munte poses.

Pose 1, graphite on paper, model -J

Pose 2, graphite on paper, model -J

Pose 3, Molotow acrylic marker (sadly, the marker, which is metallic and reflective, does not show up well in photographs)

Pose 4, graphite on paper

Pose 5, graphite on paper.

Pose 6, Molotow Acrylic paint marker

Pose 8, graphite and Casein paint

Pose 9, graphite and Casein paint.