Continuing with trying to learn by copying from “those who know”. Every day I’m trying to draw one, hoping to improve my portrait skills. The funny thing I’ve noticed is that the first thing when I wake up in the morning, I think of practical things, such as the “rules” about faces: the top of the eyebrows is about 1/3 of the way down from the hairline; the bottom of the nose is about 1/3 the way down from the eyebrows and the chin is about 1/3 of the way down from the bottom of the nose. Generally speaking. This morning I remembered reading that the width of the face, from cheek to cheek, is about 2/3 of the length of the head. I see that the face I drew is a bit too wide.
Another task I’ve begun is de-cluttering and organizing my studio. Winter’s the only time I’d make time for projects like these. Skies are nearly always overcast in NW Michigan and few people want to buy gloomy winter paintings. So I may as well do something useful. One of my storage rooms had turned into a junk room. The photo below shows my 8×10″ plein air study storage shelves. It’d been almost impossible to get to, choked with boxes of god-knows-what piled in front. Old mouse traps littered the floor –one complete with a skeleton. All gone! Next I measured the shelves and ordered plywood cut for dividers so things don’t flop over. There will be sections for Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. So — what do you think about first thing in the morning?
Margie Guyot Art 