what ballerinas dream . . .

click-o-licious

watercolor fun . . .

click-o-licious . . .

ballerina colors for carol . . .

It was quite delightful to paint this little ballerina on 9x12 canvas panel.

ballerina colors for carol . . .

ballerina colors for carol . . .

As you know . . . I want to become one of the great painters of the ballet.  There was a story on the news the other day about homeless people who were given an opportunity to paint.  I believe that a vacant building was converted to an art studio.  The artists' works were very, very beautiful!  There were beautiful portraits, landscapes, still life, ocean scenes and what's this . . . someone there was a great painter of the ballet! AaRRGH!  (I'm jealous of all of the great painters of the ballet).  Back to work! 

the smallest ballerina . . .

I thought that I would make a cute ballerina doll . . . or is that me on the shirt?

QUESTION: Can I draw a ballerina swooping up her hair?

I wanted to see if I could draw a ballerina with most of her face showing and swooping up her long hair.  I am pretty pleased with the result.  I didn't know that she would look so much like me (about 100 years ago!)

changing . . .

I actually did this composition as an oil sketch BEFORE I went back and drew it again with a pencil. The painting does not have as much detail as I would like.  Drawing it did help me to make ONE decision that improved the painting.  She is chewing gum.  After I drew it in pencil I saw that she should blow a bigger bubble in the painting.  Not perfect - but better.  I will show you the painting when it dries.

(PS I can't wait to see Carol's ballerina when she decides to draw one!  Her latest watercolor has encouraged me to try and draw a car.  Not much success yet - but I will continue to work on it.  It's a Volkswagen beetle and of course it belongs to a ballerina.) 

yike-o-licious?

You may recall that this was a watercolor I posted some time ago.  I looked at it one day and I thought 'YIKES!'  I actually say that.  I said 'YIKES!'  I brought the poor thing into my 'ballerina clinic' and went over it with oil paint.  A much more pleasing effect I think.  Painting the tutu and adding the violet shadows was like eating a piece of chocolate with creamy caramel inside.  In my mind she went from yikes to yike-o-licious!

ballerina with a fan . . .

I love ballerinas holding a fan.  I was so inspired by the bottom image I saw on one of those copyright free photo sites that I got all auto-biographical again with the above pastel!  Karen thank you for the tip about the pastel paper and boards - I will be checking it out soon!

pastel colors for carol . . .

I must admit that I really enjoyed tossing around those pastel sticks!  I was actually afraid at first because this drawing was a little larger than normal for me.  Afraid? I thought.  Of a ballerina?! Get to it girl! I said.  And look - another wonderful self portrait (inner self)!  I left the arm undone because so doing was so much fun!  This is on heavy cardboard but I think that one day I will try pastel board.

pastel colors for carol . . .

I threw around some pastels . . .

just to have some fun . . .

a pastel ballerina -

when I was done!

This is pastel on heavy cardboard.  I wanted to just 'draw and paint' without trying to 'fix' anything.  This was a 'warmup'.  As the weather warms up and summer is in the air (we don't really get Spring in Texas do we?) I am starting to look forward to painting with oils again. As a matter of fact I have just completed a painting that I will post when it is dry.  I really enjoyed my winter of drawing.  I couldn't draw faces before but now you won't run from the room screaming - every time!

francois and me . . .

Along with Degas I LOVE - -  LOVE I tell you - -  the paintings of Francois Gall.  I wonder why no one has ever written a book about him!  He has done many, many paintings of the ballet as well as other subjects that I just absolutely love.  If I could I would produce a book filled with pages of  full color images of his work - especially the ballet.  You know what I think?  In this so-called modern age I think that any artist who has produced a great body of work should publish themselves. ( I think that with blurb books anyone can produce at least one copy!)  Let's take Catherine Jeffrey or Janett Marie (or you) for example.  Each of them has a great body of beautiful work that I think should be published in a book.  If someone published a beautiful book featuring my 'homey' Francois Gall - I would scream and laugh and dance and cry and laugh and holler and run and flip . . . I think you get the picture . . .

some ballerina colors for carol . . .

some ballerina colors for carol

This practice sketch of a ballerina is in the manner of Dan McCaw.  I love his figurative work. (What's with that tutu? I don't know.)  One step forward - a thousand miles to go!

myra like degas . . .

You may have heard somewhere that I like the ballet paintings and drawings of Degas.  I have long loved this Degas sketch (photo #2).  What I attempted to do in my sketch was to substitute my face for the face of the ballerina (now I'm lying).  I did the best I could with my limited skill set but boy oh boy was it fun!! 

Also, I need to go back and number my ballerina series.  What number is this one?  I think I am going to put numbers on them like JM's apples.  Her artistic way of numbering her apple series is just too cute!

Finally, I am thinking about getting one of those art projectors as a learning tool.  I would like to use one as an aid to help me 'see' objects better.  I would also practice tracing objects in order to learn how to draw them more accurately. 

ballerina sketch

This is another pencil done on watercolor paper.  In this sketch I wanted to see if I could bring a little more 'reality' to the figure.  I also wanted to see if I could make it look as if the tutu was standing out in the back.  You know how we all are at times - so much angst about our work.  In this drawing I thought 'Hey, this one ain't so bad!'  (I think you get the feeling of charcoal when you take the stump and smooth the pencil lines.)

ballerina with a fan . . .

ballerina with a fan

myra anderson

Sketch #6 of my series 'depending on who you ask - 100 either great - or poorly drawn - sketches of the ballet' is a pencil sketch.   As in the previous post, the colorful background and fan were added with photoshop.

hips

at the end of the day I want a cheeseburger

by myra anderson

This is sketch #5 of my dance series.  In this particular sketch I wanted to draw a modest pair of hips in a leotard - cause that's just how I roll.   I felt that the ballerina was too skinny.  But, try as I might I could not add more weight to the drawing.  As per usual this made me think about food.  I can go many days eating a delicious salad - I make mine with lettuce, tomato, walnuts, cheese, diced chicken, avocado, cranberry-raisins and garlic croutons - sprinkled with garlic powder and pepper -  and topped with bacon ranch salad dressing.  Then after so many days I just want a cheeseburger.  With bacon.  And fries.  And a strawberry shake.   Hips . . .

one small step . . . a thousand miles to go . . .

sketch #2 by myra anderson

First, it was so sweet of Mr. Anderson (that's what I call my husband Harvey sometimes) anyway, it was so sweet of Mr. Anderson to go out and buy me an automatic pencil sharpener.  I have many packs of  unopened pencils - but no sharpener.  Now, armed with  newly sharpened pencils I decided to 'lay down some lines' or do some pencil drawings.  (I have only done three pencil drawings in my life.)

Well, I rather enjoyed it!  But there were areas that I wish I could make darker.  Lo and behold I opened up a book!  *I found out that there is something called 'a carbon pencil' that gives you darker lines.  *The artist also said that he drew the entire figure before he added the clothing.    Duh!  Why didn't he tell me that before I put her other leg in the wrong place!  Off to the store for carbon pencils and other drawing pencils!!

A quote from the web

Photo by Rick Elkins

'the ballet is truly timeless'

It took me a while to 'see' that the two ballerinas in this beautiful photo were in the same pose as the ballerinas in the Degas.  This photo by Rick Elkins portrays the kind of beauty I hope to one day bring to my paintings of the ballet.  'A thousand miles to go.'

say what! part 2

#1 The Girl With the Charcoal Hair

by myra anderson

Part 2 Many modern day painters of the ballet say that their goal is not to copy Degas but to 'bring Degas to the next level'.  This is something that I personally think is reflected in many of John Asaro's paintings of the ballet.  I think that if Degas were here today,  he too would impart a beautiful modern day look to a favorite subject.

 John Asaro

Also, I mentioned that I would have to answer the unspoken challenge of John Asaro (see previous post).  Since he is doing 100 paintings of the dance - I will do "Depending on who you ask - 100 either great or poorly drawn sketches - of the ballet."

Finally here is a quote from the blog 'Dear Artist'.  She encouraged me in this first sketch to try and draw exactly what I wanted to communicate -  in this case -a girl with charcoal hair.