Session- 29- HISTORY!

Yesterday's subject for our sketchers was HISTORY! A very broad subject which could encompass anything from the big bang to yesterday! There were 5 of us sketching live and several working later or remotely so here's what we all came up with! Next Wednesday's subject is- EYES!

Our first live sketcher is the fabulously multi-talented Anna K Lange from Poland

although she has travelled a lot including spending a year in Australia which is probably where she got the inspiration for her striking image of an aborigine. They were the indigenous race who were silenced for a long time before they could tell the truth of their history! Very strong, Shrimp!

Next we have another of our regular live ladies-Julia Xandru, who always comes up with something dazzling whatever the subject! This time her inspiration is Egypt. I've included what she said about her image.

Next we have one of our regular remote contributors working from Marocco- Khawla Sdour

who had drawn a beautiful portrait of a revolutionary who she says needs no introduction. So I won't give him one!

Another regular contributor- Annalisa Renee, who also couldn't make the live session but has sent me this amazing image  to add to the blog along with a  detailed explanation to go with it! Just a swell as I was scratching my head over this one! And I can't believe she painted this in an hour but we tend to stretch the rules a bit anyway and it's a fabulous painting!

Now we come to my contribution which is about the history of photography. There were a few different processes being attempted in the second half of the 19th century and the chap on the left is a French artist called Louis Daguerre who invented a process of capturing an image which he called (not very modestly) the Daguerrotype! It involved projecting an image into a black box which contained a copper plate that had been treated with chemicals then the plate was dipped into a solution to bring out the image. Each one was unique. The guy second from the left was a very early subject followed later by the other two. They couldn't smile because you had to hold the pose for 20 minutes and only air stewardesses can hold a smile for that long! The dawn of the selfie!

Anton row our regular remote contributors from Uzbekistan is the very young (16)  and very talented  Vivian Salzman. The subject of her portrait is Maria Martinez who rediscovered the technique of ancient Pueblo black pottery! You learn a lot doing these blogs! Fab!

This tis Anna Lindenberger's digital drawing done live during the hour than tickled up a bit later.

It's shows Kassandra who's a Spartan mercenary fighting during the Peleponnesian war. Wow!

Five live

session 28- Nightmare!

After a short break when I was supposed to be in England but changed my mind (it's a gentleman's prerogative ya know!) So we returned at the request of Anna K Lange who likes the friendliness and the excuse to draw and we agreed on a subject- NIGHTMARE! We all have them and some of us have recurring ones. I do! Like anyone who has acted on stage (I've done Shakespeare!) there is a very common nightmare that you're on stage and it's your cue but you can't remember any lines of even what the play is! Wake up in a flat panic! The sailor's equivalent, according to my friend John, is to find yourself sailing a boat down a motorway!?! I suppose every profession has it's own recurring nightmare. But enough of my waffling and on with the art! The small but perfectly formed group of me, Anna and Jools were live and the Moroccan twins were working off line! Don't be scared! They're only drawings!

First up is the young lady who suggested the session- Anna K Lange with a rather magnificent and fearsome looking wolf! Some people are terrified of wolves or clowns and for me it used to be spiders until I was cured by cockroaches who are bigger and faster and uglier!

Then the first of our Moroccan twins- Khawla Sdour drew this very creepy scene of an unwanted visitor in the night!
Luckily, the little boy is asleep but the teddy looks a bit worried!

Kwahla's twin sister Somaya Sdour drew another very creepy scene which features a different kind of dark figure with 5 limbs! The scariest kind of monsters are the ones you can't see clearly I think, like in the first Alien film where you only had glimpses of it until the end. 

And now to my effort which doesn't really look like what it is which is old ventriloquist's dummies. I find them much creepier than clowns! There have been a couple of great films featuring these kind of humanoid figures- Dead of Night and Magic! Both dead scary!

And finally, Julia Xandru has sent me this striking image and when I asked for an explanation she said- Pot man's trap?
Er... ok. I thought it had something to do with music but Jools knows best as she drew it!

We three!

I hope your nightmares are little ones!
Love Paul
xxx

A late submission to the nightmare gallery from Vivian Salzman in Uzbekistan
with this direct and striking image! Nice one Viv!

session 27- The Wild West!

For the final sketching session for now (I may try to revive it in September!) the largest group of scribblers and daubers to date gathered on Zoom to ride out across the prairie and confront the perils of THE WILD WEST! So saddle up, pardners and let's ride!

Opening up those wide western vistas is Andrea Salzman with this gorgeous watercolour landscape. There's GOLD in them that hills!

Anna Lindenberger used the wonderful computer game Red Dead Redemption 2 as her inspiration for these two fantastic paintings. The lone rider silhouetted against the sunset is a popular romantic image of the wild west as we will see again later. Gorgeous!

Annalisa Renee (who has been taking part in these sessions since the first one with just three of us- Annalisa, her daughter Mimi and me!) has continued  to make these lovely delicate pencil drawings with a white pen for highlights on the Cheyenne squaw.

My fabulous friend Anna K Lange over there in Poland did this rather complicated image on the left in the hour then did a number on it later to give us this wonderfully coloured version. Let's FaceTime soon, Shrimp!

The first offering from the Moroccan twins Khawla and Somaya is another romantic lone rider against the sunset by Khawla Sdour.
I love the little details she's picked out on the saddle and his back. Wonderful!

And now a surprise entry from newbie- Letitia Oggero who I've been sketching with a few times. She's an amazing oil painter and now she's mucking about with digital drawing on her iPad. Here's her somewhat political take on The Wild West. Nice one, Leti! 

My old pal and co-writer on the animation project we're involved in (Shhh! It's secret!) Martin Ansell joined us for the last five minutes of our lively session. (He's been weeding! He says!) and dug out a drawing he did a while ago that vaguely fits the theme- A bird in the sky is asking the mono-toothed Mexican. "Do you know the way to San Jose?"

My take on the wild west is the famous young outlaw-Henry McCarty- better known as Billy the Kid who shot and killed eight men before being killed himself at the tender age of 21!

A strange image from Julia Xandru who says that it represents the transformation/transfiguration of wine!  Thanks Jools! You're imagination knows no bounds! Followed by a bunch of colour variations of a beautiful belle!

My niece Marina Renee-Cemmick was on a  train during the live session but did she let that stop her drawing another masterpiece? No sirreeeeee! Fabulous work Mimi!

My good friend Sarah Chase (nee Kelly) was able to join us again from drunken Brighton where she once again demonstrated what fabulous results you can get from a minimal range of colours! Beautiful!

The second contribution all the way from Morocco is by the other twin sister- Somaya Sdour  with his lovely drawing of a cowgirl.  She didn't say who it was and I know for a fact that Calamity Jane was nowhere near that pretty so we can only guess! If it's an actress in a film it could possibly be Brie Larson. Or maybe Uma Therman in Even Cowgirls get the Blues!
Am I warm, Somaya? 

The subject of the Wild West wouldn't be complete without the greatest cowboy of them all (forget John Wayne!)- Clint Eastwood drawn here beautifully by Emily Woolf of Worthing! (The Wolf of Worthing! Great title for a film!)

Another surprising choice from Sophie Bittitta- a cartoon character! I love Yosemite Sam but he's probably known as something else in Spain like Fred Flintstone is known as Pedro Picapiedra! Great drawing, Sophie!           

And from our youngest scribbler on the day- Vivian Salzman who has just turned 16 (Happy birthday, Vivian!)
is this great drawing of Nathan Fillian as Malcolm Reynolds the captain of the spaceship Firefly from Joss Wedon's wonderful series of the same name. If you liked The Mandalorian you'd love it! Sorry- geek speak!
The Quick Draw Sketch Club is taking a breather now but I'm thinking of bringing it back in September!
I'll miss you all! You're all bloody brilliant! Love and kisses and STAY SAFE!
Paul
xxx

 The fabulously talented QDSC gang!

Session 26- Pop Star!

Yesterday's sketch session on the subject of POP STARS was attended by 5 of the usual gang of scribblers and daubers- FIVE LIVE! The others who couldn't make the live one-hour session sent me stuff later and here are the fabulous results!

The first of the FIVE LIVE all the way from sweltering Uzbekistan is that Atomic Blonde- Anna Lindenberger!
Done in an hour digitally, Anna produced this dazzling portrait of Beyonce the fabulously talented Texan!

Now we have the second of our FIVE LIVE artists- the incomparable, the indefatigable, the incomprehensible-
Anna K Lange! And the lovely Anna has produced this impressionistic portrait of young pop starlet- Billie Eilish!
I love her theme tune for the new Bond film! Best in ages!

And now please give it up for the diminutive dynamo- Rumania's radiant Julia Xandru who produced this decorative design portraying one of our local singing stars here in sweaty Palma (I have sweaty palms in Palma!) The original drawing was done in the allotted live hour then she tweaked and twiddled with it in Photoshop. Gorgeous!

One of our newer recruits and another of the FIVE LIVE is the pulchritudinous pouting powerhouse of portraiture and jewellery design (Check out her stuff on www.sharkalley.co,uk)- Sarah Chase (nee Kelly!) This gorgeous portrait of Kate Bush was also done in the allotted hour! Amazing!

Then lastly but leastly, the final member of the FIVE LIVE my humble self, offering for your perusal and  pleasure (I hope)
an oil portrait of America's first true pop star- Mister Frank Sinatra! Doo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo!

And the first of our non-live portrait participants is the titian haired beauty, the darling of Dorset-
Annalisa Renee with this fabulously delicate pencil drawing of Harriet Tubman. She was born a slave and helped hundreds of others escape to freedom in the USA of the 1800s. I'm not sure if she's a pop star but she's certainly a star!
this drawing reminds me of the drawings of Da Vinci and Holbien. Praise indeed!

Annalisa's daughter and my niece Marina Renne-Cemmick sent me this dazzling drawing of the great Nina Simone which she drew digitally on an iPad. Mimi says of her-

Nina simone. Born 1933 was a Jazz and blues musician and an influencial figure in the civil rights movement of 1960s. She continued to be a rights activist all her life. This perhaps stemed from an incident at her first ‘concert’ at the age of 12. Here, her parents were moved to the back of the Church theatre in order to make space for White People. Angered that her parents may miss her recital based on Race, Nina refused to perform until her parents were reinstated at the front of the theatre.

Nina used her platform of fame and music to highlight Racial Injustice in America, and her lyrics and song contiune to inspire and influence people worldwide today. 

And our last contribution from one of the marvellous, mellifluous Moroccan sisters is this lovely portrait of Ryan Tedder  the head of OneRepublic Band  by Somaya Sdour. Thanks Somaya! I don't know him but I'v e just Googled him and it looks just like him. Excellent work everyone! You constantly amaze me!

And finally, a late entry from Martin Ansell who chose the subject and has done a lovely drawing of British rapper  Stormzy! Nice one, Mart you grizzled old pop star you!

The FIVE LIVE gang! And Sunday's subject is -THE WILD WEST! Be there as it might be the last one! AAAARRRGGGHHH!