Tag Archives: mixed media portrait

Found, finished and scanned: the lost drawings of Dr. Sketchys Berlin “Broken Baroque”!

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Marijn van der Waa at Dr Sketchys Berlin Jan 28 2018 by Suzanne ForbesI actually produce so many drawings that I sometimes lose track of some of them.

Having a Patreon has reduced the orphan drawings rate enormously, but some still slip through the cracks! During the Dr. Sketchy’s Berlin Broken Baroque sessions, I did some large pastel drawings on Canson Mi Tientes paper. I tried to work on them at home, then abandoned them, as it was early days in my re-embracing of pastels.

Luckily, I just bought an A3 scanner and searched through my large drawings. I am so glad I found this drawing of beautiful artist Marijn van der Waa!

Evilyn Frantic at Dr Sketchys Berlin Broken Baroque Jan 28 2018 by Suzanne ForbesThese three portraits of sexy, spooky Evilyn Frantic merely needed to be finished.

I found it surprisingly easy, two and a half years later.

Evilyn Frantic and gent at Dr Sketchys Berlin Broken Baroque Jan 28 2018 by Suzanne ForbesHere we see Evilyn and a lad whose name I will have to get.

I was very nervous, two years ago, about how to handle the pale pastel shades.

Evilyn Frantic at Dr Sketchys Berlin Burlesque Week June 23 2020 by Suzanne ForbesNow I am confident!

Adding the watercolor brush pens has made a huge difference to my mixed-media drawing technique. They are physically pleasurable to use, as pastels are not for me. And they allow me to apply fine control to detail areas.

Mixed media art is all about finding what works for you – no rules, except consideration of issues of archival problems. I honestly do not know how my drawings of the last couple years will hold up over time. But since they are created to be shared online, I am kinda not fussed.

Yes, my lonnnnng art education instilled the value of archival materials. But it was pre-internet. And because in school I meant to be a fashion illustrator, then a comic artist, my intention was always to make work for mass distribution. Ephemeral, yet joyful 🙂

I am so blessed by my Patrons on Patreon, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to grow and develop as an artist.

As usual these drawings are licensed Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) for all to share and enjoy!

In addition, I release the copyright on each drawing to the performer shown and they may use the drawings for their own profit and pleeeasssure in any way they choose.

 

 

 

Portraits of loved ones.

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Portrait of Clear and Jen Sept 5 2019 by Suzanne ForbesMy absolutely cherished Beloved Friend-Muse-Patron Clear was in town with his lady companion Jen.

I have a lot going on right now, and I still have strep, but I can work under damn near any conditions, and there was nothing on this earth I wanted to do more than have the sacred, precious drawing-time with these two. There is a connection when I work with people, when we sit together and I draw them, and we talk, that is like nothing else I’ve experienced.

It creates a bond, the bond between artist and muse, that lasts and connects. I get to see them through the merciful eyes of a Higher Power, illuminated by their beauty and character. Their faces move and shift, and the portrait is a gestalt of all the moments that pass between us as we work.

I say we because my portraits are a collaboration, the result of the work of being together and their work being visible to me. It’s the most precious and important thing I know. And of course it’s why I don’t do portraits from photos, only from life. We gotta hang out!

Portrait of Clear and Jen Sept 5 2019 Suzanne ForbesThis image is the drawing halfway through, before I added pastels. My technique is evolving and developing in a very unorthodox way as I figure out how to “paint” with a combination of toned paper, chalk markers, greyscale and sepiatone markers, and pastel. I am figuring out how to make the drawing process additive-subtractive with these new tools. It means rather than pass/fail, this-mark-is-final, I can keep shifting as I would with a painting.

I described the changes that have happened in my drawing style since Clear came for my 50th birthday two years ago and brought me my first set of greyscale markers. How then my Beloved Friend-Muse-Patron of 44 years, Victoria, gave me a set of pastels and I started shyly, almost apologetically, adding touches of color. How Lydia loaned me a chalk marker at a life drawing session in her home in 2018 and I fell in love with its painterly qualities.

“It sounds like you’ve been iterating really fast,” said Jen, who is very smart as well as funny and beautiful. “Yeah, I guess I have”, I said. It’s the hothouse environment of my Patreon, I realized; it lets me feel so supported I can take risks. It was so wonderful to have this time with these two, and to document them together. Clear’s been commissioning  portraits from me since 2006!

Portrait of Dan Sept 3 2019 by Suzanne ForbesAnd this is the other portrait I did this week, of my husband at the visa office, where we got startling bad news!

He is always gracious about posing, even though he really dislikes having his picture taken and being seen or shown on social media. I’ve been carrying this little Kraft paper sketchbook around this week, and it was the perfect size for a quick drawing. Although I generally like to work as large as possible, sometimes a little drawing is just right 🙂