Over the years I have had the pleasure of learning from some excellent artist/teachers. Joel Janowitz is one of those special teachers who with his humble personality is able to have a big impact on those who study with him.. I not only admire his work but as a teacher he has this amazing ability to push each student in ways that results in them making better art, while simultaneously respecting that student’s aesthetic, hand, and style. I spoke about this in the previous post. Last week I returned to his studio for a figure drawing session. It was wonderful to be back drawing a figure, but I also enjoyed having Joel remind me of the things that trip me up when making art and listening to him help other students.
One trick I learned from Joel is one I often share with fellow artists. A red sheet of acetate can show value better. A couple months ago I found a red sheet at Artisans and Craftsmen and bought it. When struggling with my paper drawings it has been very useful in helping me figure out where I want the eye to go and what I want to emphasize in the drawing. The red acetate allowed me to see the interesting shape the tulip leaves made. I am still tweaking the drawing but I definitely feel like it is coming along.
