Perspective Frame

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Written by Ray Oltion

Category: Painting

Published: 31 July 2019

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Just as my hero Vincent Van Gogh used a custom made device to help him master drawing scenes from real life, my latest aid for outdoor drawing is my home-made perspective frame.  It features a 4:3 aspect ratio with grid lines that can help the artist orient angles and objects in the scene with similarly gridded paper on the easel. 

Looking through the viewing aperture guarantees the same point of view each time you check the scene, which saves lots of time versus trying to find the same view with a handheld frame.  This makes it easy to transfer lines from the frame to the drawing via the grid lines overlaid on the scene in the viewfinder, and drawn lightly on the paper or painting support on the easel.

The angle of view can be widened or narrowed by moving the viewfinder aperture closer or farther from the grid mask.  This is easy to do by twisting the large knob on the top, which racks the grid mask in or out.

The rubber bands can hold straight line objects such as wooden dowels or even plastic zip ties.  This allows you to precisely measure and transfer angles of important edges in the scene to your drawing.

Can you guess what this device served as in its previous life?  Answer: the focusing standard on an old photographic enlarger.

Learning to Draw

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Written by Ray Oltion

Category: Painting

Published: 17 August 2019

Hits: 170

Sometimes you just need a little push to get started drawing.  In this case it was two books at the Story Library that got me going, both with the title How to Draw Cool Stuff, by Catherine V. Holmes.   These books feature step-by-step illustrations that show how to develop drawings of various objects using simple shapes, such as ellipses.  It also encourages the budding artist to experiment with line weight and shading.

The Story Library staff used my drawings to create a wall display with the goal to get people to try sketching from the books.  They provided pencils and the books for sketching in the library activity room, and a signup list  for those who would like to take the books home once the display is finished.

The "Climbing Tiger" is the most ambitious drawing of the bunch, and involves multiple ellipses in its construction, as well as varied line weight and shading.  It looks kinda scary, which is cool.

The title piece, or "Piece of Cake", combines pencil with hard pastel.  This is an easy way to experiment with color.  It uses just think butcher paper as the support, but a light mist with acrylic paint using my airbrush was able to fix the pastel without buckling the paper, or changing the quality of the color.

Walking Your Dog at the Beach

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Written by Ray Oltion

Category: Painting

Published: 12 May 2019

Hits: 390

The ocean is such a vast wilderness, and the beach brings you as close as you can get to it without getting wet.  Both you and your dog enjoy walking along the beach face, where the sand is somewhat hard from the water underneath, but your shoes keep your feet dry.  Today your dog is particularly energetic, and you think it will be good to let it run off the leash.  Nobody seems to mind if a dog comes up to investigate, and there don't appear to be signs that dogs have to be tethered.  Besides, what kind of trouble can a dog get into on a wide expanse of sand and surf?

All is going well, and your mind starts wandering to the various books waiting for you at home when you return from your walk, when your dog yelps in surprise and lunges forward.  You jolt back to the present moment and see a boat beached nearby, and wonder if that is what excited your pet.  It takes a few seconds to spot what your dog has identified: a cat sleeping on the deck.  Oh no!  Your dog hates cats.  This one seems more like a sitting duck, with no place to go.  You doubt that it can swim, or if it can, that it would dive into the ocean.  Drat it!  You should have used the leash after all.  The last thing you need is an angry cat owner and an injured pet on your hands.  Think of the liability!

Just as it seems that your dog is completely out of control, ignoring your frantic calls, the beach comes to life.  Out of the hinterland and sprinting across the backshore come the most amazing creatures you have ever seen.  They look like agave plants, but they have legs and arms, and are heading directly for your dog.  One of them reaches out its spiny arms and grabs your dog by the tail, and puts two more arms -- yes, two more arms -- around its body.  Then you feel the piercing pain of two spines in your own leg.  In the struggle you glance over at the boat and see several more agave creatures guarding the boat, while the cat looks nervously around for an avenue of escape.

It is all over before long, though.  Your dog cries out in pain as the spines on the agave creature dig into its flesh, and suddenly all the fire has gone from your pet's attack.  You breathe a sigh of relief, and then hear a strange sound coming from above, like the raspberry tart of a contemptuous onlooker.  Have you been observed?  You look around quickly, up onto the headland overlooking the beach, but there is nobody.  In a panic you scan the horizon and then lift your vision to the sky, where the fantastic vision of a floating palm frond, lips parted, tongue protruding, is mocking you and your pet.

Clearly, the beach has its own rules and enforcers, as well as overlords that protect those who belong to the sea.  You are just a visitor here, and you better mind your manners.  Heading for home, books forgotten and limping slightly, you hope your dog learned its lesson, but somehow you have your doubts.