Hello,
This is my collection of art work. I began drawing in August 2006 and continued for about 2 months, this is the fruit of that effort. I copied over 20 master artists from a collection of library books. Eventually, I did a number of pastel drawings from photos that I found compelling or challenging for various reasons. Perhaps this will inspire others to try a little drawing.
There are around 67 initial pieces, lately I've begun to do a few more. The drawings are ordered last to first, a bit illogically since it was a sequential learning curve, but blog updates tend to work that way and alas I started at the beginning. So to make the most sense out of the comments and progression of subjects you should start at the bottom which may take a while to load.
Hope you enjoy a bit of art history and the efforts of a beginner.
Jim Beauchamp
L'artiste at Work (poseur)
photo by Sue Huss
Ramana Maharshi
If you don't know who Ramana is google his name there are some excellent sites describing his life and teaching. I say is instead of was, the body left Ramana around 1950, but as he said, "where will I go, I am here!", ever pervasive. 2/17/07
Anandamoyee Ma
She has a small smile while quite at peace. The eyes are a little off. 2/15/07
Anandamoyee Ma
Late night pencil sketch with pastel to darken the hair. A remarkable saint utterly free of any attachment or desire. If I have any goal in art it would be to depict human ecstasy of which there are few examples. Ma is one good example, though most of her photos show peace sometimes a more profound state than ecstasy. I tried to duplicate the nose and chin shadow in the photo, a mistake. 2/15/07
Blondy
The drawing just below this is a sketch of the same subject. Here you can see the difference in what I mean by a sketch and a portrait attempt. The sketch was done in charcoal freehand with no measurements, just eyeball. After it was drawn, I thought it good enought to color, making it something more than a charcoal sketch. However, I knew some of the dimensions were off. That began to bother me, so I did it again with careful attention to the dimensions. From this you can tell that the shoulders were too wide on the drawing below. 2/12/07
Another model
From a photo pulled off a computer ad. Just a quick sketch. 2/12/07
Another Cover Girl
This one was on the cover of US News and World Report, with the title Botox Boom; Implying that botox will give you the perfect complextion and unlined features of this young model. Based on a 2am sketch on poor paper, gotta quit doing that. 2/10/07
Auburn Model
Another model sketch. 2/06/07
Blond Model
Another model from the Times. hair is always difficult for me, the challenge here is getting the black/purple/violet leather pants to look reflective. 2/06/07
Slinky - Beyond Nude
So enough with Madonnas already. Actually, I ran out of them. But it is time for a change anyway. I think the most provocative nude I did was Modigliani's lady in pink. Modigliani's nude, although having a sexy Brigette Bardot face and wonderful body, comes across to me more in terms of beauty. This model, on the other hand, which appeared in today's LA times, comes across as sexy; more so than a nude. There are many triggers: thin body, long straight hair, open mouth, hidden face, form fitting dress, very little dress, lots of skin showing, long black leather glove, and busty pose. Still there is beauty here in a way, if you can get past all the advertising gotyas. 2/05/07
Raphael Madonna and Jesus
This is based on a freehand charcoal sketch. Normally in making a portrait, I make careful measurments to ensure eyes, nose, chin and mouth are porportional and at the right distance from each other. Sketches, on the otherhand, are practice to see if my eye and hand are getting any better. Maybe they should just be tossed. Charcoal is easy to erase, goes on blacker than graphite, but is not good for details, or subtle shading. 2/04/07
Giotto Madonna
A sketch, the original is elongated also. 2/04/07
Perugino charcoal
I worked hard on the color Perugino, but found that when coloring it, some of the subtle line quality was lost. Here I just sketched with charcoal pencil by eye. As usual the fixative darkened the shading more than intended. I could have worked a little harder on that. A fun sketch. 2/04/07
Perugino mid 1400's
I don't know much about Perugino, the photo I used was supplied by Sue Huss. 2/04/07
Molly Ivins
A few days ago I did a pencil sketch of the photo of Molly in her obituary. Here is an attempt at a portrait of a small b&w photo I found on the web of Molly when she was younger. Same gleeful smile. 2/04/07
Wild Hair
Based on a photo. 2/03/07
Giotto Face of Madonna 1302-1305
From the Nativity Fresco Arena Chapel in Padua. Giotto is considered by many to be the father of modern painting. This sketch is not an attempt to copy his face, but is close. The wrinkled paper gives a completely unintended hint of age and fresco like quality. 2/01/07
Molly Ivins
Molly, a brave columnist and humorist, who called a shrub (Bush) a shrub died this week. This sketch doesn't do justice to her Gleeful face, but is my tribute. 2/01/07
Winged Migration
This is based on the cover photo for the music from Winged Migration. The whole DVD is the best art I've seen, eye riveting. Jan/07
Mom
I did this on a birthday card for my mother's 86th birthday. The photo was taken when she was 22. 1/23/07
Claude Monet Original
This is the original so you can enjoy it and compare to the colored version I did below. I think this is an extraordinary portrait. It was done around 1880 I believe.
Claude Monet Portrait of a Lady
Based on a red chalk drawing by Claude Monet. Monet is not known for his drawings, he never mentioned them himself, but there are over 500 of them. The original is posted above for comparison. I think the original is remarkable esp. for its shading. Three months without doing pastels has definately affected my shading, but the worst effect was the fixative which darkens grey shading. If you look at the original you will see that the face is askew as if the lower teeth were set 1/2 inch to one side. Also the nose is bent. While charming, I chose not to copy that.1/18/07
Sri Lankan Woman Abstraction
Sri Lankan Woman
Just a sketch unfortunately on the back of a page, the illustration and text of which show thru the scan. But I like this face so you get it anyway. 1/15/07
Delacroix Self Portrait 1818
done when Delacroix was young. 10/23/06
Delacroix Portrait of Chopin 1838
Chopin and Delacroix were close friends. It is thought that this portrait may have been a combined portrait with George Sand Chopin's lover. Speculation is that the two parts of the canvas were separated to be sold for a greater profit. Delacroix's technique is different from the other portraits I've seen. 10/23/06
Cezanne The Clockmaker (~1895 to 1900)
Picasso speaks with line, Da Vinci with subtle shading, Cezanne is the master of color. There are no fine lines or subtle shading in this picture, but oh is it powerful. 10/19/06
Botticelli face from Madonna of the Magnificat
Botticelli has magnificent faces, but also very complex head gear, lace, and fine line halos. This was just a practice sketch to see what I could do with a halo using pastel. I decided to use generalized light, and then decided to sketch in the face etc. 10/18/06
Da Vinci's Dress
This was an exercise in drawing drapery, unfinished by Da Vinci. I finished the torso and put on the head of the Da Vinci green lady keeping it all Da Vinci in origin. 10/18/06
Princess Di
A real challenge between the hair and the jewels. Yes her skin really is that red in the photo. I saw an oil painting with the photo it was based on, and again the face was redish. The painter had, however, given her a peaches and cream complextion, I guess artists are licensed to flatter. 10/15/06
Sassy Lassie
This young women is way cool. again a very small photo, but what a fun composition. 10/11/06
Louis Armstrong
from small photo 2x2 in ad. I bought a set of six grey tone pastels from white to black to get some intermediate tones in this one. 10/10/06
Lion Cubs
again from a photo. 10/7/06
Fatherhood
Well you know I like hands. Again from a tiny photo that I found expressive. 10/6/06
Wheat in the Early Morning
again based on a tiny photo. After a difficult work it is nice to relax with something simple. 10/05/06
Jenny Cirone's Hands
What I said below about Jenny's face applies here. We are particularly sensitive to faces and hand and can detect and interpret minute changes in expression and position. We see our hands more than any other part of our body. Anyway hands and faces carry more emotional intensity, more emotional mass, depth, power, gravity than any thing else, thats why I like them. 10/5/06
Everglades Wood Storks at Dawn
This was based on a little snippet of a photo less than 2 inch by 3 inch I think by Tim Fitzharris. Covergirl taught me how to fade colors in pastel, so I though this might be possible, and a lot easier than the very difficult covergirl drawing. Turns out the color transition was easy, inking the forground again easy, and the result pretty stunning at least for me. 10/2/06
Covergirl
I call this covergirl, she was actually in a story on how to use flash, hence the dark shadow under the chin. I drew her because her beauty struck me. Also, smooth skin with few features can be more challenging to draw and show volumetric shape than lined faces. I was quite taken aback after finishing this. Sort of stunned. I had thought that the pencil portrait of Picasso was excellent work, but this in color with almost an airbrush quality is a whole different reality, doesn't look like a drawing at all to me. 10/3/06
Jenny Cirone
Based on a photo by Louren Shaw. Jenny Cirone is a sheep breeder and lobster trapper in Maine. She appears sitting on the back of her station wagon holding some rope in her hand. While the whole photo is powerful, her face and hands were the most expressive to me, and I wanted to blow them up. The photo was black and white, so I had to guess at colors. To me Jenny, caught licking her lips, epitomizes americans, hard working, long suffering, overweight, tired, good. She is so much more soulful than the empty facades we see on the media. 10/2/06
Wolf
based on magazine ad photo of wolf ferociously gaurding its last kill, the photographer's assistant. 9/30/06
Leopard
Based on photo by Ralph Clevenger. drawn 9/30/06
Degas Nude
The original is a beautifully shaded nude. Only after completion did I read about the unusual pose. This is a study for "The Bad Hours at Orleans" a massacre of women (and therefore children) after a battle at Orleans in which after the usual the women were tied to trees and slaughtered or left to die. While the art is exquisite, it is shawdowed by the brutal reality of war that too few Americans understand. This was my last piece copying artists for a while, after this I took on the different challenge of copying photography. 9/29/06
Charles le Brun 1619 - 1690
A study for "Massacre des Innocents" this women fights off a soldier who is seizing her child under Herod's orders. The women's expression and suffering are tragic and universal. Unfortunately, the massacre of innocents continues in the Middle East. 9/29/06
Francisco de Zurbaran - 1598 - 1664
I loved this from the first time I saw it, but the subtle shading and drapery of the cowl make it a real challenge. Unfortunately, I added some skin tone which makes it a bit luminous, an unintended effect that is both distracting, and symbolic. 9/28/06
Da Vinci Women with a Headband
This very faded drawing on colored paper again shows one of Da Vinci's beautiful models with a subtle expression. His lips are just shaded wings, implied not drawn. The headband hardly shows in the original. I hope this inspires you to find a copy of the original, I suppose it is on the web somewhere. 9/27/06
Picasso portrait of Gertrude Stein 1906
Stein posed 80 times for this portrait. Picasso became frustrated wiped out the face and went on his summer holidays to Spain. There he became interested in old Spanish pottery with its highly ovalized faces. He returned to Paris and painted this oval face from memory. People said, "that doesn't look like Gertrude", Picasso said, " that doesn't matter, if she doesn't look like that now, she will." Stein and her brother were early collectors of Picasso paintings. I had no interest in this piece, but a friend reading Steins' biography asked about it, so I did it anyway. 9/23/06
Picasso portrait of Renoir ~1919
Picasso did this from a photo. I did a fairly quick sketch of it, and perhaps accidentally made it more of a caricature. Note the hands ruined by arthritis. 9/23/06
Mother and Child
Based on small charcoal sketch by Picasso. He had 4 sets of hands drawn on the page and several elbows, just a circle for the enfants head. I enlarged, refined and added color. I loved the fragile beauty of the mother, the endearing expression, and touch of the child's hand. 9/23/06
Lady - Da Vinci
Here I attempted some background, which Da Vinci painted in beautiful detail. His golden ringlets of hair are amazing, no idea how to approach that, but I think it may require paint. His face seemed bored while I think mine is a bit sad. Well the whole thing is sad compared to the original, but good practice. 9/22/06
Green Lady - Da Vinci
He did this on green paper in a tone I couldn't match with my beginner set of low quality pastels. So trying to be true to the original, we get a beautiful lady in yellow green. This is the only hairdo women models should wear. 9/21/06
Da Vinci Self Portrait
Original silverpoint portrait on colored paper, he did it all with subtle hatching - amazing. I used pencil and pastel to copy this amazing but faded portrait. 9/20/06
Angel - Da Vinci
Detail from The Virgin of the Rocks Louvre version. One learns to loathe hair. Every day is a bad hair day and I'm bald! But Da Vinci's eyes and mouths are special, I got the nose too long. The drapery of the cape a new challenge. 9/20/06
Dix old nude
Relaxing after Mona Lisa. This quick sketch of a famous Dix drawing is a sad wake up call to reality, despite its humorous caricature. 9/18/06
Leonardo Da Vinci - Mona Lisa
Well you got to try it. She was really beautiful until I added the hair, black pastel yuk! or the yellowed color of the painting. I left out the cracks in the paint. 9/18/06
Durer - enlargement
This face really moves me.
Albrecht Durer's 93 year old man
Durer was an engraver, he is impossible, the other choices were photorealistic grasses and flowers or a rabbit on which he drew every hair. I couldn't escape this man's face, so magnificent, better than Rembrandt's man in the golden helmut, although I haven't seen that in many years. Durer, true to form drew (painted) every hair white and curly on a dark background, something I couldn't do on white paper, so forget about the beard. 9/18/06. Thus ends my second period of challenging and I think for the most part well realized works. At this point I've learned a lot about line, and some shading, but now on to the dangerous shoals of Da Vinci, master of shading, forget about line.
Raphael angel 1483-1520
also used as Mercury. Tired from the flower and pastel nighmares, this looked easy and was the only Raphael remotely possible. Most of his figures are clothed in transparent loose gauze, impossible, but beautiful.
Federico Zandomeneghi 1841 - 1917
a master of pastel, I tried to copy, alas a brutal defeat. The mixed hatching in the background is weirdly difficult, but his blouse was shimmering. I finished this dispairing of the use of pastel.
Okeefe flower 1927
Okeefe is a master with pastel, her oils and pastels look the same. I used purple where she mostly used grey, but getting the convolutions, and fine line and delicate transitions in shading from the lip takes an artist. 9/16/06
Peitro da Cortona dancer 1596 - 1669
a study of a dancer for a painting. This seemed an easy break after Rubens lion. The look was unusual and interesting, the hair wild. 9/16/06
Rubens lion ~1618
The original of this just blows me away. The power, majesty and detail leave me in awe. a super challenge in pencil and pastel. 9/15/06
Okeefe Abstraction - 1916
For me this is what abstraction should be, it carrys strong images, of beauty, repose, comfort, speed, and flair with a minimum of detail.
Pieter Paul Rubens 1577 - 1640
Study for figure of Jesus in "Raising of the Cross" Looks more to me like a 20 year old olympian than a 33 year old rabai, but I love Rubins and think hes the second best draughsman after Durer, but the better artist.
Beauchamp - portrait of Picasso
Let's do it again to see the detail.
Beauchamp - portrait of Picasso age 73
Based on a photo in Time Life Book, perhaps my best and favorite work 9/12/06
Picasso Letrec like ad for the 4Gats bar in Barcelona
1899 - fun quickly done, small faces hard to do 9/12/06
Picasso Reader
I needed a break after three difficult pieces. Love the hatching esp of the braided hair. Note the head is seen half in profile and half straight on, typical of Picasso.
Picasso Leonine Massine dancer and coreographer
Note Picasso shaded more in this portrait, his ear was photographic and the most realistic (of 4 I've seen) portrait of Massine, except for the idealized eyes and mouth. 9/11/06
Picasso self portrait age 38
About the same time as Dali's, note the linear nature of this one compared to Dali's, or the shading of Palmer, or the more shaded portrait of Leonine Massine by Picasso just above. 9/11/06
Picasso woman ironing
classic blue period, huge sensitivity to human suffering. Note the elongated limbs and shoulders, something Picasso got from El Greco. 9/10/06
Picasso girl with mandolin
After the still life, this was easy. Mandolin fret detail difficult with pastel. 9/07/06 thus ends what I call my early period, from here we move on to greater challenges.
Picasso still life
Tedious difficult thing to do, but colorful
Palmer Original
I said below that it would be nice if you could see the original. Will I found it both for your enjoyment and comparison. Color helps.
Samuel Palmer self portrait
This 1830s portrait of the young prodigy was quite a challenge, sorry you can't see the original. I found that shading for volumetric effect is tough, hair impossible, black pastel yuk. 9/05/06 about 2 weeks into my drawing career.
Penato Gutturo "Got Milk" 1961
Whimsical pencil and color with six fingers just like Picasso. 9/5/06
Maillol Two Nudes
I liked this one for the attitude, the muscular competition, the front and back of a nude without the device of a mirror. The original was on colored paper, unfortunately I tried to color the paper after the drawing was done, degrading it. 9/4/06
Picasso Early Cubist Nude
art historians note that this is in the woods, rare for Picasso 9/04/06
Kollwitz Fettered Man
probably drawn during Nazi era - the frustration of totalitarianism is evident 9/4/06
Picasso two women
Shows the sisterhood of a woman prostitute inmate of a VD hospital (the hat) and presumably a pregnant married woman carrying an infant. 9/3/06
Picasso African Mask
I do like Picasso's abstract work,but not as much as his realism. Fact is this is easy to copy although not with the flair of Picasso. 9/03/06
Picasso Line Nude
Four simple lines, offset on the page, full hips and buttocks, its as if you see the whole nude. Simple as it is, this took a while to get it right. 9/3/06
Modigliani Caryatid
This may have been in preparation for a statue by the artist. Note all the long beautiful French, or should I call them 'freedom' curves. What a beautiful way to envision the human body. 9/3/06
Modigliani Nude
Note the simple lines, that convey so much volume. Note that she is whole even though he hasn't drawn in the lower line of her left forarm. 9/2/06
Picasso Dreamer
This one sold for 139 million only to be punctured by the owner when packing. 9/1/06
Picasso Arcs
I love the brilliant use of arcs passing thru the crown of the head and continuing around the body as one line. Trace the line down from the jaw around the egg shape to the top of the head, then follow the line between the face and greenish hood around the front of the face, then around back between the black and yellow, this curves down under the left forearm and back up the left arm tracing to the right of the black area in front of the face, then thru the point and following the line between the black and green at the back of the head, down the neck and right shoulder and arm. 9/1/06
Degas woman drying herself
Original in pastel, so I was trying to learn technique 8/31/06
Picasso portrait of his last wife
8/30/06
Shiva
As an extremely abstract concept of God, Shiva embodies Oneness (the oval head), Potential for balanced diversity (the yin yang body), infinity (the legs), Mother Divine the creator (the red triangle), Ganga the water of life, and death the snake drinking the water. Shiva can have 5 heads, in this case we see him from the side and front ala Picasso. And of course Shiva floats in undiferentiated pure consciousness. 8/29/06
Beauchamp Bird
Based on photo in a photography magazine ad. that I think is beautifully composed. These magazines have very good photographic art in them. It is where I found most of the photos on which I based later drawings and pastels. 8/28/06
Van Gogh self portrait w/o beard
I really love this portrait. The blue shirt sets off the brownish red of face and hair. The blue seems reflected in the whites of his eyes like the spice eaters of Dune. The faces sharp angularity is not hidden by his beard. Van Gogh's brush technique lends itself to pastel with its wide sticks. I thought I'd do other Van Goghs, since I've always liked them. But most are landscapes, and I found I don't have much interest in landscapes. I'm more interested in fine line, shading and human expression. Hope you like this wonderful Van Gogh. 8/27/06
Dali portrait of Picasso
around 1919, dali drew in laurel branches above the ears. 8/26/06
Picasso's Absenth drinker
Blue period classic - 8/25/06 by Jim Beauchamp
Picasso Woman looking in the Mirror
Just the top half of the painting 8/24/06
Michaelangelo Being Becoming
from the Cistine Chapel 8/24/06