Frogs and dogs.
And birds.
And fishes.
if Durer had worked for Disney
Today’s morning coffee drawing is composed of miscellaneous scribbles after Albrecht Durer. Imagine Durer working for Walt Disney — along with that imagine a delicious cup of coffee. You there?
Well, that’s where I was. These drawings were made (Bic Cristal in hand) from peering into the excellent exhibition catalog of a National Gallery of Art show on the artist that took place some years ago, called “Albrecht Durer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina.”
My drawing was a totally international endeavor — German Renaissance artist, American scribbler, pen manufactured in Mexico for a French company. The notebook was made in the USA — as was I — but I think I already mentioned that ….
Morning drawing
Moving the pen very fast, getting started in the morning. I look to my old familiar vase of flowers, the ones I always do again and again, and I draw without thinking too much. Let the pen follow the gaze. Look and react.
Dipsy Doodling
When I’m at a loss for something to do, or distracted from the work at hand, or sometimes when I’m on the phone, I draw little dipsy doodle drawings of whatever happens to be within my line of sight. Is interesting how much freedom is there to be had when you just breathe in the local air. Though it is wonderful to travel, yet there are also adventures to enjoy at home. And sometimes I look around and find that even certain regions of my studio contain picturesque material, airy linear heights and craggy inky depths to plumb.
Some of the doodle drawings relate to “serious” works. I might have a still life going and take my drawing from this standing source. But the differences between the fast pen drawing and a “serious” painting are like the difference between business travel and a vacation.
One might wonder why an artist needs a vacation from painting! Well, let’s face it. Everyone needs a vacation from everything sometimes. And little doodles take you to another mental place.
But the really nice thing about little dipsy doodle drawings is that they take you — briefly — to another mental sphere, bright and light and spare, and the expense costs no more than a sunbeam …
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