Saturday, March 10, 2012

I love charcoal and sanguine

I love art, always have, always will.

If I could, I would draw or paint all day, but life has gotten on the way. Not a bad thing, just that by the time I sit down, my creative juices have been drained. I used to draw a lot, but the most I did was when I was 19 to right before I had my first kid. I am now looking forward to the new school year this year, only because I will have some time to paint or draw. Well, that is my hope.

One of my favorite art mediums is charcoal and also sanguine. I love the look and the feel of charcoal. I took a drawing course when I was 19, you know, one of the ones offered at night in high schools. It was a really neat time for me. I was becoming more independent from my twin, and had to take transit all the way to the West End in Vancouver, to get to the school. It was awesome.

Our teacher was really good and I was introduced to sanguine. He taught us how to mix it with black charcoal and the lovely contrast they make. We did some ink drawings too, which I hated. I did not like that I couldn't get my lines straight and it was not the same using a brush on paper. Let's just say ink is not my fave. If I am going to use a brush, I will use it on a canvas. We did use charcoal pastels too, which are nice, but not the same.

So, back to sanguine, I guess I must let you know what it is if you don't know:
I found this definition in Wikipedia:

 Sanguine or red chalk is chalk of a reddish-brown colour, so called because it resembles the colour of dried blood. It has been popular for centuries for drawing (where white chalk only works on coloured paper), and the term also describes a drawing done in sanguine. The word comes via French from the Italian sanguina.

If you want to work with a sketchbook, try it out. I like combining it with black charcoal for a nice contrast. People often ask me who the person is that I draw, but I don't draw people that I know, the images are just from my head. Of course, some are obviously a figment of my imagination. :)  The only person I have dared to draw is my husband. Tonight I was inspired enough that I wanted to share what I drew and also, share an oldie from 2005.

My latest - sanguine has more texture to it live.
This one is from '05, not many from that year.


So, if you like to draw or paint - what is your favorite medium? In another post I will talk about acrylic and oil paints.

I love art. ♥