The Sensual Line of the Rapid Oil Sketch

This is an example of the  very rapid, warp 10/volume 11 sketch.  As people are waiting for their drink orders at the counter, I try and paint them.  I have anywhere from one to three minutes to capture the gesture.  It is a tricky business.  One cannot falter, and precision and rhythm of line is crucial.  The challenge is to get an accurate, yet spontaneous likeness.  The artist has to keep the colors fresh and the lines and brush strokes fairly precise.

Later, I might talk about more of the technical aspects of painting people from life.  At the moment, I am at Epoch Coffee, waiting for some guy to vacate my favorite painting spot.  I don’t think that he is going to move any time soon. ~Lavanna

This young lady with the hobo bag is placing an order "To Go" at Epoch Coffee

This sensual young lady with the hobo bag is placing an order "To Go" at Epoch Coffee

This entry was written by Lavanna Martin, posted on November 23, 2008 at 9:02 pm, filed under alla prima, art, figure painting, painting, painting people from life, portrait sketch, sketches and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

6 Comments

  1. Robbie Cooper
    Posted November 24, 2008 at 9:33 am | Permalink

    Fantastic work.

    Reply
  2. Lavanna Martin
    Posted November 24, 2008 at 9:41 am | Permalink

    Hi, Robbie.

    Thank you.

    I am glad that you stopped by.

    ~Lavanna Martin

    Reply
  3. Leroy
    Posted January 4, 2009 at 6:06 pm | Permalink

    Lavanna, I just found your blog, and I am blown away. Fabulous – I love your quick oil sketches! I have a thousand questions, but the first…. How do you carry those fresh paintings back to your studio on your bike?

    Reply
    • Lavanna Martin
      Posted January 4, 2009 at 7:23 pm | Permalink

      Hi, Leroy.

      Gosh, thanks so much. Are you an artist, too? I’ll have to go check your blog.
      Concerning transport of paintings, I always paint on 9×12 canvas sheet pads. I simply close up the pad, with the sheets attached. Sometimes, I will have a friend w/ a car accompanying me, and they will take the paintings. Now that it is colder, I have wimped out, and go by car. One time, I carried home 5 wet paintings on my bike, and they didn’t suffer much. I just put a bulldog clip on the pad to keep it from shifting around. Feel free to ask questions, I like to be helpful, and I don’t know everything!

      Thank you,

      ~Lavanna Martin

      Reply
  4. carolyn cobb
    Posted May 4, 2009 at 12:05 pm | Permalink

    what easel do you use on location?
    thank you, cc

    Reply

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