Sketches and Drawings by Sean Durham

This is a close up of the work of Fino below. It was sketched on an easel and I took my time. I corrected whenever necessary and really wanted to get a likeness too. Getting a likeness is difficult. It's a matter of trying but not trying to make the sketch look like the subject. The harder you try the farther away you go from likeness. Best to just trust the feeling and focus on essential elements of the face. Nose, mouth and eyes laways looking for the characteristics that repeat themselves after muscle movements.

Here is an example of work that I did before a painting. It was important to get a few details right in order to understand the subjects character. The way he sits and moves, the shift of his eyes.

This work took about two hours and was well worth the effort. It paid off when I finally started the oil painting for "Los Dos Finos".

Sketching is more focused activity than painting, every nuance will be noticed by the viewer. Viewers always expect each part of the work to have a meaning. That's a good thing - even if the work doesn't have any particular significance - the viewer will project their own importance onto the work and give it a personal meaning.

Many people find drawing and sketching fascinating. At some point in their lives they give it a try but unfortunately, when they encounter problems, they give in and forget the whole thing.

If you want to learn to draw you can begin immediately by starting to practice. It's always best to begin by sketching objects around your home. Learn to build small Still Lifes out of things like books and pots and pans - especially objects that you like. If the objects have a meaning for you then your mind will engage the object in a deeper way and the results will be much better than sketching an apple or a glass bowl that looks very 17th century.
The still lifes of times past were always representative of the wealth and decadence of a houshold. Apples and oranges were rare, if you had them you ate them. If you were wealthy you could use them for decoration and then throw them when the rotted -decadence of the super rich.

Today we have a wealth of objects that represent the life we live. So why not use those objects that represent your life style? That way when you sketch a piece of work you are already delving into the mysteries of art and your piece will have a meaning for you and possibly other people too.

Try all the mediums you can lay your hands on. Pencils, charcoal and any colours that come to hand. Just use them and observe what type of effect they have on the paper. Pastels will give you soft colours and oil paint will give a flexibilty where you can control the intensity of the colours from hard edged colour that trumpets out of the canvas to almost water colour like qualities that lend themselves to landscapes and cityscapes.

Above all, experiment and contiue to practice. If you observe your own results with honesty and keep an optimistic outlook, you will improve.

The quality in art comes from the practiced artist's determination to succeed, the magic comes from the heart.

Now here's something I like doing. Quick sketches of life on the street. People interest me immensely and so every opportunity I get I sketch a group or an individual that I find interesting.

In big cities there are always a few strange characters lurking around the streets - especially at night - so I keep my eyes open and even if it's just a glimpse of some interesting constellation of people, I'll get it down on paper as quickly as possible. By doing this I build up a book of sketches that I can use in paintings in the studio.

Here is another sketch drawn with ink. I used a normal fountain pen that I normally write with. I often find it easier to sketch very quickly as this forces me to make quick decisions and so there is no fapping about - it will either work or it won't.

the link in the Sketch leads to my Madrid-Notes blog.

This is a sketch in pencil. It's very small and is part of an old sketch book that I use to carry around with me. I took my time and I'm glad I did because it turned out well.

The way the light comes from the left creates interest because it is a strong sunlight at about 10 in the Morning. The towel draped around shoulders is good composition. He stood still for a while and then like most kids he lost interest and simply ran of to play.

This is yet another Fino study but in Oil on Canvas. people often think that sketches are only in pencil or graphites or charcoal. You can sketch with motor oil if you want, it's still a sketch.

When preparing for a large Oil Painting as I was at that time, it's good to do as many sketches a s possible. By doing this the subject really gets under your skin and you will eventually be able to do sketches from memory.

Using different materials to sketch with allows me to approach the subject with a fresh mind again, especially when I've been working with them for a long time.

If you want to see more of my paintings then click the link in the painting.

Sketch books come in all shapes and sizes. This is a nearly life size head sketch done in Pencil. It's simple and i didn't want to complicate things by trying too hard for heavy shadows in the face.

Even leaving the jacket half finished is effective and gives the sketch some interest.

I painted this very quickly. Quite simply an idea came to mind of a greedy Monkey (chimp) screeching away at its companions as it guards its find.

It was great fun to do and many people have commented on it.

Artists keep sketchbooks like writers keep notebooks. They are something personal and not really for the public to view. Sketchbooks are a place where the artists can go and jot down ideas that mean something to him or her without fear of ridicule from an audience. People love to critic art so if they see a sketch that is really just a note about something you saw then they won't understand it. That's when you end up having to explain something to them that they find difficult to understand.

Many non-artists seem to believe that painting and drawing is a magical trick where the artist "gets it right first time and amazes everybody with his talent." Actually it's a process of edging you way towards finishing ideas worth pursuing and then finally exhibiting them for people's enjoyment and to give them something to think about.

Keeping a sketchbook close at hand - always - is essential to developing artistic abilities and not losing out on a great idea that pops up suddenly. That idea could come in the form of something in your environment or it could be a really powerful thought that presents itself to you.

Constant sketching without fear of making mistakes makes you a stronger artist, both creatively and skillfully adept with the pen and pencil.

The sketch above was done very quickly and occurred one day while drinking coffee. I was just dreaming away and I noticed myself in the mirror opposite. I couldn't resist it so just did a sketch of what I saw.

This was great fun too. My son fast asleep in bed. I sat close by and sketched him snoring away in dream land. This sketch was done many years ago, he is a young man today but yet he has never seen this sketch....