Our class has had a number of male models the last couple of weeks. Here are a few from the sessions I’ve attended:
I had some difficulties with his right arm because Brandon was naturally shifting with gravity - I couldn't quite understand the values in the shadows under his head.
A quick gesture drawing of Tyler.
I had a lot of difficulties with this pose. I started 4 drawings and eventually returned to the second attempt. I was feeling really off that night.
What an appropriate week to get back into it. With the weather being so hot, it feels good to a) be naked; and if that isn’t possible for whatever reason, b) drawing them will have to do.
Diana was so much fun to draw, full of form, folds, and flesh! This was an hour long study on cream colored 17x14 paper with an oil-based pencil. I couldn't scan the full drawing in one take.
A 20-minute sketch of Diana.
Semi-blind contour drawing of Bert.
Read the first part of Reflections on my first long sesshin
Grasping mind
Zazen image by Flickr member Taiyu57, used with Creative Commons license
By the third day of sesshin, the schedule, the silence of work practice, the energy of the other sitters in the Zendo, all lent itself to my mind turning inward.
At that point, my inward mind became strangely obsessed with swallowing. Yes, swallowing.
It’s one of those physical actions I never noticed until I sat for 3 days. When my mind finally became tired, it decided to focus on the inside of my mouth and the saliva that formed at the back of my throat. That saliva has to naturally go somewhere. So I found myself constantly swallowing and the more I focused on what seemed like my saliva endlessly collecting at the back of my throat, the more I needed to swallow. In a quiet Zendo, swallowing can be very loud.
I found myself becoming self-conscious, and then I began to hear other sitters swallow. What was going on? It was starting to drive me a bit batty. Continue reading
Satchel the day I found her. She weighed 3.7lbs, was full of burrs & fleas.
There is nothing worse than seeing a creature on the brink of starvation. So when I found Satchel on my hike in the Oakland hills, I knew I had no choice but to try to save her.
When I found Satchel, she was walking on the trail and not moving very quickly; even with my dog on the leash, she didn’t run. Regardless, I couldn’t tell if she was feral so I approached her cautiously. Because of her size, I thought she was a kitten.
She was clearly hungry so I threw the dog treats at her. Then I tried to figure out the best way to grab her while handling a dog that wanted nothing more than the chance to chase a cat through the trees and poison oak. Continue reading
Siddhartha Gautama image by Flickr member Siesja, used with a Creative Commons license
It’s been several days since the end of my first 5-day sesshin (Zen meditation retreat) and although it feels that the effects have worn off, my commitment to Zazen has not. As I’ve explained to friends and family, a meditation retreat is not about relaxing, but more an opportunity to deepen my meditation practice. And that it did.
Some background
Before I elaborate on my retreat, I want to share my circuitous journey to finally committing to Dharma practice. I first became fascinated with Siddhartha Gautama’s story when I was in high school. After college, I moved to Santa Fe, NM where I met a friend who introduced me to Zazen. That’s when I immersed myself in books on Buddhism, Zen, the Buddha, and I began to sit regularly at the beautiful Upaya Zen Center on Cerro Gordo Road. I also attended my first sesshin, a short 3-day retreat. It was a simple and beautiful time in my life. Continue reading
The War of Art
Truly an inspiring book that kicked my butt and made me start creating again. It inspired this website!
Drawing with Imagination
Has some great exercises to stretch your drawing skills!
The Creative Habit: Learn It & Use it for Life
More creative inspiration from a legendary dancer!
The Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature
I love Cathy Johnson's nature sketches and since I love to hike, I want to draw like her.
I heart Dick Blick! I'm a kid in a candy store here!
I'm Trish Roque and this is my arty blog. My goal is to make more art and to post it here along with musings and the many lessons I no doubt will encounter.
I'm also a web designer with a fondness for WordPress, a pillow to two ornery cats, chauffeur to one hairy dog, and wife to a wonderful husband. We live and play in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you'd like to learn more about me go here or read my blog.
