after DaVinci

There has been a lot of interest in the DaVinci Code lately. Leonardo happens to be my favorite artist. A few years back I decided to do a little pencil sketch study of St. Mary from his Adoration of the Maji, working from a plate in a big huge book Aunt Mildred gave me years ago. I work using a measuring stick that you see artists using. If things get really small then I use dividers. But I don't use any projection devices. I can also just draw and paint from life.

(They aren't teaching some of these old techniques here anymore, and they frown on realism to a great degree. It is one of the reasons I didn't continue for my MFA.)

Aunt Mildred wasn't my aunt but I called her aunt Mildred. She was aunt to anyone who needed an aunt. I have lots of aunts, but I can always use another. She was a little old lady who was someone elses great and great aunt. She lived in an old pink cabin on the lake with Aunt Dorothy, also not my aunt. But the old pink cabin used to belong to my aunt Gertrude. (I know it is confusing but it's all in the family)

Anyway Aunt mildred was really cool. At that time I was going to art school and would go up and talk with Aunt Mildred about art and music. She had a potters wheel in there that she threw pots on, and a little piano that she composed music on. She asked me who my favorite artist was and I told her Leonardo. So at the end of the summer she gave me this great big book about Leonardo. I found out after she died that she had gone to the Chicago Art Institute. She never even mentioned it!

I decided to do this little pencil study in sort of a forensic way. I wanted to see if I could see something of the real model Leonardo might have been working from. Or at least try and learn something from the master. I did learn a few things.

Leonardo on the left, don on the right. (this is a very small sketch, a little over 2 inches tall) When I was in highschool, I would sometimes send my girlfriend a love letter and draw a little sketch somewhat like this on it. I would use various images from the classics.

P.S. I haven't forgotten about the drawing I owe you Kirk! Your drawing is on much higher quality paper! ( like Leonardo, I hardly ever finish anything) I promise to finish it.