Monday Night Long Pose

I have a new weekly activity! I heard not too long ago about a life drawing group in Providence that I was previously unaware of. In addition to regular figure drawing on Wednesdays, this group also does a 3 hour long pose on Monday nights! So I checked it out last week and I think I'm going to be a regular. Here is last week's painting...

Three hour study, oil on board

A few more coffee shop sketches...

My quest for a gray paper sketch book has lead me to settle on a Borden & Riley kraft paper pad... For now, that is. I guess I don't mind the color too much but the paper does have a higher tooth than I wanted. The search will continue.

A Taste of My Own Medicine

Last week I was sitting at the coffee shop, drawing people as usual. The man below and a friend of his sat down at the table next to me and started a cheerful conversation beginning with what a nice city Providence is. When I had finished drawing him I put my sketchbook down to drink some tea and he noticed my drawing..."Let me see that," he said. I don't usually mind showing, so I handed him the book. Then he said, "Let me see your pencil."
Now I was a little uneasy, expecting that he might scribble over the drawing and write something like "That'll teach you to draw unsuspecting people!"
But instead, he steadied the book on his knee and began to look at me intently. In a few minutes, he handed it back to me and said, "Ah well, I'm just a photographer." He then explained that his name was Irving Schild and he has been the primary photographer for MAD Magazine for the last 30+ years! I said "Wow, well then you have to sign your drawing of me!"...
We had a nice conversation and it was a really fun chance encounter.
Here is the cover of last month's issue of MAD where Irving is credited for it as "Irving 'Schenanigans' Schild."