Automatic Drawing, the Stream of Ink
Posted on 20 July 2010
Automatic drawing, drawing in a trance-like stream 0f consciousness, is fun and surprising. My sketchbooks are full of such drawing meditations. You don’t know who will come visit you on the paper. I go with the feeling, the flow of the ink. Then I get to know these drawn characters, and myself, a little better.
8 responses to Automatic Drawing, the Stream of Ink
Leave a Response
-
Subscribe
-
The variation of the subject matter is interesting — I especially like the lady of an earlier time. The “bird lady” (or man) somehow spooks me!
I misunderstood Automatic drawing, I mistakenly thought it was looking at a subject and not looking at what you were drawing, and away you go. I have no Idea of what that is called, but it never made much sense to me. I like these drawings. Hands are so interesting. It appears that the hands are of an old person, reaching to help, or make emphasis. The bird person isn’t scary to me, just the opposite,I think the bird has a friendly look about it. The person in Middle ages livery, could have just been telling a story or poem at court, with the flower, probably a poem, or sonnet. The female on the right displays both young naive qualities, yet looks ageless, or at least not young enough to be so naive. The man, very athletic, as if a trapeze artist or a gymnast making a difficult move. The Lady is period, but before the 1890’s for sure. this is fun for me.. I play music off the cuff, it’s very much a trance like thing. I have little Idea where it’s going, and it’s relaxing. I suppose this is similar for an Artist. Thank you.
The drawing you’re thinking of is the other kind I do (see “Drawing with the Third Eye” here on Illuminara Home Page. That kind of drawing has a few names, can be called “blind drawing” but basically what you’re doing is looking at the subject, not at your page and you draw faithfully w/o self-censorship. This strengthens your confidence in trusting your hand to make the marks your eyes tell your brain to make. It is like free falling, you get some gorgeous lines/contours this way. It really is fun. I do a lot of workshops, for kids and adults, using this technique. I just refer to it as “gesture drawing” bec you’re quickly capturing people’s gestures. Kids need this esp. bec all day in school they’re graded and feel judged for every mark they make, it creates inhibition. To become a writer or artist, you need to be unafraid to make marks, so this is why I love to teach it! And this “automatic drawing” is just drawing w/o thinking too hard, out of your head as opposed to watching a subject. It’s allowing the inner realm to come through.
I appreciate the feed back on comments, and the introductions. Much that you describe reminds me of Music , and Music training.”Blind Drawing for example. I always teach Susuki Method to begin. I teach a student to play a song, no theory, only primal basic technique,( hold it like this) and show them how to have fun. Works like a charm. Elaine, I tried so hard to learn in art class in H.S. I suppose it is why I am amazed by what you can do. I was just terrible. I do have a keen eye though, make no mistake. Paul Penczner was a patron, and used rave over my Cello. go figure. Aqnd when I knew him, He was at the time the only Artist to have been honored with a private showing at the Vatican.
Stephan, that is cool about Paul Penczner and your cello (and his Vatican show).
If you felt awful at art, I bombed out early on in music. I took piano at 5 or so only bec the word was the piano teacher gave students a Hershey Bar after each practice. I remember my music book had songs (with line illustrations I still see i my mind) like, “The Weather Man” and other created-just-for-this-music-book songs, forgettable little piano pieces. The illustrations stick in my head and the feeling, the mood, the love for music. My brother Jory is a musician (in Branson these days), an excellent key board player, could play anything by ear. He was just a force of raw talent, really, and when he played piano or drums, my room was above his and I could listen, as the music blasted through the vent in my room!
That is so cool about your Brother. Candy Bars? lol Not a bad practice deal.. Paul was Father of Marius , my producer in the R&B worldIn Memphis. I say Patron. This is a warm neat story.
Paul was old school Hungarian, and always nit picked his son Marius , that “those musicians you work with, can’t even read music, and that Horrible Rock and Roll” So the set up was…… I was stayed at the huge (13Bedroom) Penczner Home a lot. Son Marius and I were like Brothers, so he started the same old argument with Dad during Dinner by the pool one evening, and Marius finally sais “Stefan, play Moms Cello a little for Dad. Well you can guess what happened. lol He had me play until we had drank so much Btandy that I was woozy. We got to be pretty good friends. I liked that old man. He lived a struggle in Hungery that you and I will never know. Thank you for letting me share. I want you to know why I think what I think when I comment on your work. sorry, I am a bit long winded. PS The old man used to kid me cause I liked the new guy “Rachmonanoff” And I used to kid him, that I didn’t see why he didn’t just use a Camera , and Oil Paint the photo’s!! lol He passed away last month in Memphis at 93.
Elaine do you draw in pencil and ink over? or straight from the pen?
SU
Suzanne, these are straight from the pen. If I did a drawing for a job, pencil first, but stream of consciousness is pen only bec then you allow yourself to just go for it, not be inhibited and not block. Thanks for asking!