While our Museum of Civilization doesn’t have much to offer a sketcher this winter, it is pretty much the only game in town so a group of us were there, trying to take stock of sketching subjects for winter.
I’ve decided that I will sketch a bunch of the Inuit soapstone carvings because 1) they are available and 2) they offer lots of compound curves and soft edges to challenge my drawing skill. Hopefully I’ll get better at them but until then, here are a couple that I did on Thursday. Stillman & Birn Alpha (5.5×8.5) softcover.
This is an Inuit hunter, hiding behind a hide-covered shield, trying to sneak up on a seal.
This one speaks volumes about the rigors of living in the extreme north. This woman, wearing a parka and gloves is shown giving birth. That’s tough work if ever I’ve seen it.
Wow, would love to see those carvings.
Inuit carvings are amazing. They’re handmade, sculpted mostly from soapstone. You can see about a bazillion photos of them here, though like most photos, they don’t do justice to the actual art pieces.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=inuit+carvings&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKj4jlu6jQAhVh4YMKHT0mCgkQ_AUICCgB&biw=1145&bih=565
Beautiful sketches, Larry. How do you like the S&B softcover journal? I’m debating whether to get one (or more, of course).
I love them, Veronica. I wrote this back in August, after I’d gotten a chance to do a bunch of sketching in prototypes of two formats (https://larrydmarshall.com/stillman-birns-new-softcover-sketchbooks/). At this point I’ve filled two of them and have three others that are nearly full. They’re half the weight, easier to keep open, and because they’re thinner, much more fun to use than hardcover sketchbooks. I currently use 8×10 Beta which has become my favorite. I’d never worked larger than 6×9 before because I can’t get 9x12s in my bag but the 8×10 is perfect. I also draw a lot in the 8.5×5.5 Alpha (landscape) and the 3.5×5.5 Alpha portrait and it’s really great to have watercolor-friendly paper in a small sketchbook.
A couple things that may help. Alpha paper has been my favorite since S&B started producing it but, for these softcovers I prefer the Beta because the thicker paper makes it easier to deal with the early and late pages of a book. Because there is no hardcover, those pages tend to be a bit floppy. I hope that makes sense.
Hope this helps — Larry