Rachel Rubin Wolf - Strokes of Genius 3 - The Best of Drawing: Fresh Perspectives

Welcome back! Here in our third volume of Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing we welcome many new artists and some returning friends as well. As always, there seems to be an infinite supply of creativity to draw frommore, in fact, than we are able to publish in these few pages. In other words, this book is about you, our creative and inspiring readers.

In this volume we took a look at fresh perspectives on the act of drawing. I asked our artists to finish the phrase: Drawing is and I was delighted at the beauty and individuality of the answers that came forth. (Who says visual artists arent writers?!)

Many expressed in different ways how fundamental drawing is to quality artwork in any medium. Many told of how drawing is a form of self-expression or communication. Others described the act of drawing in new ways. But, even with some common ground, each answer is the expression of a unique, fresh perspective on drawing. These quotes are scattered throughout the book.

Even after all these years, there are always surprises in the artwork we receive. This time, one surprise was just how many entries we received of animal artand how many of these are done in the medium of scratchboard! We also have quite a few expert colored pencil artists and a number using mixed media, along with those that prefer traditional pencil or charcoal. We have artists from all over the United States, coast to coast and everywhere in between, and nineteen pieces from artists outside of the U.S.

One of our artist friends, Cindy Agan, whose work has also appeared in the Splash: The Best of Watercolor series, had this to say: Drawing is...where it all began. And so, we begin

NAPPING Soon Y. Warren
Acrylic on drawing paper 18 23 (46cm 58cm)

In a studio, a young model was tired, and she fell asleep during a drawing session. It was a 20-minute quick sketch, and I liked the peacefulness of the model without the pretentious pose she had to endure for the session. I wanted to capture her in a soft and warm surrounding, so I used Burnt Sienna for a warmer feeling. With tube acrylic substantially thinned with water, I used the same technique as when using transparent watercolor. Playing with dripping water and buckling thin drawing paper, I used quick and decisive brushstrokes and left the highlights intact to bring out a sunny day nap.