I Got Donuts Today!

My Krispy Kreme adventure.

Today Krispy Kreme had an offer where you buy one dozen at the regular price and get a second for less than a dollar. I don't remember what they were celebrating. I had an errand to run nearby and decided to treat our family (we rarely get stuff like this). Of course it was a mad house - there was even a poor cop in this near-100-degree weather directing cars in and out of the parking lot! Now, I am practically a hermit and recluse whenever possible. When things get crazy like this and there are an overwhelming number of people, I tend to decide it's not worth it. Today I chose, as Nike says, to just do it.


I know it's silly for me to even bother writing about something that's not a big deal to so many people - standing in a long line crammed in with other people like sardines, or even waiting in your car for what feels like eternity as you use the drive-thru. Well, this is a big deal for me. I got my two dozen after maybe half an hour of being in the drive-thru (because I will NOT be a sardine), and I decided to celebrate my minor feat by drawing my food - another thing I never bother doing. So here it is; bask in Donut Glory. This little drawing is on Canson sketch paper in Prismacolor Premier colored pencils and took an hour, no pre-sketching - I just dove in, like I did the box of donuts, heh. Plus, I haven't worked in colored pencils in years. I can't decide if my favorite bit is the plate or the inside of the donut where I took a bite before getting to work. And the moral of the story is:

Do something out of your comfort zone. Draw something out of your comfort zone.

Working with a Live (Nude) Model

Fig. 1: Carly, detail 30 min into session.

We're very fortunate in Hampton Roads to have a quality drawing group that meets weekly to draw or paint the human figure. I attended the long pose earlier this week: our model holds the same pose for about 3 hours, taking breaks every 30-45 minutes. It's a difficult thing to do and I honestly don't know if it's harder on the muscles of the model or the artists going for 3 hours straight! However, it's always an invigorating experience to be surrounded by so much talent. We have a wide range of professional artists, hobbyists, and college students, and media ranging from graphite to oils to clay.

I've recently fallen in love with foreshortening. I'd never really played around with these more unique angles but I find it to be challenging and fun. The model was seated in a chair on a low platform and I was sitting on the floor looking up, so I happened to have this lovely angle where her face is tilted up a bit, in a noble and