Not sure if I should call them “Colour Pencilled Couple,” but maybe someone will advise.
April 16, 2014
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New Art Review by Jack
By Jack Ruttan in writingI’ve written another art article for Rover Arts. As time goes on, I will figure out a better way of sharing these.
Tags: art criticism, Rover Arts
April 15, 2014
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Computer Face
By Jack Ruttan in sketches
Still drawing computer faces. Not quite “there” yet, even though I’m getting more comfortable. Have to try drawing more subjects, backgrounds, even fruit. Learning to loosen up, yet stay accurate.
But the neat part about computer drawing is the amount of messing around you can do with it. I can put him in a different background, squish his face around, work on him forever. The deal is that you never really know when you are finished.
But I think for the moment, the paper page is my real muse.
April 6, 2014
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Youtube and Tumblr faces
By Jack Ruttan in black and white, heads, pencil, sketches, watercolor, watercolour, womenDrawing is very calming for the nerves. Tough stuff around me, so I’ve been watching art-instruction Youtube videos, and drawing a lot of faces from Tumblr and my private photo file. Mainly Hollywood and TV people, done in pencil and sometimes watercolour.
April 6, 2014
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Watercolour Suit Man
By Jack Ruttan in men, sketches, watercolor, watercolourWatching this Youtube of a TV show featuring men throwing paint onto a giant piece of paper inspired me to paint this:
April 3, 2014
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Anonymous Watercolour Woman
By Jack Ruttan in sketches, watercolor, watercolour, women
Had a bad professional experience the other night. So today, rather than do anything productive, I’ve been drawing things and posting. Also reading and watching. Playing with cats. Hope things recover!
I don’t know where any of this leads, but things tend to fit together in different ways.
April 3, 2014
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Young Alec Guinness
By Jack Ruttan in black and white, heads, men, pencil
Apparently it was his birthday yesterday.
April 3, 2014
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Shatner
By Jack Ruttan in black and white, heads, men, pencil
The older, goofier William Shatner actually reminds me a bit of my dad. I’ll have to draw him, sometime. He actually rode in an elevator with Shatner and Brooke Shields, once, at the Banff Springs Hotel.
April 3, 2014
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Mavis Gallant
By Jack Ruttan in ballpoint pen, black and white, heads
I think my face drawing skills are progressing as I practice them. The bad thing is if you stop, you lose a certain amount of skill, and have to roll the rock up the hill again.
This is the late Mavis Gallant, whose collection “Home Truths” I am reading, for the second time. The stories are funny, if mordant and somewhat gloomy. I don’t think I’d be happy hanging out with her in Paris, and she’d probably not want me around.
Still, she’s a brilliant writer, and many images and observations of hers will stay with me for a long time, even if she does remind me of a black and white wartime and 1950s Canada.
April 3, 2014
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Writer’s Guild Meeting
By Jack Ruttan in black and white, pencil, sketches
Went to the Writer’s Guild of Canada Montreal meeting. This is the guild in Canada working for film and TV writers, which I am, occasionally. They were handing out free pencils and pads, along with other swag, so I couldn’t resist. One person here saw me drawing her, so I never finished that sketch. This is rare, since I seem to be rarely caught out drawing someone, but there’s always a first time. Not that I’m terribly subtle or secretive when I draw.
April 3, 2014
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Rosamund Pike
By Jack Ruttan in black and white, Coloured Pencils, heads, pencil, sketches, women
Saw her in the Tom Cruise movie Jack Reacher, which was a little better than the Lee Child book that I read featuring the character, but that’s not saying much. Anyhow, she as pretty enough, so I searched out a photo to draw a portrait.
Here’s a page of faces. The woman in the upper right hand corner is Kady O’Malley, a reporter in Ottawa, covering Parliament usually in an interesting way.
March 31, 2014
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Random Sketches
By Jack Ruttan in black and white, digital, heads, pencil, sketches
Had a terrible scare the other night with this site. Not going to talk about it online for fear of summoning the devil. But that can rest for now, and I’ll do a comprehensive backup of all this stuff.
For now, I’ll just put up some things I’ve been drawing, more as an exercise for myself rather than showing what a great artist I am. (I know I’m not). Still, I’ve got the urge to draw, and I find similar things useful when they come up on other people’s blogs. I’m interested in how artists start out. It’s too bad that I feel I’m constantly starting out, even though I’ve been drawing for a while. But maybe that keeps me from feeling jaded.
March 27, 2014
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Scrap Paper Pad
By Jack Ruttan in black and white, pencil, sketchesAfter a meeting at a law office, I was given a lot of scratch pads made of scrap paper. These are great to scribble idly on while having a conversation. A different part of my brain is engaged doing the drawing, so generally I can still follow and take part in the conversation. This isn’t true if I’m doing a crossword, or messing with the computer (except for drawing on it — but that’s punctuated with the occasional swears, or “tsks,” which is not good while at a friend’s place).
I’m actually drawing an awful lot. But instead of before, when I posted everything, good or bad (and I often have no judgment about my own things), I’m not posting as much. Maybe this is a bad thing, because one of the uses of the blog was seeing where my head is at, and if corrections need to be made. For instance, I can get a little tired of faces always facing the same direction.
March 26, 2014
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March 2014 Monthly Montreal Comic Jam
By Jack Ruttan in brush pen, collaboration, color, Coloured Pencils, montreal, Rick Gagnon, sketchesIt’s been a while since I’ve shown my face at one of these. Also, the last post on this topic got wiped out in my server crash. Since it paid tribute to a late friend, I’m going to have to put it back together again.
Still, even though I had to be reminded and coaxed, I’m not sorry I came out last night. Above is a sketch I made of some habitués of L’escalier bar, the venue where the event took place.
The walls around us had been painted white, and covered with scrawls, drawings and grafitti so that things reminded me of a jail cell, but there you go. A few of my pals were there, and instead of drawing comics, we sketched and collaborated on things.
Below is an inking job my pal R. Gagnon did on an old drawing he and I and another artist named Marr did a few years ago. Still not finished (wait until next month), but that’s the nature of these things.
A delightful sketch in my book courtesy of Kaleb, who was given “carte blanche” and drew a “chatte blanche.”
Another page from me, in watercolour pencils and brush pen, of Sébastien drawing, and assorted people and jammers.
