Drawing in the Reston Town Center

"Reston Town Center," ink wash and pen&ink on Zecchi's paper, 4-3/4"h x 13"w, © Jill Banks 2011

"Reston Town Center Fountain," ink wash & pen&ink, 13"h x 9"h, ©Jill Banks 2011

Today was all about trying something new. Usually, my "Portrait Painting and Drawing" class involves a model for the day and painting at the school ... but this term, all my portrait painting students were taking a break for a session and my class was filled with my still life students looking for an extra painting day in class. (They are taking both still life and portrait.) So, the class is morphing into ... all those other things they'd like to learn to paint/do. (We did spend half of the classes working with a model ... the second half is the doing something different half.)

This morning we met at the Reston Town Center to work on ink washes and pen & ink. In the shade. The major lesson is in just suggesting the form versus drawing a contour and filling in the blanks. This was the first time the class tackled this new medium... one I love to use while traveling.

"Lamp Post," pen&ink and wash on Fabriano Artistico paper, 10" x 6", ©Jill Banks 2011

Drawing quieted my usually rowdy group. It's so different from painting ... which is fast-paced and social. Drawing is slow and introspective. It requires careful observation and continual decisions about what to include and what to leave out. A great idea to carry over into painting.

It was wonderful to sit there ... with this nice group ... listening and watching the fountain and the area fill with people and constantly change. A singer entertained the stroller set under the pavilion across the street. Not a bad place to be ... at all.

What I would like to do ... soon ... is to set up to paint, in oils, in Reston Town Center and all around the area and beyond. I want to paint urban spaces, concerts on the green, ballgames, farmers' markets and life in my neighborhood. The pools have opened and everyone seems to have spilled outside. Time for me, and my paints, to join life in the open air.

I have a ton of deadlines coming up ... rapidly ... shows to apply to, paintings to pull together. I think that's up next for today.

Tomorrow evening, after still life class, Randy and I take down my 100 Faces in 100 Days exhibit at the Great Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls. The library opens at 1pm tomorrow so there might be a few hours to catch it if you haven't. Go to my web site: www.jillbanks.com and the 100 Faces in 100 Days project pages to find out more.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435