Weekly Theme: “Sketch the Light”

"Jeff  Walking Winslow" Photo courtesy of Sandra Han Levine 

Theme Suggested by Karen De Mauro

While Christmas, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa and other end of the year holidays may come at one of the darkest times of the year, they all have one thing in common ... it is LIGHT. As the days grow shorter and the mornings darker with the absence of the sun, it's the time of year that we turn inward and create our own light. During this Season of Light, let's spend the next two weeks looking for and finding the light in our artwork .

Photo courtesy Ellyn Joyce

Photo courtesy Beryl Polin

Whatever festivals you’ll be celebrating in the next two weeks, it is likely that the kindling of light will be part of the celebration -- the flickering flames of the Hanukkah menorah, the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree, the glowing candlelight of the Kwanzaa kinara. Decorative lights are all around us -- in shops, windows, homes, churches streets, and parks. At this time of year, natural light is celebrated by The Solstice, The Night Sky, the special light of snow, ice, sunrise, and, depending where you are -- The Northern Lights. 

Photo courtesy Melissa Fischer

  

All through Art History painters have studied and skillfully painted the light -- Caravaggio, Vermeer, Monet, Turner, and Rembrandt, just to name a few. Contemporary artists like James Gurney and urban sketchers like Shari Blaukopf have their own special way of rendering light. In the sketch below, Suzala expertly balances the lights and darks for a dramatic effect.

Sagamore Hill Sketch by Suzala Zahler

Let's experiment and see how many ways we can Sketch the Light: in your own drawings, by copying  old and new masters, or by capturing the light in special ways, such as from your kitchen window or how it falls on a object and creates shadows. Have fun and interpret this theme however you like.



For more inspiration:

How to Paint a Light Effect by James Gurney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPaqqQEz-Rs
With the Right Light by Shari Balukopf https://shariblaukopf.com/2015/09/23/with-the-right-light/

Sketch by Sophie Cheung

Night Streetlights sketch by Win Naing