"And Now, With More Reasons To Stare and Sketch"...

A mindless study of ellipses...

With the myriad of life altering occurrences that have descended on me and my wife, I find it ever more  pleasant to stare out of a window, or sketch. After being an artist all of my life, and having the knowledge that I've broken more than two dozen chairs as well as fried countless electric erasers, I am constantly amazed at the difference between mindless doodles and doodles with a purpose. It just seems that by now, I should be able to doodle mindlessly and get it right.

This is obviously... a mindless doodle... and it is not right!

Drawing something as simple as a vinegar and oil rack suddenly becomes a study of ellipses in perspective. Beautiful painted illustrations of cars, aircraft, bicycles, place settings and so forth, are wrecked if the oval is wacked out in perspective. And I should know. Many an electric eraser has been trashed attempting to correctly get type or an insignia attached on a curved surface. Ellipse guides do help, if you understand the concept of a circle in perspective. If you don't, they won't help at all!

There was a time in my life, when I'd go for a jog, and within four or five minutes, my body would stop complaining, and my mind would just go any and every where.

Nowadays, my jogging is replaced by my sketching and my body doesn't mind it at all.

If only, I could get it right... mindlessly!

Copyright 2013/ Ben Bensen III