blind contour drawings

A selection of some blind contour* drawings from a delightful Sunday in winter. Yesterday began with brunch at Blueprint, followed by some meandering shopping and errand-running, and led back to the museum for some drawing and movie watching, wine and dinner. We used watercolors to embellish some after the fact, but we definitely allowed ourselves to look at the paper while painting. More drawings after the jump—

*As you may guess from looking at these drawings, a blind contour drawing is one executed while looking at the subject, but not at the paper. The key is to not lift the pen, so you don’t lose your place (ergo contour— one long unbroken line). However, as evidenced by these wildly squiggling lines, it is very easy to lose track of scale, etc. Which is a big part of what makes them so fun. Gestural even at their worst, they often manage to capture the essence of the subject if not the visage or proportions— accurately, anyway.