Art by Oksana Ossipov

In this gesture drawing, female figure stands with all her weight on the right leg, and the left leg is used for balance. Most often, I use willow charcoal for gesture, but here I also used conte. I like the pose, but some things could be improved. I left the right leg unfinished, and I…

In this drawing, I like the sharpness of angles in the figure and the way the chair turned out. Normally, chairs are left to the last and get nearly no consideration. However, this was a longer pose, so I spent some time on both the figure and the chair. At some point, I might even…

Sitting poses are much harder for me to capture as there are more overlaps. There are parts of this drawing that I like, and parts that I want to correct. But then again, that’s how I feel about most of my drawings! 😁

My favorite medium for gesture drawings is a thick willow charcoal stick. I like that it can be used to make either thin lines with the tip, or broad strokes with the side. This quick gesture drawing depicts female figure from a side with the legs crossed. This pose is quite difficult to portray as…

Normally, I use newsprint paper for gesture, but occasionally I feel like adding some color with toned paper. I used blue Canson Mi-Teintes paper for this drawing. However, I think it’s a little too dark for charcoal alone. Still, it’s a good practice and experiment!

I don’t mention model’s name most of the time. However, as I look at these drawings, I realize that I recognize the models. So I’ll try to mention them from now on if that’s the case. I’m actually surprised, I recognize them as I never aim for likeness with these drawings. Rather, I try to…

Here’s another sanguine drawing of a female figure. This time, she’s sitting in a chair. I like the upward direction the pose is giving to the drawing, but I’m not entirely happy with the chair perspective. Still, it’s a good practice drawing and I think I captured the gesture of the pose well. I used…

All of the previous gesture drawings I posted were done with charcoal. But here’s a sanguine drawing! Most of the time, I use willow or vine charcoal for gesture drawing. Occasionally, I use sanguine such as Pipo’s chalk or Conte. It is a less forgiving material, but I do like the look and it allows…

I drew this gesture from live model in 2019. I used charcoal on light-gray paper. Depicted here is a standing female figure from the front. She’s looking to the left with her arms behind. She’s leaning on her right leg, which throws her hip to the side. I like the overall gesture of this pose.

In the world of fantasy, the sea can be any color. In Oksana’s Dreamy Lands painting it is yellow-green with a hint of pinks. This painting was inspired by sea haze and a play of sun rays through the think slice of air. This artwork is done in colors that are something out of fantasy…

I’ve been an artist my entire life, but I have never seriously considered drawing or painting people. I did try several times when I was in school, but I would not call those artworks a serious portrait. Ever since I learned about the Society of Figurative Arts, I have been challenging myself with more serious…

When I visited Sydney, Australia for the first time, I was mesmerized with plumeria flowers and decided to make a drawing of them. I never saw this tree bloom before, and its leaves looked familiar. Apparently, it’s just a look-a-like, but a completely different tree. It’s interesting how completely different things might look similar in…