Watercolor, Dec 2013.

When time permits, I sketch and paint from live models at a private studio in Allston (Boston). This is a pretty straightforward pose. After I got the posture in pencil, I added color, including some bold choices for the furniture. I adopted this style for several other models to create a series.

Watercolor and pencil, Jan 2012

Charcoal. March 2013

I drew this from a model during a portrait class I took at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. This exercise taught me a great deal about how to draw hair (don't try to draw each individual strand!) and the importance of some well placed white (e.g., pupils, bottom lip) to make the picture come alive.

Watercolor. Sept 2012

Watercolor, June 2012

This portrait is inspired by my memory of my boab, the Arabic word that is loosely translated to "doorman" in English, from when I lived in Cairo in the late 1980s. He was of Nubian descent and always dressed this way, as many in Egypt do.