Once a month the Wall Street
Journal puts out a glossy, full-color magazine called (unoriginally) VSJ Magazine. It’s included in the last
Saturday of the month’s newspaper in subscriptions to the daily WSJ. Filled
with high fashion photography and full page ads from companies, such as Tiffany
& Co., Hermes, Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, it reflects a reality that is entirely off my
radar. I generally pitch it into the recycle bin without looking at it.
Recently, though, I’ve discovered something fun I can do
with it—sketch! As a dabbling artist, I have spent untold classroom dollars to
utilize the models that art classes provide. Now I am taking advantage of the abundance of full page photographs
accompanying the ads and stories about today’s fashion trends (and trend setters). With more models
than I can use, I can practice finding light and shadow on faces and bodies. Here
are a few of my October drawings. All are done with a #2 pencil. Soon I will pull out my pencil box in which I
have pencils of varying hardness—so I can eventually depict many more shades of
grey. Not fifty, mind you . . . but maybe twelve.