Celebrating (Nearly) Two Years of Drawing From Film

I first heard of Drawing From Film as a program offered by the Royal Drawing School in London. I never got to attend but always thought it sounded fun. A few years later, when I’d settled in the Bay Area, I wanted to attend a local drawing class for free – and I discovered there weren’t many (the only one I could find in San Francisco, and it's since disappeared). So the idea of running my own Drawing From Film program was born.

Why draw from film?

Drawing by Zahra Elhanbaly from High Life.

Drawing from a movie allows us to capture images we otherwise might not be exposed to. We’ve drawn ballroom/vogue dancers (Paris Is Burning), trains in 1960s Tokyo (High and Low), smokey bars in 50s Mexico (Victims of Sin), and remote views of outer space (High Life) – among others.

There is also a pleasing camaraderie in drawing the same image as others. You share the struggle of the drawing (because no matter how “good” you are, drawing often involves some sense of struggle!). At the end of the program, when everyone (optionally) shares their drawings, there’s an opportunity to admire and learn from the ways that other people tackled the problem of drawing certain visual problems. I always learn a lot from seeing the style and manner that other artists – experienced or new – use to approach their subjects.

Drawing by Olaniyan Adams from Daughters of the Dust.

 The other hidden value of the program is that drawing an image – really focusing deeply to capture it – is a form of meditation or mindfulness. My brain never feels clearer than after I’ve been focused very hard on a drawing, and I consider it the most pleasurable kind of meditation. When you draw something – I mean become deeply absorbed by it – something inside switches off. You stop projecting your idea of what the world is onto the world and simply see. Robert Irwin described this process when he wrote that “seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees.”

And so, even if you don’t draw, I’d encourage you to try Drawing From Film. Basic drawing materials (pencils, paper, erasers, etc.), are provided, so everyone can participate.

Drawings from top to bottom: Phil Lollar, Kevin Webster, Olaniyan Adams, and Luke H. from Victims of Sin.

The two hours generally go like this: First, I give a short spiel about the film and its director and offer some brief suggestions about how one might go about drawing a still frame of a movie. Then we watch the first 10-15 minutes of the movie to get a sense of its tone, setting, and characters, which can help late when we skip forward to draw pre-selected stills.

Usually we do about three five-minute warm-up drawings to get everyone in the drawing mode, three 10-minute drawings, and two 15-minute to 20-minute drawings (usually the most challenging frames).

At the end drawing supplies are returned and there is the option to place drawings out on the table so that others can look at them. This isn’t a critique, just an opportunity to have a look at what other people made. As I mentioned before, I find this quite practically useful. It’s also fun to see how each person tackles an image.

You can also try this on your own at home. I’ve included a list of previous and upcoming films we’ve drawn from below. I encourage you to try this on your own – or, even better, come to the Main Library and try it out!

Questions about Drawing From Film? Email ArtMusicRec (at) sfpl.org.

Isley Brothers 3+3

image source: Vibe (October 1999) in the Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive

It's hard to believe that the first published biography of Isley Brother only appeared in 2024. This is a musical group started during the earliest days of rock music and remains active today. They have had an amazing 52 singles reach the Billboard Top 200 through six decades. Joel Whitburn ranked them  the 79th best-selling artists of all time.

This absence of a book devoted the Isely Brothers has been filled Darrell M. McNeill's 3+3 - the 184th volume of the Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series, a series of miniature books each devoted to a different record album. 

The focal point of the book is the Isley Brother's 1973 album 3+3, a platinum album (more than a million copies sold) positioned at the center of their career. The record marked the group officially including the three original Isely's -- O'Kelly, Rudolph and Ronald with their two younger siblings Ernie and Marvin and in-law Chris Jasper.

3+3 included the gold record single "That Lady" plus two other successful singles "What It Comes Down To" and a cover of Seals and Crofts "Summer Breeze." McNeill discusses the albums songs in detail, providing biographical background and musical insights.

McNeill's book traces the entire arc of the Isley Brother's professional career -- their hit songs as well as the periods where they recorded for small labels in obscurity. His lively, informative writing makes the reader want to seek out tracks from throughout their discography.

The author is a fitting advocate for their music as the director of operations for the Black Rock Coalition. He devotes many pages explaining the Isely Brothers' importance and relevance within the larger history of rock music condemning the critical neglect they have suffered. 

Those wanting to learn more about the Isley Brothers should check out the articles in two of our databases: The Entertainment Industry Magazine Archives and Rock's Backpages.

Bibliography

Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums. 1955-2016 (Record Research Inc.), [2018]

Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles.1955-2015 (Record Research, 2016).

McNeill, Darrell M., 3+3 (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024).

Jobete Music, Motown Records and "The Sound of Young America" in the Dorothy Starr Collection

Come to the Fourth Floor Music Center at the Main Library to see a small display of sheet music covers from the Dorothy Starr Collection featuring songs published by Jobete Music.

Jobete Music was the publishing arm of Berry Gordy's Motown-Tamla record label. Gordy himself began his career as a songwriter and assembled a crew of in-house songwriters including William "Smokey" Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Norman Whitfield, Brian and Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, (Nicholas) Ashford and (Valerie) Simpson. Many artists have performed covers of songs from the Motown sound. This music has become a part of the Great American Songbook.

Gordy formed Jobete Music in 1959. He sold 50 percent of it for $132 million in 1997. The company's name is an abbreviation of the first two letters of his three eldest's children's names (Joy, Berry and Terry).

 
Sheet Music Featured In The Display

Uptight (Everything's alright) / words and music by Henry Cosby, Silvia Moy and Stevie Wonder (Jobete Music Co., Inc., 1966).

Until you come back to me (That's what I'm gonna do) / words and music by Stevie Wonder, Clarence Paul and Morris Broadnax (Jobete Music Co., Inc., 1973).

Three times a lady / words and music by Lionel Richie (Jobete Music Co., Inc., 1978).

My girl / words and music by William Robinson and Ronald White (Jobete Music Co. Inc., 1965).
Here I go again / words and music by William Robinson, Al Cleveland, Terry Johnson and Warren Moore (Jobete Music Company Inc., 1969).

My guy / words and music by William Robinson (Jobete Music Company, Inc., 1964).
I heard it through the grapevine / words and music by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong (Jobete Music Co., Inc., 1967).

You're a wonderful one / words and music by Eddie Holland, Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier (Jobete Music Company, Inc., 1964).

The happening / music by Frank De Vol (Jobete Music Co., 1967).

I love the way you love / words and music by Berry Gordy, Jr. and Mikaljohn (Jobete Music Co., 1960).