Ellipses, the Frisbee of Art

There's a new drawing instruction column in the New York Times every Friday. The second one in the series is about ellipses which the writer calls the frisbee of art. neat idea. Ellipses, of course, are just sideways circles, but they are difficult for many people to draw. I think if you draw hundreds of them quickly without the goal of turning them into anything in particular, like cups, cans, etc., they become easy. Calling them frisbees is a kind of playful approach. Here are a bunch of sketches from my journals which contain ellipses. Click on each one for a closer view and a caption.