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| Life Drawing 2005 |
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Dec 7th - Last session for 2005
Our new model's second week and he's turning out to be an excellent model, very still and doesn't fidget!. Apart from the obvious differences, the male body poses a totally new set of artistic challenges. The contrast between drawing the female and male body is accentuated by his build and because he is slim, his bone and muscle structure is very apparent and brilliant to draw. Even though I ran out of time with last nights 'long' pose, I'm pleased with the result because I kept focused, concentrated on the form, didn't fuss with detail and managed (I think) to produce quite a strong drawing.
7/12/05 - 9b graphite (and rubber), approx 24" x 16"
Nov 16th - 'Draw what you see, not what you think you see'... RCA Gallery, Conwy
Our 4th session this autumn and the attendance is growing every week. With 13 artists and the sculptures which are part of the current exhibition, competition for floor space was pretty tight last night and the numbers made the gallery very warm (great for the model, not so good for the artists). There's a really good atmosphere developing in the group, the more experienced artists mingling with the less experienced, chatting and offering advice about the work, styles and mediums. In many ways I think it's better than a tutored class because there's no pressure on anyone to perform or be better than anyone else.
16/11/05 - graphite drawing, approx 16" x 24" |
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As the one responsible for setting the group up, it's taken me a while to settle down and stop fussing. After a few fun moments with mislaid keys and the gallery alarm system in the first couple of weeks, everthing is now running smoothly and I was able to concentrate fully on my own work for the first time this week.
The result - a drawing with potential to become a painting? Maybe. There are parts of it which I know need looking at, a rather dodgy left (raised) leg and the foreshortening isn't quite right. The torso is still too long - I can see that now. I've made Jan look like she's raised up at the head end, whereas she was lying flat. I think we all tend to draw what we think the body should look like, rather than believing what we're seeing in front of us. No two bodies are physically the same, yet we seem to try to make everyone look 'normal' and symmetrical.
The 2 hours 'long' pose (left) last night was great. Lots of interesting angles, good lighting, a nighmarishly difficult view of the feet (I think I drew them 6 times at least) and just a glimpse of the face. |
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Wednesday, April 13th
Two further quick sketches from the Wednesday
evening session at the RCA.
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Wednesday, April 13th
A couple of months ago, I volunteered to organise a Life Drawing group at the RCA. Tonight was the first night. It's an untutored group with artists of all levels attending. We started with some short poses to warm up, then a longer pose (about 2 hours), then a final half hour of quick 5 minute poses to finish.
Of the 20 or so ink sketches I completed, 6 'had something' positive going for them, maybe just one line, angle or gesture - and as I haven't done any life drawing for a few years, I was relatively pleased with the first efforts, though I'd readily admit I've a long way to go.
For me, drawing from life is about capturing the essence of the model's pose. It forces me to look for shapes which define the pose, how one part of the body relates to another.
A great excercise is drawing without looking at the paper, just at the model. Sometimes this produces a mass of indecipherable scribbles but just as often suprising and exciting results. Of course accuracy has its place, but I believe this excercise is more about a direct response, without any preconceived ideas, to what the eye sees.
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(All drawings measure approx 20" x 18") |
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