Homework

from life

from life

In class

The drawing below was so much fun. I worked faster than I usually do, not stressing much since it was the last class. And… it turned out the most awesome of all of them. Each week, I’ve wanted so badly for my drawing to have the model’s likeness, instead of just being a proportional-but-generic woman. This time it really [almost] does look like her.

Clothing is such a great extension of personality. Her shirt was red and black striped, but we were instructed to look past the pattern and just draw just the folds. That was a challenge! I was just getting used to the effects of light on skin. Fabric is a different beast altogether!

I’m sad that this class is over, for two reasons (the combination of which has been true of all my favorite classes):

1. We made such great memories in class. Each week, all the personalities blended into a sweet, genuine supportiveness that I can’t even describe… we felt like family.

2. The breakthroughs and discoveries I made on my own were really  significant, as you know if you’ve been around me the last few months! I never thought I’d be able to claim drawing as a skill. I do now, and I’m excited about where it could take me in future projects!

Homework

Seven heads, as shown in the previous post.

In class

We tried a seated pose. It was difficult! We also spent half the class in deep discussion and rabbit trails, so this drawing will never be finished…

Now that I have hands and feet slightly under my belt, this week’s life drawing assignment was to draw seven heads.

The last time I drew my head was in my junior year of high school, four years ago. Let’s compare it with this week’s first attempt of seven, shall we?

The scan quality is better, but so are the directional lines. I think the new one turned out a little too soft, though; the face lacks some underlying structure. So, I commandeered the head of the skeleton in the library for a few hours of skull studies.

Can you look at them without thinking of Halloween? It was hard for me at first; I was actually more nervous about drawing the skull than I was about the nude model! But with time and practice, I can start to see the skull as a beautiful part of us that God designed.

When I drew myself again, I tried to visualize the structure of the skull underneath my skin. The result turned out more architectural and accurate, I think!

To be honest, I’ve never liked the view of my face from the side. But as I drew, I began to notice flowing parallel lines and a number of proportional shapes and lines… I’ve decided that God did a great job of designing me after all.

Head number 6: Thanks Kelly, for posing for me… the first and only person I trusted to do it!

(She’s much, much prettier in real life.)

And… I did myself one last time.

According to some people, this looks like me in fifteen years… do you agree?

Homework

Hands and feet, as shown in the previous post.

In class

Thanks to all that amazing shading practice, this week’s drawing has much better volume than any of my previous ones.

According to my life drawing teacher, the most difficult parts of the body to draw are the hands and feet. I think I have to agree. The assignment was to draw 12 hands and 12 feet in a week. Either the teacher or myself  must not have known what he was assigning… because after spending twice the suggested homework time, I only had 7 of each. They are each very lovingly drawn, though.

Actually, the loving part usually only comes in the last 15 minutes of the drawing. That’s when I’m shading. The first 15 consist of me almost wanting to cry because I can’t get the proportions quite right.

I rigged a couple of mirrors and lamps to get the different angles of my feet and hands. Also, I now know how the model feels and why she HAS to flex every so often!

I liked how each set (page in my sketchbook) turned into a kind of composition, even though I didn’t set out to do that.

And it was cool how each set got progressively better!

Random and inconsequential fact: Listening to a dramatization of Little Women kept me sane during this assignment.

Homework

François Boucher’s , mine.

from life

In class

We’ve been working on the same drawing for a few weeks. See Week Seven for the finished product.

Homework

Michelangelo’s, mine. Really learning to shade this week!

from life

In class

This week, our figure drawing was documented in phases. The midterm challenge is to put together a document that explains the 10 steps we have learned and use every week to draw from life. You can read mine here. It’s a lovely method that takes so much of the guesswork out of drawing!

Homework

Raphael’s, mine (no tracing!)

still life (photo)

In Class

Gesture drawings

(click for full version)

Homework

From anatomy book

From life

In Class
(click for full version)

From anatomy book

From anatomy book

From anatomy book

In Class: Gesture drawings, to capture the essence of a pose in about 20 seconds.