Contour Drawing 1/29/09

I had a tough time with the contour drawing.  When we used the bones in class Tuesday, there were so many more variations in the surface that I could exaggerate, and I could move and angle the bone so it was easier to draw.  I tried to draw the thigh/knee when we used the model, but I don't know how successful this drawing was.  Because the lines we're drawing aren't usually as visible as say, the outline of a figure or object, I often feel like I'm inventing those lines.  It's hard to concentrate so hard on drawing something that's not really there- especially when observation and careful replication was stressed so much in Drawing 1 and 2. 

Hopefully it will just take more practice...

Class Reflections 1/29/09

It has been far too long since I've taken the time to draw what I really love- people.  The human form is undeniably beautiful.  I never get tired of studying it, drawing it- it's mysterious and exciting in that each body and each face is unique. For years I've been drawing people- sketching my classmates in the margins of lecture notes, attempting to replicate unique photos I find,doing portraits for friends- but I am entirely excited to really learn how.  

I'm sure that I'm going to need to re-learn certain things- proportions I thought I understood, where this muscle actually connects to that tendon and then the bone, things like that- and I'm trying to keep that in mind as we start getting in to this class.

Class on Thursday was fantastic.  There is something deep inside me that thrills every time I get the chance to draw, but especially when drawing people.  I've never drawn from a nude model before, so that was a new experience, but everyone was really professional about it, and I had a great time doing the gesture drawings.  

The gestural, linear style we're attempting to develop is very much to my taste, and I can't wait to find that perfect combination of free-flowing lines and careful observation.  While I was pretty pleased with most of the sketches from that day, I think the 1-3 minute drawings were best, and I found that I struggled when given more than 5 minutes.  It was hard for me to remember to avoid outlines and to keep the drawing gestural when I didn't feel a little rushed.  

Gesture Drawings 1/29/09