Here are some drawings from last night’s drawing group. The group is taking off it seems. Others are stepping up and offering to help run sessions, and start sessions of different days once a month. It’s great.
Part of learning is observation of what you are doing. In the drawing below, I was going along, somewhat pleased at what I was getting. Then I got to the area circled in red. I realized that the negative space outside the body in my drawing was at least twice as big as what I was actually seeing (The yellow area).
What it comes down to, my proportions for most of the drawing were way off. It happens. It’s why good artists draw all the time. You aren’t always going to be perfect, you don’t always get it right. Heck even the two drawings above are 100% correct. Maybe 80%. Models shift, you make one area a little to big, you forget to have some outside reference point.
It’s the ability to look and evaluate your work, that helps someone improve.
Brooklyn, Process, drawing, figure drawing, sketching
| 
Brooklyn, Brooklyn figure drawing group, drawing, figure drawing, Process, sketches, sketching
Last night we picked up our figure drawing group after a few weeks hiatus because of those pesky holidays. It was good to draw the figure again, though I did feel a bit rusty, and I wasn’t digging on my pencil paper interaction. I felt my shorter sketches were far more successful then the longer poses.
It was also a new model, which takes a while to get used to. When you use the same model(s) over and over, you begin to learn their body. This model was very good, and she had a really great body to draw. She was quick to want to use props, and was happy to wear the mask Kristen brought, and grabbed a hula-hoop. Having props and objects to work with, allows you points of reference outside the body.
We are thinking of trying to expand the days the group meets, such as a Saturday session. It’s nice that the group is doing well and there is an interest in it.
Yesterday was Wednesday, which means more figure drawing! Next week might be our last time in the space we use for December, as the owner will be traveling during that time. So we are already looking for a new space. Last night we had the largest group so far, 12-13 people. So it would be great to try and keep this going, since we are building a very nice group of people.
My friend Marc, encouraged me to try sketching a different way, to break out of my mold and habits, and push myself. Namely, to not be so scribbly with my lines, but to draw the shape in one line. First, you get more drawing in, since you aren’t spending all this time on line.
It’s something I’m working towards, not belaboring the work. I’m not looking for perfection mind you. But I do want to be able to draw what I want, and not overwork it. To that effect, I’m going to apply some advice I tell people who ask me, how do you draw? You practice. Just like you learned to write letters and numbers, drawing is similar. You must practice. You must train your hand to do what you want it to. That’s the simplisty of it, I think. Yes there are a lot of other factors, but I honestly think that is the basic concept.
So here are two sketches from last night, and the long 40 minute pose.
10 minute sketches.
40 minuge pose
Comments (0) 
Themocracy