Drawing, drawing, drawing, and more drawing

Here are the results of this months work. I have only included a few of the best. Near the end of the month I started doing 2 and 3 day block-ins. The portrait, however, was done in about an hour or two. The female was a 3 day block-in and the older gentleman was a 2 day block-in. Overall I have mixed feelings about how successful this month was. I was getting very frustrated for several weeks. I didn't see any progress and felt like I was wasting my time. Thankfully this week I felt like things were coming together. My block-ins have gotten a lot more accurate and are taking less time to complete. In that regard I feel like this month has been a success. I still see that things can develop though. There is certainly room to push the process and continue to become more comfortable with the natural progression of a drawing. Next month is the last month of the year. I plan on doing one more drawing in graphite and then hopefully I'll start painting the figure in the fall. I have also included the beginnings of the sketch of what should be my final cast painting.

Anatomy and Block-Ins

This month I have been really working hard at slowing down and tightening up on my drawing process. My hope and goal is that I'll become faster while at the same time more accurate. Instead of drawing just one drawing for the month I have been drawing a new one every day. The most important part of the drawing happens in the beginning and that is where I am trying to become more systematic. Drawing is actually a lot harder than most people think. It takes a great deal of mental work. I have been emotionally and physically drained at the end of the day because of this specific focus. The idea is to do the same thing (within reason) every time. First you establish a quick gesture of the drawing, then you find the half way point, make sure the heights are proportional to the widths and then start working from the middle of the drawing, focusing on shapes. You push your way outward and then switch over to thinking spatially. I have had to slow down and force myself to focus on not jumping ahead in that process and finding the best solution to discrepancies in my drawing. You don't just change something because it doesn't look right. There could be several changes you could make to solve that one problem, but only one of them will improve the drawing while others will fix parts while creating new ones. It is a huge puzzle that requires a very rational approach. And then you still have to balance being too rational while maintaining a very emotional and creative aesthetic. I had hoped to include some of those one day drawings, but my camera died on me yesterday before I could take a picture.

I have included pictures of my ecorche sculpture. I have really been enjoying my time studying anatomy. Some of the things that I have found helpful are, first studying the anatomy from a book. There is a need to become familiar with the names and an understanding of where the muscles attach and insert. I feel like with that information I can attempt to do a memory drawing. These usually don't turn out very accurate, but it forces me to realize what I know and what I don't. I'll usually correct these with help from my anatomy books. Hopefully I get all this accomplished before I start to sculpt. Sculpting I feel has really helped me take that understanding to the next level. I gain a greater understanding of the mass of the muscles and how they relate to the muscles around them.

I have also included my finished cast painting. I still have not been able to take a decent picture.

March Madness

March has been a crazy month. I had hoped to get some pictures up sooner, but life got in the way. I am approaching the last part of my second year in art school and I feel happy at what I've been able to accomplish. Yet, at the same time I feel unsatisfied. One of the more difficult parts of school has been learning to be patient. Although working hard and putting extra time helps ultimately it takes time and consistent practice before it all comes together. Slow and steady wins the race. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep going to school. Times are tough and school isn't cheap. I've committed myself to getting through at least one more year, but the fourth year is still a question. This year I have drawn the figure, painted the casts, and am still working on the ecorche or anatomy study. Next year I will paint the figure in a single color. Hopefully I'll get to do some figure sculpture and portrait and start painting in color. If I am able to stay a fourth year I would push the color painting and do some still life painting. I have included pictures of my ecorche sculpture. I am still sculpting the muscles on the right side of the body and the left side will remain the bare to show the skeleton. I've thought about maybe sculpting the deep muscles on the left side... we'll see. I have also included a picture of the bust I have painting over the last month. It isn't the best picture, but it gives you a good idea how things are going. Last of all I included a picture of the figure drawing I completed in March. Each month my figure drawings have gotten better. Slowly each one has felt more solid. I'm really happy with the portrait.