Techical Process: Figure Drawing, Part 2

Untitled Nude, graphite on plate-finish bristol, 16"x 12"

This is the result of a two-day figure drawing session.

I finished the figure by blending the shading, increasing the contrast, and finishing the hands, feet, and face.
This was the fun part! Day one was the hard part- check out my earlier post if you want to see the details.

I plan on darkening the background, especially under the bench and around her feet. I want to leave the background with a rougher texture, so the marble-like quality of her skin stands out in contrast.

When I finish the background, I'll add a new image to this post.

Here's an image of Rodin's The Kiss. This is an example of what I mean by contrasting texture. Rodin left the base of the sculpture rough and unpolished, which makes the flesh of the figures seem more alive in contrast.

I'm no Rodin, of course, but it's nice to dream, right?

And now for some color!

As promised, I branched out into colored pencils over the last few sessions of figure drawing. I really like Prismacolor pencils on smooth Bristol board, because I can achieve the same sensitivity and specificity of mark making as with graphite. I'm a little overly cautious still, though, because colored pencils don't erase as easily as regular ones do.

I initially intended to be more realistic with the color, but she had a blue spotlight shining on her... once I got started on the blue, I didn't want to stop. I always end up choosing the most fore-shortened angles with this model. I think it's because she always lays down for these long poses, and the foreshortening makes it more interesting to me.

See what I mean? Foreshortening is my thing, I guess. I do have fun with the challenge of it. I like the way she looks like she's sunbathing-makes me forget that it's freezing outside.

I've only drawn this model once. Too bad, because I like her ferocity. There really are green streaks in her hair, by the way. I really tried to loosen up my style with this one, to try and break out of my usually tighter style.

I know this post is supposed to be about color, but I really liked this one and wanted to share it. She was reclining (big surprise) and I chose a foreshortened angle (big surprise) but the fun part was that she was laying in front of a mirror. I hauled my easel up on top of the platform next to her so I could see her reflection and include it. This is graphite and white charcoal on gray toned paper.

 NEXT in figure drawing: we only have a few more classes this quarter, and I want to try pastels on black paper. Fun!

It's just what I do

My last post was about John Stewart, who teaches my figure drawing class. This class keeps me sane- for about six hours per week. I sit still, pop in my headphones, and just DRAW. There have been days when I might have skipped class in order to catch up on work in other courses, but I just can't- I love it too much. I don't always love the result, but the process is... I don't know... sublime.

I don't typically decapitate the models. I was just most interested in hands and feet that day. John Stewart said the hands remind him of "bunches of bananas" and to avoid that in the future. He's right, unfortunately. This is graphite and white chalk on gray paper, with touches of black charcoal.

I did this one the first day of class. I think it's my favorite, because it reminds me of Ingres. I felt unsure of myself, out of practice, but it works with the sensitivity of the model's pose. Graphite on white paper: my favorite medium for figure drawing.

I love this model's dramatic poses. And he never moves a muscle!

Next post I will include some color work. I do love my graphite on white paper, but I love color too.