Expressive line

This week's drawings are a real turn around from last week's post. There we had a highly realistic portrait, (Yes, it was a dog!) - done with the help of reference photo's and preliminary sketches. Today we are talking about expressive work, direct drawings that are reactions to the spirit of the moment. They owe more to Egon Schiele or Alice Neel than John Singer Sargent and Rembrandt.  BTW, If you don't know all these artists, look them up, do a Google search or check a site like art.sy where you can find multiple examples of an artist's work and that of related artists.

Here again after a long absence is Kristy, drawn with Prismacolor pencil on Canson 98 lb Pastel paper. (use the back!) I would apologize to her for distorting her features but I'm sure she knows what I wanted in the drawing and it was not photographic realism. Working loosely in this manner - not worrying about a tight rendition - brought happy results as far as I'm concerned! It's a case of stop worrying and start loving your work - relaxing and just enjoying the moment without worrying what your public will say!
- I say, draw!

This second one was done the same day in a similar pose but again with an even freer hand, moving quickly, drawing one line at a time. By setting aside any attempt at actual likeness in both of these we captured her spirit of with a lively line. As usual, slowing down to add a few white high-lights introduces a sense of form more solid than that shown with line alone. If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you know I do like that combination!



"I have spent a lot of years on the outside looking in."  Joseph Barbera

"It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do." Winston Churchill

Reclining Kristy

Contour drawing has always been a favorite way to draw. I love the discipline of the carefully observed line and the restrictions imposed by the no erasures rule. In a way it's very easy since it doesn't matter where you start. You observe one particular line in the subject, probably an edge, and draw that single line as carefully as possible. Then finding a line that starts attached to or very near the first, and keeping a careful eye on the comparisons between the two, eg: line direction, length, proportion, you try to reproduce that line. You handle each successive line in the same way so that the drawing grows naturally, organically. If you skip around, a line here then another in some other area, you risk having parts unmatched, out of place in comparison to each other.  Also, notice that some lines start as outlines but turn to run across the figure. These cross-contour lines can be important in giving the illusion of three dimensional form.


If you have never drawn this way in the past, you should approach it at first by paying such close attention to each line that you couldn't possibly look around to make those comparisons. You'll have mistakes at first but it is good practice!  For high quality observation, you should never take your eyes from the line while actually drawing it. Think about that old childhood board game "Operation" where you had to remove the "bone" without setting off a jarring alarm, - that kind of absolute concentration is essential to seeing the unique quality and character of each line.


Once you have the hang of it, then in everyday practice you do have to be aware of the other components of the piece as you go along but the same principles apply - careful observation as you draw. This blue drawing is also a cautionary tale, an example of what not to do!  Here I rushed the drawing of the feet and lost my way. By not paying strict attention to both line and proportion I produced that marvelously misshapen left foot. I then compounded the problem by over-doing the white on that foot, calling more attention to the mistake!  OK, I'm learning!


Now to another subject, - notice the difference in strength between the two drawings. Originally they were quite similar in character. Using PhotoShop I enhanced the first of these drawings to make it show up better and make a better looking, more interesting blog page over-all, a bit of artistic license by the page designer! Increasing the contrast strengthened the lines but in the process we lost some of the delicate character in the original drawing. The second of the two may be a bit weak visually, but it adheres more closely to the original. I think it important that you knowhow visual art can be easily changed digitally, how things are easily manipulated online - both positively and negatively. Just be aware.


"Computers are to design as microwaves are to cooking."   Milton Glaser

"Art is the most beautiful of all lies."   Claude Debussy

New Model

Here is a new model, - new to me, - new to modeling. I'm amazed at how easily she has taken to the rigorous "being still" aspects of sitting for an artist. She seems to like the work (it is WORK!) and she works hard at it!  Even with regular breaks, at the end of our two hour sessions she can really feel it!

Yes, I'm working at it too!  It has been 18 months since I last drew from a live model and I'm decidedly rusty. I tell her not to be concerned that these are not accurate portraits. While I want a likeness, I'm mostly interested in basic structure and the aesthetic aspects of the drawing.  My hospitalizations and subsequent bed rest recoveries have kept me close to home with little but the TV or an occasional foray to the car-wash for figures to sketch - good practice working quickly but hardly a good substitute for actual models. My accuracy will return with continued practice and as I become more familiar with her face and form.  She and I are learning together.






This second image from another session was done just a few days ago.  Here I'm back in student mode, trying to regain some old competence and at the same time moving a step away from that simple line-plus-white-highlight mode.  I'm working loosely, trying to render the form in simple terms then working back over it with line to help make the figure more coherent. Starting the drawing with a nude pose helped establish basic form and geometry. The model then donned simple clothing and re-established the same pose so I could draw the clothing over the body with a better understanding of the relationship between the two.  It's time I did more like this but working more slowly, doing more measuring, paying more attention to either actual or classic proportion. This work does not have the consistent "look" I want but that will come too.







"Draw, as much and as often as you can. When drawing lies fallow, the skill diminishes?  Gene Black

"Creativity flourishes when we have a sense of safety and self-acceptance."  Julia Cameron

Self Image, Drawing

O.K. Fair warning: This post is all shameless self promotion!  These drawings are a group I did one day a year or two ago as I sat in front of a mirror admiring myself.  The one on grey paper was first and I initially rejected it as showing me as too tough. Tough guy?  Yes, strong steely eyes and steely strong jaw set against a steely grey background vs. an unsympathetic multi-hued world.  (The story of my life!)  A stressful day drawing went on and on and I was forced to deal with paper of more emphatic colors.  I'm sure I became more and more tired.  I certainly see some sequential sagging in the body from first to last, - grey-to-orange-to-blue.

There are some good things here.  I am happy with the hands in both blue and orange versions. These are not generic hands but  are particular hands in typical "Me, Drawing" positions.  At first I hadn't considered the expressive power of the hands so allowed them to hide in the sketch-book pages on my lap and thereby lost an important aspect of myself, - the fairly famous steel-nerved artist hard at work. When I realized the mistake I made sure to highlight them in subsequent drawings. Much better, yes?  BTW, I do not know how to draw hands from memory - they are really difficult, - but I do know how to look and see edges as lines, one after another making up the complete hands.   (Tho' not in that nice (sigh) grey version!)  Actually, I'd guess a combination of the three poses could add up to a fairly accurate portrait. (1)  Grey = the competent broad shouldered artist, earnestly involved in the job at hand.  (2) Orange = the experienced craftsman, a bit more introverted but ever ready with strong sage advice.  (3)  Blue = the bone tired artist guy, hoping to avoid confrontation and put the tough day behind.  You can call me after my nap!

Yes, I was kidding, mocking myself as I wrote above,  (See the "Tongue-in-cheek" grey paper pose.) just having a bit of fun.  Friends and family kid me about my penchant for grey clothing, saying I'll wear any color so long as it's grey! - it's all a lie!  I occasionally wear dark blue or a dull heather green.

So, what am I saying, seriously?  Contour drawing is lively art!  Direct drawing without an eraser in hand keeps you on your toes!   It's like going out sailing in variable winds, - you are constantly having to adjust to wind and wave while keeping your eye on the compass.  In life "stuff" happens.  You may not move through the day / month / year quite the way you had expected, so you adjust.  It's the same in contour drawing!  The line may stray some as you work, you make adjustments and make it work, as I did above.   I often say, "Work hard, look hard, etc." but retain your sense of humor, -  enjoy yourself too!  Relax, have fun and then the hard work, the serious preparation may morph into a creative moment.    Researchers often emphasize those steps to creativity,  ending in a new way of seeing things.

(Strangely enough, here in these most recent drawings I look older than in any other published drawings.  I've just checked the mirror and the causes are obvious.  I'm certainly more tired lately and not drawing quite as well as I usually do.  My eyes have been giving me problems,  the arthritis is stiffening my fingers and no doubt... my sneakers are too tight!  There are always excuses. Just stay at it! Let the variations happen and they may lead you to better concepts. Look how handsome I am on the grey!


"The essential ingredient for creativity is wasting time."  Anonymous

"Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties."   Gail Sheehy

Caught in the Act!

Paul is a favorite to draw because of the variety of modeling jobs he is able to handle. He is also a favorite because of his accessible anatomy, - bones, muscles, tendons, -  structure there to see. No need to guess! He has been in the game for many years and has developed a wide variety of wonderful poses. He needs very little  direction, - just a bare suggestion and he seems to read your mind. From the sublime to the ridiculous this guy does it all!  Not many of his poses are as easy as that above, so shhh, - he may be meditating!

Paul is a musician, dancer, writer and "in- depth" yoga practician.  His "yoga" poses are phenomenal, - wish I had some here!   Here he is in three short poses, a few seconds each.  In this sequence he had run through many poses,  one right after another while I raced to jot down the essential action!  It's gesture drawing!

You say you have no model?  No problem!  Next busy shopping day go spent some time in a food store parking lot and draw people as they pass. They'll be carrying grocery bags, leaning as they push carts, bending over loading purchases into cars, etc. Look quickly trying to catch the figure shape and action as if in a stop-action photo, then draw what you remember without looking at that person again.  Work very fast without regard for detail.  When finished go right on to the next
person happening by.
                                          

Try it anywhere there are people moving.  Look hard and fast, - draw quickly and deliberately! Don't be critical.  Do not erase!  Just do it! This is great practice in learning to "see", which is the first step in learning to draw!

In Kipling's Just So stories, a wise Mother Jaguar chastises her cub ("ever so many times") always ending with a very pointed,  "Do you see?"    -   Well, do you?                                                                                                                                                                              

I love drawing organic shapes,  - people, certainly. - and things like the old sleeping bag Paul reclines on in the top picture. By adding highlights only to the body and not to the sleeping bag,  a nice contrast is created between the two. Without actually rendering both textures, we point up the difference between skin and fabric.


"Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music."   George Carlin

Clipped Nude

Since most of my figure drawings will not fit on the scanner at all, it's been quite awhile since I've posted a nude here. This one barely made it by clipping off a couple of edges. The elbow is no great loss but I'm really sorry to lose that left foot! I know it's possible to do separate scans of individual halves then use a stitching utility in some program like Photo Shop or Illustrator to seamlessly join the two.  Perhaps when I find the secret, that could be the subject of a future blog post. You never know!

For those unfamiliar with my figure drawings, the medium is Prismacolor Pencil on Canson Pastel paper.  I work directly without preliminary sketches. I never erase!  That's basically the same way I approach drawing figures with ink.  This technique often introduces distortion so I don't expect the figure to be perfect, - I love the challenge though! There is one thing here that I do regret. It's that we cannot see the right foot either!  Even tho' drawn correctly, having it lost in a fold as well as hidden under the calf  looks wrong.  Too late now!

                 "Naked is a human commodity. Nude is God's art."  David Allio
       

Keeping it Simple

Here is a very simple drawing;  My usual combination, Prismacolor on Canson Pastel paper.  A line of varying weight describes edges and to some small extent the very darkest shadows.  White pencil highlights show not only where the light falls but also defines mid-range shadows, - the flat blue areas of the body.   Between the two we have a spare representation of 3-dimensional form viewed from ... where?   Where would you place the artist's eye-level?

It is fun sometimes to analyze, - trying to put yourself in the artist's place and ask if you understand why the work looks as it does, or ask how you would handle the same situation.  I don't know if the particular questions are important but I do know that looking at the work of others is very important.  Really looking can reveal a lot!

Early in my training a  2-d design teacher sent our class to the MFA with instructions to find an interesting work and make a faithful copy. I wandered the galleries with my little folding stool and finally settled on a one-foot square scrap of old French tapestry. It was displayed low down in a wall case, low enough that I could sit comfortably with the material at eye level.  I concentrated on the "simple" border design, - leaves, tendrils and small fruit.  Piece of cake!

Even with my intention to get through the assignment easily, I did my best to draw carefully and make a good reproduction.  It took hours of drawing and re-drawing!  As I worked I became more and more involved and began   following the artist's hand as he fitted the various elements together. It was amazing! By the time I was finished,  I was intimately aware of the mind behind the anonymous design and was literally in love with that scrap of beautiful cloth.  For many years following I never entered the Boston Museum of Fine Arts without spending time with that gorgeous little remnant.