I’m in Portland, taking a 3-day figure drawing intensive with Fran O’Neill. Saturday was Day 2 of my intensive, and though about mid-day I was cranky, I ended the day on a high. I did not want to stop.
I learned a new way of drawing. Isn’t it thrilling that I can draw for so many years, and still learn something totally new. People underestimate the potential of drawing, I think. It’s just the same old burnt stick and paper, but the approach is new and interesting to my puzzle-loving brain.
In recent beginning figure drawing classes, I’ve been teaching League students how to draw with sight sizing, envelopes, construction lines, and what I call “straight line measures.”
Beginning Figure Drawing, student drawing
What I learned today is related to this process. I’ll call it a close cousin. In the hands of Giacometti, it might look like this:
Euan Uglow 1951-52
Antonio Lopez Garcia put white marks on fruit and leaves in a tree so he could measure properly, and then he painted those marks in the painting.
Peri Schwartz
This measuring process also might be related to to Ann Gale’s paintings, only she chooses not to have her image resolve.
My measured study (I think this was 40 minutes), vine charcoal on 90lb Arches coldpress paper, 4 pages glued to 56×40″ size
While somewhat frustrating to not “get it right” on the first round of marks, I felt this was a very fun game, and one I could play for a long time without getting bored. I also thought the effects of my measurements (the pentimenti) were beautiful. I thought they made the drawing more engaging, and gave the viewer pathways and interest points around the drawing. I did not want to stop drawing. It was such an enjoyable process, and unstoppable because it had not yet “resolved.” The only reason I did stop was because the models got up and walked away and they were locking up the building. Darnit.
When I went to college, my interests were broad. After going to community colleges for 6 years, I chose to transfer to a university instead of a specialized art school because I wanted to continue taking classes in a wide variety of subjects: philosophy, biology, music, art, linguistics, writing, everything I could get my head …
Hey Artists! For the first day of our creative challenge, the suggestion was blind contour self portraits. As of 10pm Jan 1, there are 100 scribble-fabulous self portrait posts on Instagram with the #30SAL. How exciting! Now here’s your second…. Barbara Cooney Barbara Cooney (August 6, 1917 – March 10, 2000) was an American writer and …
[image_with_animation image_url=”11190″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Sun Days was a collection of four paintings started by Anne McGurk. I added to the collection, so here now is 20. Ha. I had hoped to also add a poem, but after reading about suns and moons and how womens’ eyes and bosoms sparkle, or nature this and birdies that, …
Lendy and I met this evening and painted little studies in preparation for the upcoming workshop Paint like Alice Neel. We had League model/instructor Mark MacKenzie dress up in a suit and tie, and sat him in my new (old) green chair. It’s shabby and low to the ground, so he looked angular and awkward, …
Measured Marks
I’m in Portland, taking a 3-day figure drawing intensive with Fran O’Neill. Saturday was Day 2 of my intensive, and though about mid-day I was cranky, I ended the day on a high. I did not want to stop.
I learned a new way of drawing. Isn’t it thrilling that I can draw for so many years, and still learn something totally new. People underestimate the potential of drawing, I think. It’s just the same old burnt stick and paper, but the approach is new and interesting to my puzzle-loving brain.
In recent beginning figure drawing classes, I’ve been teaching League students how to draw with sight sizing, envelopes, construction lines, and what I call “straight line measures.”
Beginning Figure Drawing, student drawing
What I learned today is related to this process. I’ll call it a close cousin. In the hands of Giacometti, it might look like this:
Euan Uglow 1951-52
Antonio Lopez Garcia put white marks on fruit and leaves in a tree so he could measure properly, and then he painted those marks in the painting.
Peri Schwartz
This measuring process also might be related to to Ann Gale’s paintings, only she chooses not to have her image resolve.
My measured study (I think this was 40 minutes), vine charcoal on 90lb Arches coldpress paper, 4 pages glued to 56×40″ size
While somewhat frustrating to not “get it right” on the first round of marks, I felt this was a very fun game, and one I could play for a long time without getting bored. I also thought the effects of my measurements (the pentimenti) were beautiful. I thought they made the drawing more engaging, and gave the viewer pathways and interest points around the drawing. I did not want to stop drawing. It was such an enjoyable process, and unstoppable because it had not yet “resolved.” The only reason I did stop was because the models got up and walked away and they were locking up the building. Darnit.
More tomorrow!
Related Posts
Ed Bereal
When I went to college, my interests were broad. After going to community colleges for 6 years, I chose to transfer to a university instead of a specialized art school because I wanted to continue taking classes in a wide variety of subjects: philosophy, biology, music, art, linguistics, writing, everything I could get my head …
30SAL Challenge: Chanticleer
Hey Artists! For the first day of our creative challenge, the suggestion was blind contour self portraits. As of 10pm Jan 1, there are 100 scribble-fabulous self portrait posts on Instagram with the #30SAL. How exciting! Now here’s your second…. Barbara Cooney Barbara Cooney (August 6, 1917 – March 10, 2000) was an American writer and …
Sun Days
[image_with_animation image_url=”11190″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Sun Days was a collection of four paintings started by Anne McGurk. I added to the collection, so here now is 20. Ha. I had hoped to also add a poem, but after reading about suns and moons and how womens’ eyes and bosoms sparkle, or nature this and birdies that, …
Painting like Alice Neel
Lendy and I met this evening and painted little studies in preparation for the upcoming workshop Paint like Alice Neel. We had League model/instructor Mark MacKenzie dress up in a suit and tie, and sat him in my new (old) green chair. It’s shabby and low to the ground, so he looked angular and awkward, …