Finally Figuring Out Figures

Classes 1 + 2: Warm-up

I have little memory of what happened in these classes. For one, I had to leave early for a senior class meeting. I'll just talk about what I remember, regardless of which day the memory is from.

I hate contouring. I hated it before, and I will hate it again.

It's very slow and boring. I really like figure drawing because I can press hard, go fast, and mess up. Blind contour is incompatible with those three things. The only part worse than the process of drawing is showing it to the class. I feel like people can tell I rushed based on the dense jumble of lines. So, if we are doing a "draw every day," I request blind contour to not be a prompt.

FIgure drawing is fun! I planned my first mark to capture the whole movement, then drew the volume around it. I think I'm auite good at basic accuracy and volume, but I haven't explored any line weight. I wanted to, but in the heat of the moment, I just ended up doing the same hard line I always do (see third drawing).

Class 3: Movement + Anatomy

This was much more of a sit down and listen day, but I didn't mind. TVA broke down the pelvis, spine, ribs, and shoulders. In particular, I never paid attention to pelvis-to-femur anatomy until he drew one in front of us. My previous method was an upside-down bowl, which didn't show where the legs were to connect to the hips. I tried identifying where the hip-femur connection was (second picture).

He emphasized how everything flows together— you can't turn a wrist without turning the forearm, you can't raise an arm without your shoulders, etc. I have definently struggled with this concept, especially since I don't use references as often as I should. If I have free time (like after college apps or when I'm retired) I'll find and draw poses with arms twisted or raised, since that appears in a bit of my work.

I also learned how to break down a pose into three lines, the spine, the hips, and the shoulders. This is an awesome idiot-proof method of conveying a pose quickly. To me, this is a good stepping stone between a single line of action and the entire figure. I have trouble accurately judging the size/shape of a form, but copying the slope and position of a line sounds easier.

Class 4: Value

The main idea here was to start at gray, and add white or black. I have heard this advice before, but never took it to heart until now. Doing the long study (first picture) was a fun new challenge. I had some issues with accuracy (damn you contour drawing), but I am proud of myself for starting with the 3 values and adding complexity later. I think it looks great, especially when zoomed out.

Class 5: Cool-down

I looked back on all of the figure drawing I did. I was expecting some improvement over time, but it seemed like I was getting worse. This could just be luck, or maybe getting used to the new process. Hopefully, in the future, I will get more practice with these new concepts.