Check and Log. Project: Form

Were you able to maintain a focus on proportion at the same time as creating a sense of weight and three dimensional form?

It was more difficult in this exercise because given that the objective was to build form there was less time available to spend measuring. I think most of the drawings have ended up with reasonable proportions despite this. A couple of the drawings look as though the head is too small. This may be the result of not measuring carefully and overcompensating for my previous errors with the head being too large.

Which Drawing gives the best sense of pose and why?

I think this XL charcoal drawing gives a good sense of the weight of the model going down to his feet. The verticality of the lines of shading on the trousers helps to emphasise this weight travelling downwards

I also think this coloured pencil drawing gives a good sense of the pose. The body looks relaxed but with a tension in the upper torso and a twist of the shoulders away from the anne of the pelvis. The right side of the torso is elongated and the left side shortened as the model twists round to look at the TV. 

Was there any movement or gesturer away from the central axis. If so did you manage to identify this and put it in your drawing?

All of the poses in drawn from photographs have a degree of gesturer yo them - they are deliberately sped to give some sense of movement. Despite this and having positioned the limbs in approximately correct positions the drawings themselves don't have a lot of movement. I haven't made use of the gestures in the poses I was concentrating on th basic shapes so I think this is why this static effect has occurred.

The poses my son is adopting are mostly relaxed 'couch-potato' poses with little movement however the poses in which he has his arms raised to his head al have a degree of twisting and movement away from the central axis which I think is conveyed.

Project Form: Exercise- Essential Elements

In this exercise, tone was used to describe only the essential elements of a series of six poses of  ten minutes duration. I used my sons a model (he is watching T.V.). I also started off by using Derwent XL Charcoal which I had never tried before. This was a joy to use. It is very soft and so easy to work with. It can  be applied in broad strokes owing to the size of the blocks. I really liked this medium. Because I was thinking about tome I didn't go so slowly with measurement of proportions. I think the result is drawings which, although at times have body parts amputated, are more lively and interesting then those from the previous exercise

10 minutes from life. XL Charcoal

 In the first drawing the model's lower leg is missing but I quite like the composition. I think it has a good sense of how he was sitting in a slouched slightly hunched up position and he is intently looking at something out of the picture (T.V.)

10 minutes from life. XL Charcoal

In the second pose his arm was at a very awkward angle and I also succumbed to the temptation to fiddle with detail. His face wasn't quite right. His head actually seems to be small. I fiddled with it and ended up with a grey mess on the right side of his face. Not an entirely successful drawing.

10 minutes from life. XL Charcoal

 I am happier with drawing number 3 in this series - the standing pose. I think the vertical marks on the trousers help with the sense that he is standing firmly on the ground in a stable stance. His head and shoulder position are consistent with him looking at the T.V. which was lower than his standing position. The main problem with this drawing is that I didn't realise how easily the XL charcoal smudges. As each drawing was completed I took them off the easel and piled them up - unfortunately this one smudged quite badly around the head. 

10 minutes from life. XL Charcoal

On the fourth sketch I stuck more strictly to just essential elements. I did struggle with the foreshortening on the left leg and I don't think that leg is very convincing - I'm not satisfied that I resolved that problem in the end.

10 minutes from life. Coloured pencil

For the fifth drawing I changed the medium to coloured pencil. This drawing is quite successful in terms of the pose. I think you get the sense of the changing direction of the torso from the pelvis to the shoulders. The tonal differences are not as exciting as the XL charcoal drawings. His face is too small giving him a much more child-like look than he has in life- in reality his chin is squarer. I tried to correct this but did't resolve it.

10 minutes from life. Coloured pencil and drawing pen

By the final drawing I was getting quite tired. There are some problems with the proportions here. His head and arms seem too small relative to the length of his torso and the size of his feet. However, I do think you can see the twisting and tension in the torso that was occurring as he was watching something particularly stimulating and I'd made him sit on the wrong end of the sofa to watch it comfortably!

Overall, I think these tonal drawings are more successful than those from the previous exercise. I have found that I really like working on large paper with XL charcoal. I have also learnt that it is imperative to fix the XL charcoal before you place other sheets on top. I likes to move around.

Project Form: Exercise - Essential Shapes

This project is about thinking of the figure in terms of basic shapes . This exercise involves blocking in the basic shapes of the pose (a seated pose). Also looking for receding planes and planes which are parallel with the picture plane. The instructions also suggest continuing to measure proportions using a measured unit such as the head. 

15 Mins from life: Pencil and drawing pen

On the first attempt I got lost with the proportions again. I must not have measured accurately because The legs are too short. Initially in pencil I drew an ellipse for the head. A slightly tilted rectangle for the upper torso and an ellipse for the belly. I used cylinders for the arms and the legs but I found this awkward as it are them seem stiff and clunky - the real arms were curved not cylindrical. I went over in drawing pen picking out what I thought was the best line to join these shapes and convert the basic shapes to a more human shape. The upper half of the body and head are OK but the legs are too short and the perspective on the chair is off so it looks as though it tilts forwards like a rocking chair.

10 mins from life. Pencil and drawing pen

On the second attempt, the general proportions were somewhat better. Again I started with a rectangle for the upper torso. An ellipse for the belly and another for the head. Cylinders for the legs and arms. I struggled with the foreshortening of the left leg and ended up with a strange unnatural-looking shape on the left thigh. Also the Chair legs are too short. I went over the basic shapes with a drawing pen to make the figure. 

10 mins from life. Pencil and drawing pen

On the third attempt I drew some reference lines to try to avoid making the figure too wide. I used basic rectangles for the torso and an ellipse for the head but I didn't literally draw cylinders for the arms and legs I just drew reference curves in pencil then I overdrew in drawing pen.  I think this one has the better proportions of the three but all of them suffer from being rather stiff. The lines drawn do not have the beautiful fluid quality of for example blind contour drawings. This is a result of all the measuring and scrutinising which has reduced the fluency of the mark making. 

My model had very limited time available so I was forced to use some photographs for the remainder of this exercise. I sued some of the poses from "Anatomy for Artists" by Sarah Simblet and John Davis (DK Publishing 2001).

10 minutes from photo. Water-soluble
coloured pencil

10 minutes from photo. Fountain pen and
washable ink with water brush

10 minutes from photo. Coloured pencil

I found measuring and identifying shapes easier from the photographic images because I was already dealing with two dimensional shapes on paper. I found more triangles and ellipses and trapezoid shapes. I didn't really find any truly cylindrical or rectangular shapes. The male muscular figure was lake a large inverted triangle with his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Although the poses are deliberately set up to make an interesting composition there is something very static about these drawings.

Check and Log - Proportions

Have you managed to make a complete statement in this time? What were your main problems?

I have made a fairly complete statement in the time. My main problem was the relationship between the length of the torso and the legs. I had to keep stepping back and reassessing and remeasuring and being careful to place myself in the same position relative to the mirror (the tiled floor helped in this respect).  I overdrew several times in pencil then had to pick out the line which was most appropriate in ink. If I hadn't measured, the figure would also have been much wider because my mental image of my body is larger than I found when I measured. 
Another problem I encountered was the one of actually measuring accurately. I was quite close to the mirror and I couldn't crouch to measure my lower half so the measurements on the feet and calves were affected by angulation.

How well have you captured the characteristics of the pose?

I think that I have caught the characteristics of the pose. I am standing firmly on my feet with most of the weight on the forward foot facing towards the mirror. I am happy with the face as I think I have captured my gaze at myself quite well with relatively few marks.

Do the proportions look right? If not, how will you try to Improve this?

I struggled with the proportions and had to redraw quite a lot but I think the proportions are roughly correct. The only area I am unsure about is  the head. If anything the head may be a little small. My face looks a little shorter than it really is. I need to continue to practice measuring and cross referencing proportions of parts of the body.

Weekly Report: Week Commencing 13th January

This week I completed the Project: Proportions and did a few additional drawings for practice. I also completed the Exercise: Essential Shapes in the Project: Form. 

I have also read and made notes on the first chapter of 'Portraiture' by Shearer West in the Oxford history of Art series (Oxford University Press 2004). I found this chapter 'What is a Portrait?' very interesting but do not intend to review it here. I will be using this book as part of my research for the research point about self portraiture so am making notes as I go along and will blog about the book when I get to that research point.

Concurrently I am continuing to read the book about Paul Klee which I started last week. I am finding this less stimulating. I don't find it as well written and the illustrations don't seem to relate well to the order of the text but I will finish reading it in time for the study visit next Saturday at Tate Modern.

Project: Proportion - The longer pose (second attempt)

I didn't have a model today and I really wanted to complete this exercise. I could have used a photograph but this would not be as satisfying as drawing from life so I decided to use myself as a model in the mirror (still not quite the same as drawing from life because I am drawing from an image but somewhat better then a photo). 

The next question was clothes on or off? I decided that as my husband had bravely volunteered to pose nude and I really did want to draw the body without impedance from clothes I would pose nude too. This was a very brave decision for me as I generally have tried to avoid being naked in front of anyone and certainly avoid prolonged periods in front of the mirror as I am getting older and fatter. 

It was a challenge to myself to try to look in an objective and non-judgemental way at my own body. Of course it is actually impossible to look at yourself really objectively. However I thought this exercise on proportion would force me to measure and get a real sense of the shape of my body rather than my own imagined self - image (based on avoidance of actually looking). This could have one of two outcomes. It could either make me more accepting of my shape or if I find looking in the mirror to be torture it might me an incentive to overhaul my approach to diet and exercise.

I posed for an hour in 20 minute sessions. Initially I drew in pencil and I did a lot of measuring and cross-referencing. I stepped back frequently from the page. I drew on an A1 sheet.  I realised that I had made errors several times during the drawing and had to redraw - I also had to erase because the overdrawing was getting confusing. It took me 40 minutes before I was happy with the proportions. I then worked into the drawing with black india ink and a brush and a wash of the same ink.

1 hour from mirror reflection. Graphite plus black India ink and wash

Although I struggled with the proportions I do think that this has resolved fairly well. I am pleased that I did it. The most problematic area again was the feet - I must do some studies of feet. Also I have recently watched a Tate life drawing masterclass where  the artist who was tutoring the class suggested that the drawing should start from the feet because the sense of the model standing on the ground is difficult to convey when starting from the head. The OCA course material suggests starting from the middle off the figure. I'll try the 'foot up' approach too once I've spent some time looking at feet.

As well as helping me with proportions this has had value in other ways. I realise that I can look at my body and suspend my automatic negative judgements. Looking at the resulting drawing I can acknowledge that yes, I am overweight but I am also still generally human being shaped and not quite as enormous as my own mental image of myself. I'm quite please with this drawing. I was strict and finished at 1 hour. With more time I might have put more of the background in the lower left side of the page - but this might actually have detracted from the figure itself.

Additional Exercises: January 14th - 16th

I made an opportunistic drawing of my son lounging on the sofa watching TV:

20 minutes from life. Drawing pen and charcoal

The proportions are not too bad although I have missed off his left foot. There is a problem with the folded arms though - his right hand looks as though it goes straight into the flesh of his left arm rather than being tucked underneath it. I also think the arms may be too short. The chunky hoodie he was wearing really wasn't good for getting his proportions - he looks quite chunky around the middle whereas in life he is reasonably lean. I did like the effect of the charcoal for the creases in the leather sofa. I am also quite happy with his face. I think it does look like his 'watching TV face' relaxed yet somewhat engaged.

Later that night I was on my own at home. No willing models but I still felt the compulsion to draw something. I know that later in this part of the course I will have to produce a self portrait so I decided to take a long hard look at myself in the mirror.

40 minutes from mirror. 4B woodless pencil (graphite)

I actually think that for a first attempt this is reasonable likeness. At least the face looks reasonably well proportioned. My husband and son both say that I've made myself look too masculine and given myself too many chins. I look very serious but that's because I was concentrating quite hard. Maybe I have over emphasised the overweight and the masculinity because those are things that I don't like about my ageing physiognomy? It is very difficult to be objective when looking at yourself. 

I completed an exercise from a 2011 edition of "Artist and Illustrators Magazine". This was about figure drawing and in particular establishing the proportions of the model. I went through several steps with each drawing:

1. Draw a 'plumbline' down the central axis of your pose
2. Mark the top and the bottom of your figure
3. Make marks showing the number of times a chosen structure goes into your figure (usually the head) vertically
4. Make marks to indicate the width of the pose at its widest point.
5. Mark in the slope of large anatomical landmarks like the shoulders and the pelvis
6. draw in the major anatomical structures
7. Reassess and correct
8. Complete with tonal values

The results are below. Unfortunately I didn't have access to a model on this occasion so I used some poses from "Anatomy for the Artist" By Sarah Simblet (Photography by John Davis). Dorling Kindersley 2001. I have designated then pose A and pose B. They are both female athletic models. I think in both of them I have made a better attempt at the proportion using the measuring described above. On pose A the upper arm gave me trouble and I had to reassess its length several times. I haven't made a detailed drawing in either case just blocked in the main tonal areas.

 Pose A:15 Minutes from photograph. Graphite (4B woodless pencil)

 I prefer pose B because of the cures of the figure through the space. The way the pelvis is tilted makes the curves more evident so there is a more feminine feel despite the powerful hand gesture and musculature of the body. The overall proportions seem OK. However, there are a couple of problematic areas. The shoulder blade areas don't look quite right. I think maybe I have exaggerated how far her right shoulder blade juts out. The left arm also doesn't feel natural -it looks very stiff as if modelled out of concrete rather than flesh and blood. I think the muscles of the upper arm and shoulder and the angle at the elbow are not quite right.

Pose B:15 Minutes from holograph. Graphite (4B woodless pencil)

On both of these, despite being drawn from a photograph - which is considerably easier than drawing from life, the feet are terrible. On pose B I tried several times to overdraw to correct the shapes but gave up in the end because I ran out of the time I'd set myself. I really need to do some additional work on drawing feet. 

The next step is to apply what I've learned about measuring and proportion to drawing from life. I did a further Sketch of Luigi in 25 minutes we had to spare before going out yesterday morning.

25 minutes from life. Graphite and brush pen

I struggled with this one. I started quite well, measuring and marking and placing the figure in space but two things happened. The first was that as Luigi relaxed into the pose his hands dropped down. I had marked where they should be on the paper but when I came to draw them it didn't look right. I also got carried away with the legs. Again I didn't step back frequently enough to assess and correct. As soon as I had finished the drawing I realised that either his arms were too short or his legs were too big or (more likely) both - at which point it was too late to correct it. The perspective on the chair legs is not correct either - the back leg seems to splay out more than it should (also no shadows means everything is floating in space).

One thing that I am quite happy with though is the face, I think I've captured the way he peers down through his glasses perched halfway down his nose. Luigi doesn't like it - he thinks it makes him look old.

I am making progress - I am much more aware now of the need to step back frequently from my work and to measure accurately and reassess whether measurements are correct if something doesn't look right.

Project: Proportions - The Longer Pose

I had a willing nude model for this exercise. I started with two five minute sketches to 'warm up'.

5 minutes from life. Charcoal

5 minutes from life. Ink and Cotton Bud

I was pleased with the charcoal sketch because I felt I'd rapidly caught the essence of the pose. The ink sketch wasn't so successful. I got a bit lost and the thigh ended u much too long relative to the lower leg (remember to step back !!!!).

1 hour from life. Conte' crayons

For the longer pose my model sat on the bed for 3x 20 minute sessions with breaks in between. It was his first time posing nude - I think you can see that in his body language with the crossed arms although the lower part of his body was quite relaxed. 

Generally the proportions of this are a bit better than my first few sketches (see previous post "Quick poses"). However, there are still some very problematic areas especially around his left elbow and left leg. Although I can see that there is some progress being made, this drawing would have benefited from more measurements and comparisons being made. I should have made absolutely sure that I was happy with the proportions before looking at the tonal elements. Instead I just kind of gave up and thought I'd start shading to make a more 'complete statement'. The whole thing got very over shaded and the highlights didn't remain crisp and clear. Generally I don't think I have profited as well as I could have done from the additional time. This is not significantly better than the more rapid sketches.

I intend to repeat this exercise after some further sketchbook work as I am not happy that I have achieved the objectives.

Click here for my second attempt at this exercise.

Project: Proportions - Exercise: Quick Poses

The first time I tried this exercise I hadn't really absorbed the instructions and aims properly. The specific aim of this is to practice measuring proportions and to produce rapid but proportional drawings. My mind did't really get past the fact that they were 2 minute sketches so I just started drawing in a panicky scribbly way again and didn't measure anything. Consequently the results were poor and I produced the common errors predicted in the text: "common faults are to make the head too big and the legs too short". My husband Luigi does have quite a low centre of gravity (short legs) but it was clear that I'd exaggerated this. Luckily I only wasted 10 minutes on this (5 x 2 minute sketches). 

2 minute sketches without measurements showing heads which are
too big and legs which are too short.

One of the reasons that I had just started drawing in this way without measuring was that having been to the OCA drawing workshop I had found that working my way around the figure referring back and forth between adjacent shapes had actually been quite effective in rendering drawings which appeared to be in proportion and I was afraid that measuring might make the drawing 'tighten up' and be less interesting. You could, therefore say they these 10 minutes weren't in fact wasted but were a useful demonstration to me that my previous method was useful but had significant drawbacks. One of the major drawbacks being that even starting from the middle and working outwards there is a tendency to amputate hands and feet. 

I moved on to 10 minute sketches in the same mode of working and ended up with a similar result:

10 Minute sketch charcoal and white chalk
 (no measuring): Head is too big
relative to the torso and legs and the feet are off the page

10 Minute sketch (no measuring): Head is too big and is sitting at an
odd angle relative to the shoulders

10 Minute sketch (no measuring): General proportions seem a bit better
here but the area in the midriff is too wide compared to the model- his
abdomen and bottom are not this big.

So I realised that I was sorely in need of this exercise and that I needed to pull back and take account of the overall proportions of the body before starting to draw (it would be better to spend 1 minute looking before drawing even if that only left a minute to draw rather than just draw inaccurately and spill off the page unintentionally). So I had another try:

2 minutes: drawing pen

 I was, however, being somewhat stubborn with myself and I decided to measure but to mark the paper very faintly or to just go over the proportions with my finger without marking so I still didn't end up with well proportioned figures. I felt happy that the standing poses were easier to draw and for the most part I had fitted the figure 

on the page.

2 minutes: brush pen

When I measured

these figures retrospectively I found that most of them still did not have the classic head as 1/7th of the body proportions. This really reinforced that I needed to follow the instructions more closely. To measure carefully and to mark my measurements on the page before starting.

2 minutes: charcoal

10 minutes (charcoal): I really struggled with this
pose I panicked about the foreshortening of the
thighs and didn't measure accurately

2 minutes: pencil

2 minutes: drawing pen

10 minutes: The model was reclining
(snoozing) in an armchair. However looking
at this now I think the angle around his pelvis
and his legs is wrong - he looks too upright and
as though he is about to slide off the chair 

10 minutes (marker pen- sharpie): I am
happier with the proportions here but have
amputated the left foot.

The other realisation from looking at my sketches retrospectively was that I had not stepped back from my work often enough. Some of the drawings were clearly not right and I saw this immediately on stepping back. Lesson learnt - always step back frequently even if you are doing a very rapid sketch - you can't correct the sketch after the model has moved - make corrections as you go along.

I've seen another exercise on measurement and proportion in figure drawing in an old issue of 'artist and illustrators' magazine so I'm going to try that and then have another attempt at this exercise.

Weekly Report: Week Commencing 6th January

Tired, Tired, Tired! but I have finally finished updating my blog (my least favourite part of the course). I am also about half way through the book about Paul Klee. 

I can now move forwards with part 4 of the course. I'm really looking forward to this although a bit nervous because I stopped drawing over Christmas and New year. I also realise I'm going to have to adjust my working schedule. I usually do most of my art work in the mornings when my husband an son are not around - also I'm more of a 'morning person'. However - I will need them to model for me so will have to be more flexible. I can do the projects on anatomy or self portraiture in the mornings and also any research points but will have to do the main bulk of the work of drawing people in the evenings under artificial light.

Weekly Report : Week Commencing 30th December

Away from home this week working. It was the busiest week I've ever had (bank holidays are generally busy for emergency clinics but this was quite ridiculous). Very long shifts and very little rest. On top of that I was anxious as there had been earthquakes at home and Luca is not is a position to run for it in the middle of the night if one should occur because he still has both of his feet in plaster. Lack of sleep meant that my plan to complete my blog did not materialise. I did, however manage to pack up my assignment and sketchbooks and post them to my tutor before returning home.

I also purchased two books:

'Paul Klee- life and work' by Boris Friedewald. Prestel 2013

and 'Pedagogical Sketchbook' by Paul Klee Translated by Sibyl Mihily-Nagy. Faber and Faber 1968

I am going to the current Tate exhibition at the end of January with a group from the OCA Sketchbooks group so want to find out a bit more about the artist.

Reflection on Assignment 3

Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills

I think that my visual skills are improving as I move through the course. I have demonstrated competent use of a number of media and my understanding of composition is better than when I started. However there is a lot of room for improvement. 
I am particularly disappointed with the final pieces I produced for assignment three as I feel that they do not represent the best pieces I produced during part 3. Although the composition of the view on to the patio is quite interesting and I am quite happy with the aerial perspective and the harmony of the colours, I do think there are some problems with perspective in the foreground and have not pushed the media to their ultimate limits. 
Being selective in what to draw in order to get the best design and composition on the page is an area I still need to work on.

Quality of Outcome

Again - this is improving and may be adequate for this stage on a level one course but there is a long, long way to go. I think with my assignment I have started to try to communicate visual ideas - In this case the sense of longing  to be outdoors when cooped up inside. However I do not know whether I have communicated these ideas effectively as that can only really be decided by someone coming to the images without any prior knowledge. I have been looking at these images for too long to be able to look at them objectively.

Demonstration of Creativity

I have done some experimental work in my sketchbook over the course of part 3. I have, however taken very few risks with the larger pieces or the assignment pieces. There is still little evidence of a personal voice coming through here. I'm still trying things out - but this is still a very early stage in my development.

Context

I have learnt a great deal about landscape art over the course of part three. I have enjoyed the insights. Where perhaps I fall down a bit on this is in incorporating this contextual information into my own work. I have noticed that sometimes work that I have admired comes out in my work subconsciously (for example my tree experiments reminded me of Mondrian's abstractions when I reviewed them but this wasn't deliberate). I have made an attempt to use my learning consciously when preparing for assignment 3. I'm not sure that this has helped the final outcome, however. Perhaps I was over-thinking and would have a more satisfying outcome with a more instinctive response to the brief. 


Overall, I have found this part of the course extremely difficult for the reasons I have outlined in my blog. This may colour my opinion of the resulting work. I am glad, however that I stuck with it (looking at a lot of other students' learning logs it seems that quite a few 'fall by the wayside' at this point in the course). Although at times I've been clinging on by my fingernails  and I'm, therefore not satisfied with the work I produced, I congratulate myself on the fact I've got through this and out the other side. I am happy with what I have learned. I have certainly made great progress in my attitude to drawing in public and showing my work to others. There are a lot of areas where I could go back and improve the outcome but I need to move on now. 

One area where I disappointed myself was in my aim to continue to simplify and 'leave space for the viewer's imagination'. This was one of my main aims at the start of part three to build on some of the sketchbook work I'd done in the "drawing animals' project of part two. With all my difficulty getting through this section I somehow lost sight of this goal (although I did do some work towards it when drawing trees). My assignment pieces, however do not demonstrate this aim. I am looking forward to part 4 and hope to be able to remedy this with some strong gestural and pared-down drawing.