Mid-Term Portfolio Reflections

     Well, here it is the end of October, the trees have shed most of their leaves, and kids are dressing in costumes hoping for a full bag of candy.  These facts can only mean one thing the semester is half over and questions are being raised as to what have I learned thus far.
     As this blog is a of Life Drawing I I'll start there.  As one can see from the examples from my MidTerm Portfolio I am having real difficulty grasping the concept of drawing with lines, not outlines.  I have always been more of a "sketcher" than a artist so I find my first instinct is to look at the outline instead of the form.  This will be the main focus of things I expect of myself by the end of the semester.   Another issue that I am having difficulty with is, like others in the class, in trying to complete a finished drawing whenever the model remains still for a "long drawing" session.  This leads to another expectation for myself the final half of the semester which is to slow down in my drawings.    I also need to work on drawing lighter when starting a drawing.  I think that by doing this I will be more able to insure the proportions in my drawing are correct before the marks are already too dark.

Gesture III

Although it still has outlines I think my favorite gesture drawing thus far in the semester has to be "Gesture III"  I think I did a good job of getting the proportions correct, included the ribcage, pelvis,  and long axis of the thigh. 

       I guess, after again looking at my sketch pad in choosing images for my  MidTerm Portfolio ,this time with a more critical eye,  my main expectation for myself for the rest of the semester is to follow directions, always include the ribcage, pelvis, and long axis in my drawing and work/draw slowly.
      
      Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to any comments you care to share,

Shell Shocked

       This was an interesting as well as shocking week for me. 

       On Tuesday the first of our four drawing of our shell was due.  Amy had set certain criteria for our drawings such as There should be an identifiable diagonal axis with one end of the shell further away.  No outline (the outline should be implied by the contour). Every line should change direction at least once denoting a plane change.   The drawing should include the whole shell while maximizing the paper.   Amy also stated the drawing should take 4 to 5 hours stressing the need to draw slowly, tracing each contour as all organic form varies.  

Shell

  Here is the actual shell in the view I drew it,

Shell I

and my rendition of it.







We spent a short time in class on Tuesday doing peer critiques of our group members shell drawing taking note of  how well we/they had adhered to the criteria set.  Some of the comments I received from my group members were "Nice Line variation", "Diagonal axis present but could be developed more", "Proportion of shell spiral not quite right",  "Drawing shows nice sense of space",  "More outlines than needed". 
    Thursdays class we spent some time doing gesture drawings with the model with the proportions of ribcage to pelvis being stressed.  The class then moved into a prolonged pose while Amy took small groups aside for a more detailed critique of our shell drawings.  Amy further stresses the need for a deeper axis,  less outlines, and explained the easiest way to draw concave curves is to "draw like you are drawing the outside of the curve" 
     I agreed with the comments received from both my small group members as well as Amy and recognize there is great room for improvement in my next shell drawing.

Manfreds got "Back"

    Yep, as the title says "ManFred" now has back.  It was kind of a strange week.  Tuesday Amy cut class short due to it being extremely warm in the studio (workman/chiller line mishap or so I heard) so after a quick lecture on the major muscles/fasciae of the posterior (Gluteus minimus, Gluteus medius, Tensor fasciae latae, and, Gluteus maximus(Iliac and axial head)) we were turned loose to create muscles of clay for our Manikins by Thursday.  Thursday's class came and again I'm sorry to the rest of the class... but class was canceled due to Amy being under the weather.
     A bright spot this week in regards to my drawing/drawing skills.  While not a total "Eureka" moment I stepped back from my easel and there it was.... a somewhat recognizable facsimile of the model and, if I squinted just right I was able to tell myself it wasn't terrible just that I had a lot of room for improvement.  It did make me feel better in relation to my wondering what I thought I was doing in a Life Drawing I class. So perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel that isn't railroad related.

Abs of "Clay"?

    Once again we were given an assignment regarding our Manikins.  Last week, having reviewed the abdominal muscles and their importance in keeping our organs from falling out, we were tasked with placing three of the ab muscles (Quadratus lumborum, Rectus abdominis, and, Obliquus externus abdominis) in clay on our Manikins.

6 pack anyone?

"to be replaced"

    However on a side note, in reference to my manikin "ManFred", after a brief critique of the spinal erector muscles I had constructed, and seeing the level of craftsmanship expected..."Manfred" will be getting an new and improved set of the a fore mentioned spinal erectors.

Ribs - "Tasty"

    Yep, ribs were on the menu for class on Thursday,  How to draw them, not how they are best prepared....
   We started by learning that by first picturing, then lightly sketching an egg gives an artist a very close representation of the form of the ribcage. We discussed in-depth the various muscles that make up the abdominal, the way that the fibers of the individual muscles although oriented in different directions, all work together to support and contain our "innards". We then went on to learn the landmarks places to look on the model to determine proper placement of the ribcage in our drawings.

    Speaking of our drawings, I am still having difficulty making any of my drawings resemble anything close to the human form and, as for the 30 second gesture drawings mine kind of appear as an elongated egg (the ribcage) on a curved stick (my representation of a spine).  I'm hoping one of these days I'll step back from the easel and recognize the shape as human.

Spinal Erectors.

Not My Best...

    I am pleased to announce my Manikin "ManFred" is the proud recipent of his first set of muscles.  Here is a picture of ManFred modeling his spinal erector muscle group.  As the weeks of class pass and the updates continue I urge you to stick around, or come back for a visit, as I'm sure ManFred will be more than willing to show off his increasingly muscular form...