How lovely, this one.
Seems to be shinning under strong daylight. Love the rendering of the reflected light. Are you drawing these from live models? How much time for each pose?
Beautiful but terrible, the lighting, I could barely see the paper. Yes, live models, indoors. It’s an 1 hour pose with 2 breaks every 20 minutes. As a matter of fact that is the reason for so many crocked faces, it’s hard for the models to go back to the pose after every break. Now, I try to sketch the perspective structure and eyes before the 1st break, so I don’t loose the right proportions and the freshness of the gaze. Difficult as hell.
>Now, I try to sketch the perspective structure and eyes before the 1st >break, so I don’t loose the right proportions and the freshness of the >gaze. Difficult as hell.
I know what you mean! That’s why I started drawing on the subway, bus, etc. It’s great training trying to just catch fast glimpses of moving targets and still make it into a cohesive solid head (almost always it is a failure, but you get to learn a lot). But I think you got the right idea – first get the structure, then place all further observations on top of it. This head looks much more solid than the previous ones.
Though, of course, some people do it differentely. I knew other guys who would always draw exactly what they saw at each moment, constantly reworking the pose. It also works, it’s easier to “perturb” a pose you almost got in the previous half-session. And sometimes I just do “blind drawings” first.
Just different mental tools. Worth trying all of them at one time or another.
I really wish I had enrolled in that FBAL course you are taking. Looks really good.
It is always good to learn different ways to do the same thing. The approach’s a bit academic but you learn so much for just doing it. You can try next year. The course is divided in 3 units of 3 months each. I am doing the second unit. You can do all three or just one.
The blind contour drawing is an excellent tip, I tend to runaway from that one…go figure.
As for the blind drawing, I know how you feel. I think any rational, especially scientifically-minded person hesitates to put too much into that at first. One can trust Euclid when measuring: Two orthogonal distance measurements or a triangulation through angle estimation will always define a point on the plane accurately if one is careful enough, but blind drawing has no clear rationale behind it to guarantee that it will work. Yet, it works so well if you put the hours in. Your brain just learns it. No good for a precise drawing, of course …it is never reliable, but for fast notes it’s great (i know, you are not supposed to do it fast, but after a while it works really well). It is the only kind of drawing that is really direct: straight from the eye to the hand, no need for an intermediate act of memory or calculation. It really is like touching. I have this theory for a while now, I bet you could measure it in a brain scan and prove that it somehow relies on proprioception. Meaning, it *really* is like touching.
I’ve been meaning to recruit a neurologist to prove that one for me (or to show me it is bogus as hell).
You know, “academic” as in “formal”, it’s an important way to learn the basics but always conforming to established rules. I like “academic”, I just have a problem with too many rules… I’ll get over it
I also have a problem with getting “it” wrong. “It” stands for drawing, painting, illustration or sketch. So, my apprehension about blind drawings is not really because I doubt its efficiency, it’s about dealing with frustration… Silly, isn’t it? Even more silly if you think how useful those exercises are to achieve successful quick and fresh sketches. I have to try it more often.
Fevereiro 26, 2009 ás 1:56 am |
How lovely, this one.
Seems to be shinning under strong daylight. Love the rendering of the reflected light. Are you drawing these from live models? How much time for each pose?
Fevereiro 26, 2009 ás 5:41 pm |
Beautiful but terrible, the lighting, I could barely see the paper. Yes, live models, indoors. It’s an 1 hour pose with 2 breaks every 20 minutes. As a matter of fact that is the reason for so many crocked faces, it’s hard for the models to go back to the pose after every break. Now, I try to sketch the perspective structure and eyes before the 1st break, so I don’t loose the right proportions and the freshness of the gaze. Difficult as hell.
Fevereiro 26, 2009 ás 5:58 pm |
>Now, I try to sketch the perspective structure and eyes before the 1st >break, so I don’t loose the right proportions and the freshness of the >gaze. Difficult as hell.
I know what you mean! That’s why I started drawing on the subway, bus, etc. It’s great training trying to just catch fast glimpses of moving targets and still make it into a cohesive solid head (almost always it is a failure, but you get to learn a lot). But I think you got the right idea – first get the structure, then place all further observations on top of it. This head looks much more solid than the previous ones.
Though, of course, some people do it differentely. I knew other guys who would always draw exactly what they saw at each moment, constantly reworking the pose. It also works, it’s easier to “perturb” a pose you almost got in the previous half-session. And sometimes I just do “blind drawings” first.
Just different mental tools. Worth trying all of them at one time or another.
I really wish I had enrolled in that FBAL course you are taking. Looks really good.
Fevereiro 28, 2009 ás 3:22 am |
It is always good to learn different ways to do the same thing. The approach’s a bit academic but you learn so much for just doing it. You can try next year. The course is divided in 3 units of 3 months each. I am doing the second unit. You can do all three or just one.
The blind contour drawing is an excellent tip, I tend to runaway from that one…go figure.
Março 2, 2009 ás 11:09 pm |
Academic is not a dirty word, for me
As for the blind drawing, I know how you feel. I think any rational, especially scientifically-minded person hesitates to put too much into that at first. One can trust Euclid when measuring: Two orthogonal distance measurements or a triangulation through angle estimation will always define a point on the plane accurately if one is careful enough, but blind drawing has no clear rationale behind it to guarantee that it will work. Yet, it works so well if you put the hours in. Your brain just learns it. No good for a precise drawing, of course …it is never reliable, but for fast notes it’s great (i know, you are not supposed to do it fast, but after a while it works really well). It is the only kind of drawing that is really direct: straight from the eye to the hand, no need for an intermediate act of memory or calculation. It really is like touching. I have this theory for a while now, I bet you could measure it in a brain scan and prove that it somehow relies on proprioception. Meaning, it *really* is like touching.
I’ve been meaning to recruit a neurologist to prove that one for me (or to show me it is bogus as hell).
Março 4, 2009 ás 12:13 am |
You know, “academic” as in “formal”, it’s an important way to learn the basics but always conforming to established rules. I like “academic”, I just have a problem with too many rules… I’ll get over it
I also have a problem with getting “it” wrong. “It” stands for drawing, painting, illustration or sketch. So, my apprehension about blind drawings is not really because I doubt its efficiency, it’s about dealing with frustration… Silly, isn’t it? Even more silly if you think how useful those exercises are to achieve successful quick and fresh sketches. I have to try it more often.