I've been working and working on my figure drawing and I think I had a breakthrough this week.

[femmedem]

I've always been a loosey goosey, gestural drawer, not methodical at all. But this week I've been taking my time measuring, getting my proportions right, starting with a plumb line. I always thought this would make my drawings look stiff--or maybe I was just lazy. This is really hard! But it's worth it, because this is miles beyond what I was capable of even last week.



I should add, I'm laid off from work and tense, like everyone. But I'm determined to at least use this time to improve my drawing.

[Backseat Driver]

1. Good job! If I may say so, also very Rubenesque.

[femmedem]

3. Thanks!

With social distancing there aren't any live drawing classes, but I've subscribed to an online school of sorts, with lots of instructional videos and reference photos. I love Rubens' drawings--and I wanted to draw someone with volume.

[colorado_ufo]

13. Thanks!

Now I know that I'm not really overweight, I just have "volume!"

[appalachiablue]

2. Very well done. Elements of Rubens, Renior, the Impressionists.

[femmedem]

4. Thank you! Those are all the artists I first fell in love with. n/t

[Thomas Hurt]

5. wonderful job

[femmedem]

7. Thanks. I don't know why everything is finally clicking almost 40 years after I finished art school.

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2020, 07:35 AM - Edit history (1)

Better late than never.

[Lord Ludd]

18. Which one? (if I may ask)

I attended School of Visual Arts in NYC back in the mid-sixties.
Excellent work.

[femmedem]

20. Rhode Island School of Design, early 80s.

Back then at least, although we drew from the model--especially freshman year--we didn't get a solid background in what I'm embarrassed to say we would have pooh-poohed as academic skills. It was more focused on composition and expressive mark-making. This was in the painting department; other departments were probably different.

Thank you, and welcome to DU. Do you still draw or paint? I'd love to see some of your work. Studying art in NYC in the mid-sixties must have been so exciting.

[Lord Ludd]

27. Thanks for getting back

RISD & SVA are both great schools! And yes, as I look back, the mid-60s was an exciting time to study art in NY amid the artistic & intellectual & political ferment.

Sad to say, I really haven't been doing any sketching in recent years, even with all the time on my hands. Concentration on the wane. Here's the link to my newbie intro, which features pencil portraits of some of my favorite celebs (ignore the updates). But don't be like me; stay with it!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181325343

[femmedem]

31. Those are wonderful! I especially love your Camus.

The simple swoop of that collar against his detailed, textural face.

I was like you! I easily went thirty years without drawing, or hardly drawing at all. I just started up again last summer.

[Lord Ludd]

34. Thanks so much...maybe one day I'll pick up a pencil again. nt

[pbmus]

6. Very good...

[femmedem]

10. Thank you!

And that Rock On emoticon always makes me smile.

[lunatica]

8. You have the basics down pat.

I very much like the contrapposto pose your model has. Her body is balanced well while standing on one foot. You foreshortened her torso and head to perfection. I admire that you’re choosing to try your hand at complex poses in order to learn quickly. You’re challenging yourself and learning very fast. Thanks what I do. Eeping it challenging keeps my interest. And I’m impressed with your progress. Your drawing makes your model look very graceful. This is the sort of pose you get in life drawing classes, so this is almost like being there.

Your natural talent is on full display and your interest in the human body shows you have a keen eye for its subtleties.

Do you have a book of photographs of models for artists in many poses? If not then be sure to get at least one. Some of my portraits are taken from those books. The books are great for complicated poses and there are photos of just hands, feet, ears, noses in varying angles which are a good way of referencing details.

I love this.

[femmedem]

9. Thanks so much, lunatica.

I've been using reference photos from New Masters Academy. I pay a monthly subscription for their online video classes and tons of reference photos, and a lot of their poses look as if they were inspired by old masters' drawings. I have a couple of books on figure drawing and anatomy for artists, but they have drawings, not photos. Useful, but not as useful as photos! Thank you for the suggestion.

[lunatica]

11. If you get an artist's book of photographs you will use it a lot.

That way you are only drawing your interpretation of a human figure and not someone else’s. And if you want to simply draw hands these books have all kinds of foreshortened and gesturing hands, seen from every possible angle, which are the second most expressive parts of the human body.

[femmedem]

26. Is there one that you particularly recommend? n/t

[lunatica]

29. The one I used is ancient so there are probably much better ones now.

I’m thinking of buying a new one. There are a whole series of photograph books called Art Models. The different books are numbered. I found them on Amazon. You can even get them for Kindle.

[LiberalLoner]

12. Wow! Excellent work!

[femmedem]

15. Thank you! When I look at it, it's like a stranger drew it.

I mean, I couldn't possibly have done that. I hope I make strides like this in my painting.

The funny thing is, I never was particularly interested in figure drawing. It always seemed so academic, and then there's the problem of all the nude women that populate art history. But I feel completely differently now. It's such a complicated but graceful subject, male or female.

[marieo1]

14. Help us get through this!!

Thank You...........you have inspired me to do more drawing and painting/art. It is the perfect time to do these things. I wish more people would post how they spend their 'stay home' time. I have been gardening and am going to do some clay work. Your drawing is beautiful!!

[femmedem]

16. Your comment made my day.

It feels almost selfish to be drawing during the pandemic, but then I remember that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, which is to stay home.

Mr. femmedem and I started our garden, too. Just veggies, but veggies are beautiful, too. I hope you'll post some clay work when you're ready. I'd love to see it.

[Karadeniz]

17. You surprised yourself but not us!

[femmedem]

21. What a kind comment. Thank you.

[pansypoo53219]

19. i miss figure drawing + figure painting. since i am pretty fast + pretty accurate, i could be

productive. and once i broke free of black + used colors...

[femmedem]

22. Maybe you could work from reference photos while we're all isolating?

This was from a reference photo at New Masters Academy. Normally you would have to pay to access their photos, but during the pandemic I believe they're offering their beginner-friendly courses for free, which might mean that the reference photos are available, too.

[pansypoo53219]

35. i have worked w/ photos for my native american oils(we thought we had some native genes).

did use playboys for a assignment. but live figure drawing/painting dif. although. choice of models. 1 model better after i just cut his head off(annoying facial hairs). and time limits. i think i was the only one who tried colors. or watercolors.

[bif]

23. I wish I could draw half as well!

That's why none of my paintings have people in them. I just can't draw the human body. Then again, I never practice either. Your drawing has inspired me to start practicing!

[femmedem]

25. Oh good! I'm glad you'll be pushing yourself to learn! My figure drawings were terrible.

A year ago they were abysmal and a month ago they were merely bad.

There are so many online resources now. Some of the free videos that have helped me are at Proko.com (you have to pay for some content but there are a lot of excellent free tutorial videos in his library) and lovelifedrawing.com. I also paid for a year's subscription at New Masters Academy, but I believe they made their beginner-friendly video lessons free while we are all isolating, and they have fantastic reference photos. Their website is nma.art. Croquis Cafe also has free reference photos: https://onairvideo.com/ I think their photos are spottier in terms of the lighting and the quality of the pose (sometimes the models have corny props, for example) but there are some good photos, too.

I hope that helps!

[bif]

28. Thanks for the tips!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

24. It's very good!

The shading, the hair, the way she's slightly bent at the waist. It conveys a lot of information! I love it

[femmedem]

32. Thank you!

It took hours to see it clearly, but I'm glad I persevered.

[mopinko]

30. very good job.

ya just want to hug that lovely bod.

[femmedem]

33. Thanks! The model in the reference photo was so graceful.

I'm glad she feels round enough to hug.