In our first class, we began by doing figure sketches from the live model. We were told to imagine that there was a wire attached to the end of the pencil and to pay close attention to how it would wrap around and shape the form. These were quick sketches with each taking a little less than 5 minutes and served more as a warm up to help loosen up and understand the form. I found these to be quite enjoyable as it is not a drawing method that I have tried before and it really helped me to warm up as we progressed through the class, especially as it had been a while since I last did live figure drawing.

 

With these longer, more gestural drawings, I paid closer attention to light and shadow and how they affected the form without the need for lines to describe it. I think the third one is especially successful as the value in that piece makes the figure very distinct.

In these, we abstracted and broke down the form using shapes in order to understand the geometrical construction of the body before applying the same concept into a more realistic figure drawing. I found this to be the most enlightening aspect of the class and it really helped me to gain a better understanding of how to construct proportional body structures and how to portray them in the correct perspective. Breaking down the body into a simpler form made it easier to see its true shape without the confusion that extra detail may bring and it is something that I’ll keep in mind when attempting future figure drawings.

Towards the end of class, we did two long poses which focused on our use of line and the variation of it. We were told to break up our lines, and to really pay attention to how the body looks with its curves and nuances, and the way it is constantly dipping in and out instead of merely one straight line. In this, I took my time and really tried to study the figure to see how the back of a woman really looks instead of what I imagine it to be. I soon realized that is far more complex than I initially thought, and I was surprised as to how much depth I could achieve in my piece merely by focusing on my line work instead of relying on shading. The last pose we drew that day demanded the use of both line and shading, and I think it is a culmination of this realization as shading here was used as a means to enhance the line work and not to hide it.