Current Progress.
Eeep!!
I thought I knew it all when it came to gesture drawing and landmarks.
All you have to do is look at the reference and copy every dent and curve.
Yeah right! My knowledge on how to draw the human body is like a kid learning how to draw the trees with a sun high in the air and mountains in the background. (In other words) I don’t know what the hell I’m doing when it comes to figure drawing. Well, I’m learning something at least.
I bought a book called Figure Drawing, by Michael Hampton and I just finished up my weekly lesson, chapters 1 and 2, gesture drawing and landmarks. Sunday I drew the image down below using figures in the book as the reference and one (the one on the left) from my imagination as a test to see if I retained what I read and practiced every day.
How did my skills improve?
Figure drawing (or drawing in general) is more than looking at an image and copying it. It begins with a line and how those lines weave together and connect asymmetrical matters the human body is not symmetrical. After that, shapes are involved that an egg shape for the ribcage and an oval for the pelvis.
I discovered incorporating the spine to my figure drawing determines the positioning of the overall body. “The spine is responsible for the organization and balancing of the three major masses (head, rib cage, and pelvis)” ( pp. 14)
I could go on about what I learned this week for hours, but I don’t want to waste to much of your time on that. What I really want to talk about is my strong need to learn how to draw without going to school. With everything I learned so far, I can draw a bit better, faster, and more confident with the step-by step process of getting my gestures planned out.
What did I expect in this weeks lesson?
I thought I knew how to draw without thinking of how muscles really empathize body movement or how some bones protrude underneath certain parts of the flesh depending on how the body is positioned.
I’m still going to practice what I’ve learned so far on a daily basis for at least 2-3 hours a day. I got nothing else going on in my life other than taking care of my home and work. Drawing has really brought a new found love within myself and my artwork I once had when I was an elementary school kid. My daughter went back home to be with her family for the rest of the summer and to get ready for a new year of school. Honestly, when she left, I felt a fragment of myself going with her. I know I am her mother, but I truly identified myself as such with her around and now that she’s gone I found myself wandering around the house, pestering my husband to see if he needed me to take care of him in anyway.
I’m also happy to track my progress on this website rather than my blog. It seems more personal and I’m happy to be sharing this journey with the rest of you
