Monday, July 22, 2013

Figure Drawing Class

Five weeks, twice a week for eight hours a day and this is the only drawing that I felt looked human enough to post from all of the drawings I've done during that time.  We actually drew this model from the waist us but in the interest of keeping this blog rated PG, respecting the modesty of the model and the fact that I drew her breasts leaning the wrong direction, I cropped the drawing to show just her face and shoulder.

This class has been brutal for me and definitely the hardest thing I've ever done.  The teacher is excellent, but there is so much to remember and I seem to have a hard time getting the information to go from my head to my hand.  I've always had a mental block about drawing people but I never realized how hard that block was going to be to break.  I can see that this is going to take a lot of practice to get to the point that I feel comfortable and happy with my drawings.  I plan to take another figure drawing class in the Fall, but I'll take one that's only three hours for each class.  That's stretching my attention span about as much as it will go and still accept information.

Taking such a class as a summer course was probably not a great idea.  Learning something that is so foreign to me in a compressed period of time made it an extremely stressful class.  We only have two classes left and I'm looking forward to what I will learn and also to the class being over.  : )  I need a break!  Who knew that art could be so stressful?

Anyway, I'm glad I finally took a life drawing class and who knows, maybe you will actually see some people in my paintings in the (far) future.

5 comments:

  1. J'admire votre virtuosité et la grande délicatesse de ce portrait.
    Superbe!

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  2. Nancy, I burst out laughing when I read that you drew her breasts leaning the wrong way. LOLOLOL Anyway, she looks fabulous. Are you approaching these quite tentatively? I ask because your strokes are so soft and that is a tendency of mine when I'm afraid of what I'm trying to do. If you know what I mean. I think this is quite successful and you sell yourself short. You can do this!!

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  3. Thank you for your honest, heartfelt post, Nancy. I suspect the experience, frustrating as it may seem now, will bring you positive returns in lots of different ways as you make your art in the future. I think you probably grew tremendously from this workshop. Wait and see. But I'm glad you're going to get some relief from teh pressure of it! Your drawing here is good!

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  4. Hi Sherry, yes, I was very tentative in drawing this but also, my tendency is to draw very softly. I kept darkening it but it still is very light.

    Thank you Katherine. I have definitely grown from this experiment and look forward to learning and practicing more.

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