Two very nice things happened today:
I finally ran out of excuses not to go to a life drawing session…one that I’ve been meaning to attend for, seemingly forever. Whilst there, a Break-a-Brusher reminded me that I had not blogged for a while. I was quite surprised and pleased that my absence had been noticed!
When tackling life drawing I try to practice a few styles…often in the same drawing. I look to get a feel for the pose, find a center to focus my interest and also perhaps create a bit of unexpected texture…typically with a bit of watercolour wash.
Today there were 2 models posing together. This leads to some interesting possibilities, however time is always tight and it’s easy for me to bite off more than I can chew – I’m not particularly fast. I focused on one model, remembering that less can be more – not forgetting to have a bit of fun!
Juxtaposing line with more fluid handling of blocks of colour, the abstract forms played with more traditional line work. I was pretty happy with the results. More importantly I felt good having been out and about. As in most things, the best form of practice, is the practice that you do.
Hi David, I love your drawings and paintings!! You are the greatest!!….
Great to hear from you Dawn, Many Thanks…David
It’s fun to read how a pro deals with the many issues Life Drawing presents. Good tips, because I always think I need to get every bit of info down, rather than be purposefully selective.
Hi Janet, I’m really pleased that you like my comments. Specifics are good too course…where would we be without the masters eh! I must say thought, that in my courses I’ve noticed that participants are invariably surprised by the quality of their fast work…when there is little time to describe detail. David
Hi David,
Your paintings have a somewhat loose feel to them that I really like. They are very expressive.Yet I am assuming that a fair degree of control allows you to produce this result. Does that make sense?
Hi Diane, Interesting question, Thanks….I think it’s probably true that practice helps balance control with looseness. Some planning helps too: there are normally parts of my work that are more defined and prescriptive. This definition then gives me more latitude to be expressive as well! David