June 14, 2009

Whoa!

Haven't posted because I am a week behind schedule in my sketchbook. See, I try to do at least an hour and a half a day of dedicated studies. If for some reason I can't (stuff happens), then I make it up the next day. I have accumulated a total of nine sessions, which are now seven. So I owe 10.5 hours to myself. I wanted to wait until I was caught up, but...if I do that then blogging everything was going to take way too long.

Anyway, I am now taking two architecture classes (which I'm having difficulty trying to find any delight in, both of them), a figure drawing class (which is bliss), and some math which is always great fun.

Let's start with the figure drawing (brought to you in part by: Batch Processing - making life easier since PS5) :















































































































































Haven't posted because I am a week behind schedule in my sketchbook. See, I try to do at least an hour and a half a day of studies. If for some reason I can't (stuff happens), then I make it up the next day. I have accumulated a total of nine sessions, which are now seven. So I owe 10.5 hours to myself. I wanted to wait until I was caught up, but...if I do that then blogging everything was going to take way too long.

Anyway, I am now taking two architecture classes (which I'm having difficulty trying to like- both), a figure drawing class (which is bliss), and some math which is always great fun.

Let's start with the figure drawing (brought to you in part by: batch scripting) :

3 comments:

Elizabeth McMahill said...

Get off the outlines! This goes especially for you longer poses. Instead you can use tonal masses to define and indicate things. Straight up negative space too. And pay attention to quality and direction of your mark making because it's very important too and can work subtly but richly.

For you gestures: again, get off the outline and try not to do this thing of separating the leg into loops. I was doing the same thing at the beginning of the year and my teacher constantly had to get onto me about outlines.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWNCUmbo5I/AAAAAAAABF8/zwkDioZ4LB4/s1600-h/IMG_3836.JPG
You don't have to stick with just line work either. Tone can be great for indicating things quickly and creating contrasts in space. Even when you do lines you can get a great variety in them with size and pressure which can be used to communicate a wide range of things like weight, light, emphasis, and mood. Also, gestures aren't about creating a drawing quickly. They are effective, concise, communication. Don't rush your lines so much. Slow down and take your time with them if you have to. It's just a gesture drawing, you're going to do a million more of them. Follow the form, communicate the form, make every mark count.

like in this one
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWNCkJaiyI/AAAAAAAABGM/IKgbZpKm_9U/s1600-h/IMG_3838.JPG
the legs are all the same heavy line quality which just dulls them out. However there's a lot more variety and emphasis in the upper body through your use of line, which is nice. Also, the legs look like you drew them just to get them in and as such with the thought process that you were drawing legs and not the unique forms in the space in front of you.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWNktDxYCI/AAAAAAAABHc/bcjFpiuAeXM/s1600-h/IMG_3848.JPG
does a much better job of that and you can tell that you were paying more attention to the legs and observing them more.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWM0Y5chRI/AAAAAAAABFs/cVWSizNr9x4/s1600-h/IMG_3834.JPG
the interlocking flowing forms in this one are nice. Good dynamic energy too, but again, greater variety in mark making could really benefit it.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWLhMjml5I/AAAAAAAABBw/x4LDcKGfsaw/s1600-h/IMG_3800.JPG
This one is interesting, in that it's not quite as literal as the others. It's not one of the most effective but you're doing some fun interesting stuff in it. Not of the structural forms are there but the ones that are interact well with the figure and that calf really just grounds things.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWKhPSEysI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/LuVkX8vI_pY/s1600-h/IMG_3781.JPG
Don't know how effective this was as a figure gesture, but as a drawing it's really interesting in the line quality, shape, composition, and grouping, the way those few lines trail off to the right is nice.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWKg6zIZqI/AAAAAAAAA_I/J-hLnMBgkno/s1600-h/IMG_3779.JPG
I like the direction you're exploring with this one and not being afraid to draw through the figure.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWITk1KKoI/AAAAAAAAA-I/wparGrSOm2c/s1600-h/IMG_3771.JPG
this one too. You start using tone somewhat in it. But just because you can use it doesn't mean you should use it all over the drawing. Put it where it is needed and stick to economy to create a natural contrast.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qPFu6QWJEb4/SjWGfUvRoQI/AAAAAAAAA8I/-JCqSY1KM9E/s1600-h/IMG_3755.JPG
This is neat. I take it it's a person sitting on their knees and heels. You've just been so thoughtful and sparing in this one. Just a few dark marks and some light lines conveys so much, and not just that but mood too.

Michael Barquero said...

Truly, thank you for all the help, more than I could ask for.

I actually kept repeating some of the stuff you told me here during my figure drawing class, and did probably one of the best I have done.

Best piece: Get off the outlines!

I think I was trying to emulate drawing's I have seen in other blogs, and just ended up falling short drawing idealized calves and the ilk. Actually trying to draw what was in front of me, was what I was not doing.

Elizabeth McMahill said...

my figure teacher hounded me about outlines and having an outliny mentality pretty much the entire time. It's so hard to try and change the way you think about things. I think I learned more in that class about drawing than I did in drawing.