Life Drawing 7.1.19

Pen, continuous line
7.1.19

I didn't get around to blogging about last months life drawing session but it's a new year so I thought I'd start again! A few months ago I changed my sessions from a Tuesday evening to a Monday evening as it fitted in better with my work schedule and I'm so pleased I did. I find I'm less tired as it's the beginning of the week and I've been working in the same place all day so haven't had the stress of having to get to a different venue. All this means that I can settle into my drawing much faster and enjoy the sessions more.

Left handed drawing
7.1.19

Left handed drawing
7.1.19

Blind drawing
7.1.19

As often happens during the winter it was quite a quiet session with several of my regular artists unable to make it due to illness (get well soon all of you!) However, sometimes it's nice to have a quieter session and it gave us the opportunity to move around a bit more. We all tend to have our 'place' that we go to each session so sometimes when it's quieter people feel a bit more confident to move and try a different spot.

Pen, continuous line
7.1.19

Pen, continuous line
7.1.19

Pen, continuous line
7.1.19

I really enjoyed my drawing this session, in all aspects of my work and life I've been trying to be more mindful and focus on what I'm doing rather than trying to think of a hundred things at once. I think drawing is a very good mindful activity anyway, as I've written about before. I very much value my drawing time, it gives me an opportunity to focus solely on looking and drawing, keeping other thoughts at bay. It is also a multi sensory experience, the feel of the paper and the flow of the ink, the sound of the pen as well as the obvious visual information. I always feel much calmer after drawing, it's a chance to slow down and escape even if only for a short time.

Pen
7.1.19

Pen, continuous line, layered drawings
7.1.19

Pen, continuous line
7.1.19

Currently I have two lots of cartridge paper that I use for drawing; a perfectly serviceable mid weight paper and a much heavier and better quality one. By chance I picked up a stack of the heavyweight paper for this session and I was surprised by how much of a difference it made to my enjoyment of the drawing process. I've always strongly believed in using quality materials and working on this paper really is a much nicer experience than using the lighter stuff. I don't know that it made a great deal of difference to the quality of my drawings but in some ways the finished drawings are almost incidental; it's the process that I find most important.

Pen, continuous line
7.1.19

Blind drawing
7.1.19

Pen, continuous line, layered drawings
7.1.19

I'm continuing to enjoy layering up my sketches, creating some odd compositions but also some interesting shapes. I worked all in pen this session but last session I played about a bit with charcoal and maybe I'll have another go at that next time...

Pen, continuous line
3.12.18

Pen, continuous line
3.12.18

Pen, continuous line
3.12.18

Life Drawing 5.11.18

Pen, continuous line

Another month has raced past and it's time for Life Drawing again. I was really looking forward to this session as I enjoyed last month so much. I wasn't disappointed, it was a small group but most of the artists have been coming to my sessions for a while so we know each other quite well now and we do have a laugh. One of the reasons I continue to run these sessions is because of the group of people who attend, it's a good opportunity to learn from each other, share stories and gently critique our work.

Blind drawing

Blind drawing

Blind drawing

I wrote last month that our model had lost a great deal of weight, changing her poses in interesting ways. Similarly this month's model,who has been modelling for me since I started running sessions seven years ago, has also lost a lot of weight and again there were some subtle changes in the poses he chose. I like this 'evolution' and seeing how the models change and pose differently according to how they physically look and how they feel. However, I am slightly concerned that all my models are wasting away...

Blind drawing

Continuous line drawing

I struggled with getting the proportions right in this session, I don't know whether that was anything to do with the fact that I've drawn this model a lot so there was maybe an element of drawing what I thought should be there rather than what was or because I was just struggling with proportion. I think probably a bit of both. I tend not to worry too much about proportion and to just try and work it out through 'blind' drawing and by repeatedly drawing the pose until I get it right. I draw quickly and I try really hard not to overthink my drawing and to let it flow. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't but it's interesting to look at afterwards and see the bits that went well and not so well and to try and work out why.

Multiple drawings

Layered blind drawings

Layered drawings

In this session I also looked at layering up my drawings a bit more, rather than move on to a new piece of paper for each new sketch I tried to work up multiple drawings of the same pose on one sheet of paper. I like the interesting compositions and strange juxtapositions working like this can create. It's not really planned so it does sometimes turn out to be a little odd. I also worked in more than one colour and again I like the way the drawings interact with each other, it adds a bit more definition rather than just becoming a jumble of lines.

Blind drawing

Multiple sketches

The next session is Monday 3rd December and I'm already looking forward to it!

Continuous line drawing

Life Drawing: 1.10.18

Continuous line drawing

After a break from Life Drawing over the summer it was good to get back to it. It didn't feel like that long since the last session as I've been so busy but I did find my drawing was a bit rusty. These sessions have become a really nice social experience too and it was good to catch up with people and hear what they've been up to.

Blind drawing

Continuous line drawing

Blind, non dominant hand drawing

I've written many times about how the model and their personality affects each session; it's not just in the poses they chose, it's the presence they have in the room as well. Our model for this session has been modelling for my groups for several years but recently has lost a lot of weight. It was really interesting how this has changed the way she models and the way session with her felt. As always she gave us lots of challenging poses, she is an excellent model and always pushes me out of my comfort zone but it felt quite different to her previous style.

Continuous line drawing

Blind drawing

Looking at details

I really struggle with foreshortening so I was both pleased and disappointed when our model gave us a really tough pose, I didn't quite get it right this time but each time I tackle it I learn something new that I can take forward to the next time.

Continuous line drawing

Continuous line drawing

Blind drawing

I've been experimenting with encasing my drawings in wax in my studio and as I was drawing during the session I was thinking about how some of my life drawings might work treated in this way. I think it could be quite effective and is something I will possibly have a go at in the near future. In the mean time I need to get back to my daily drawing so that I'm ready for the next session!

Life Drawing: A catch up

Pen, June 2018

I've been a bit behind in my blogging recently as there's been lots going on. I've been particularly lax about blogging about my Life Drawing sessions so I thought I'd do a quick catch up post for the last few months. I really enjoy my Life Drawing sessions and I've built up a great group of artists and models. Before each session I almost always feel tired and fed up and wonder why I do it but by the end of the session I always feel re-energised and glad that I keep it going. I really enjoy catching up with everyone and sharing news and I know I'd really miss them if I stopped the sessions.

Blind drawing, June 2018

Experimenting with adding shading, June 2018

There's always a good atmosphere at the sessions but I find it interesting how much it changes depending on the group, sometimes relaxed and sometimes more energetic. The June session was really busy, we had to squeeze in a bit but everyone was very good humoured about it. There were also a couple of new faces and a couple of people who'd only been to one or two sessions before so it felt quite new and fresh, it felt like quite an energetic session.

Continuous line, May 2018

Continuous line, May 2018

The model also has a big effect on the atmosphere and each model brings something different to the session. I love drawing different people and I find it fascinating how my drawings change depending on who I'm drawing, I find I want to draw each model a little differently depending on their personality and the poses they choose as well as how they look.

Blind drawing, May 2018

Blind drawing, April 2018

Over the past couple of years I've been working on drawing faces as it used to be my weakest area. The only way to get better at something is to practise it and so I have and I'm finally at a point where I'm reasonably comfortable drawing faces and there's some drawings I'm even quite pleased with.

Pen, April 2018

Pen, April 2018

I've also been continuing with my 'blind' drawings (drawing without looking at the page) and these drawings are now an important part of my process. Working in this way is particularly useful for challenging poses as it helps me really observe and understand the pose so that I can then go on to create a better, more accurate drawing.

Pen, March 2018

Continuous line faces, March 2018

I'm not going to be running Life Drawing sessions during July and August because the Prism Arts studios are going to be very busy and full of puppet making activities for Carlisle's Puppet Pageant Parade (Saturday 1st September.) I'm hoping to restart the sessions in September but as we're in the process of moving house at the moment it might be October, depending on how smoothly it all goes! If you'd like updates about the sessions and to be informed when I have new dates you can sign up to my Life Drawing mailing list here.

Blind drawing, March 2018