Drawing

Okay, so I just finished life drawing. It was a very demanding class and very fulfilling as well. I learned so much in this class and grew so much as an artist. The most important things I learned were how to sight using a pencil to gauge where everything should go in the picture plane and to gain correct proportions, and also the importance of using the entire value scale in shading.

  As you can see, in the sphere below, a full value range makes for a  much more 3-D image. Without it the image would appear flat.

In the next two images, I started out measuring the objects themselves, there distance from the edges of the picture plane, and from each other to gain accurate proportions, angles, and placement. I created a box grid to place my objects in with the appropriate size and placement, and then placed my objects within the boxes. Then, utilizing the entire value scale, I modeled or shaded my objects to create a three dimensional illusion, not only in my objects, but within the space around them.

 

We then went on to study how to render textures. The thing with textures to remember is that you need to be mindful of the value scale when rendering them. The texture is not going to be as visible in certain areas because of the way the lighting is hitting it, or it may just be less distinct.

Our next project was a self portrait. The same principles apply, really, in portraiture as with any thing. The only difference is the rule of halves. The eyes are half way between the top of the head and the chin, the base of the nose is half way between the eyes and the chin and the mouth is half way between the base of the nose and the chin. The ears are between the eyes and the base of the nose, there is one eyes width between each eye, and roughly five eye widths across the head. the nostrils should come roughly to the inner corners of the eyes, and the corners of the mouth should line up about the middle of the eyes. Using these general guidlines, and sighting techniques to detect any variations and to gauge the angles of the nostrils, cheek bones, eyelids, mouth, etc, I was able to gain a pretty good resemblance of myself.

 

Our final project was a combination of all the weeks that we had studied. I chose an eclectic collection of exotic instruments and decor in a still life with drapery. I was able to successfully render proportion, placement, spatial depth, texture, and contour across the entire picture plane. 

I really enjoyed this class. It took a lot out of me, but it was so worth it. Thank you for reading.