Untitled #148

Untitled #148

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2014

Sara Streeter is a well known model in the Los Angeles area. This 25 minute back pose of her came off well in that I had some time to give attention to the blanket that she was posing on. 

Drapery can really offer dramatic and dynamic lines in the composition of a pose. Especially for my way of working. Drapery, and how it's handled, is also a bit of a personal signature from artist to artist. In my experience, not many workshops afford the time to incorporate background considerations in their set-ups. So it's a welcome addition when something as simple as a well placed bit of cloth is present and adds something of value. 

Untitled #182

Untitled #182

22" X 30"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

Models will oftentimes twist their bodies in an effort to democratize the visual interest of the pose across the spectrum of a room. So the torso will face on direction, the head another, and sometimes the legs and feet another. This two hour pose from life is a good example of this. On occasion it can make what would otherwise be a lackluster pose into something much more dynamic. 

Untitled #39

Untitled #39

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

This was a 25 minute pose from life on newsprint. Although newsprint is non-archival due to the acidity found in most brands, it has unique qualities that I have yet to find in other papers. When working from the figure; the paper exhibits a softness which easily lends itself to rendering common light and shade effects found on human skin. Especially smooth newsprint. 

If you have ever run your hand across a pad of it, you will notice that it has a skin like feel to it as your able to push down on it and the stack rebounds just like skin. The irregular and slightly wrinkled surface of the paper allows for a cushion of air to exist between every sheet, much like how a quilt traps air, and it's this cushion that makes graceful tonal transitions so effortless. 

For soft tonal effects in drawing - something within the mix of tools and surface has to have a giving nature to it. Some artists prefer the tool side via soft willow or vine charcoal, which I use on occasion on other papers, but nothing is as seductive as a soft surface. There aren't many to be found in the world of readily available art materials, but newsprint is one of them.

Untitled #134

Untitled #134

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

The model here is a perfect fit for my angular definition of shape. Given the tendency of the female form towards curvature; it's a rare gift to have a model that defies that.

I often work on large 24" X 36" sheets of smooth newsprint for shorter poses which forces me to work relatively fast as there is so much ground to cover. This was only a 20 minute pose from life, so it's a bit of a physical task to work quickly enough to get a satisfactory representation at that scale within the granted time frame.

Untitled #31

Untitled #31

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

Back poses can present a challenge in that they can lack any area of interest oftentimes. I was lucky in this 40 minute pose to have something visually to hook on to; the model's scapula bones. She put her hands atop her head and all the torsion and tension related to the muscles that articulate with the scapula bones just popped right out. 

Most models don't exhibit this kind of bravado for longer poses - as it's easy to imagine the strain after a short time. So this was a really rare opportunity to witness this region in prolonged action.