Untitled #119

Untitled #119

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2014

Drawing or painting from photo reference is not a preference of mine, but for obvious reasons there are undeniable benefits, and for all intents and purposes it is the de-facto working method in a lot of situations. The source of this pose as a photo is somewhat revealed by the angle of view on the model in this 15 min. drawing. Overhead angles are not a common view when drawing from life. Although there is the potential for real dynamism from this angle. 

For me, the greatest advantage of photography as reference in figurative work is holding those moments that prove to be too difficult to persist in real life. Like jumping, pushing, pulling, hanging, outstretched limbs, etc. Transitory facial expressions like smiles are also pretty hard to pull off without a good photo to work from. Although it may never occur to the general public; there is a reason why most people in paintings before photography do not have people smiling ear to ear in them. 

When working from life; it's almost as if your making a three dimensional scan of individuals in your mind. You just get a better sense of how things fit together. The difference between photography and real life can sometimes feel like the difference between looking at a map and actually visiting a place. When people you know, or have met, appear in a dream while your sleeping they usually look convincingly accurate. It's as if your mind is referencing a kind of three dimensional scan like I mentioned above. I'm not sure anyone has ever said to themselves while dreaming, "Hey, something doesn't look right with Bob's mouth.." I suspect this may have something to do with how differently we internalize the dimensional nature of real world experiences.