The forever moving target

A recent exercise in drawing the figure from reference with a bit of experimentation in tools—using one brand of compressed charcoal for the core shadows and another to fill in the shadowed sections. Whereas one of the brands (Cretacolor) is much more loosely bound and softer, and the other (Conté à Paris) is much harder. I used the softer of the two for the core shadows and the harder for the fill shadows and mid-tones.

 The advantage with this approach was that a dark registration of the shadow cores was quick and easy with the softer charcoal, and then I could more easily control the structural reveal of the forms in the half-tones and fill shadows by using a slower application process with the harder charcoal. Using the harder charcoal was particularly useful in taming the level of reflected light bounced into the shadow fills—so that the nuances of the anatomical construction were retained with subtle fidelity.

There's a tendency for many to use the same tool or approach in their work over and over, as it's how they were taught. I did this myself—often. For years in fact. Although as I've learned, and come to enjoy—the application of specific tools and techniques for specific circumstances is so much more effective in terms of speed, control, and/or effect. It just takes some time to work through where, when, and how to go about it. And it seems that this process is never complete nor is there an approach that is 100% applicable to every circumstance or subject. Failure is a constant. Every work it seems, in some manner or another, requires a kind of special consideration—if you're really paying attention. Even a 5-minute drawing.   

Pushing it further—Mark Session Back Pose 08/05/2017

For the curious—I went to the trouble to make a animated gif (it may take a bit to load) which illustrates the progress of this life drawing that has been furthered beyond the time with the model. The original is what was achieved with the model posing for 25 min. The image with the additions was completed in about 40 extra minuets. So about an hour in all.

Although I still use Newsprint for 2-15 minutes poses, I've moved on to using a higher quality paper for most of my short pose work in the range of 20-25 minutes. Because of this, I've felt compelled to take these a bit further with additional work. As many may know, Newsprint doesn't take reworking very well at all. So it's a pursuit I've never really gotten into with short pose drawings. But it's a lot of fun to push the notation inherent to short pose work into something more fleshed out so to speak. It really allows you to think a bit more about what you want to emphasize and what you want to play down while still attempting to keep it all tethered to reality somehow. Oftentimes I wind up liking the original better, but as always—there is progress in the destruction.

Mark Session Back Pose 08/05/2017 - 25 Min. Pose (image 1) - 25 Min. Pose with additional work (image 2) - 18" X 24" - Carbon Pencils, Vine Charcoal, and White Pastel Pencil on Charcoal Paper

Untitled #149

Untitled #149

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

This 60 min. back pose of Sara Streeter is a classic example of contrapposto. She was a professional dancer for quite some time and her ability to hold a pose like this is rather legendary. Most models do not stand for poses over an hour. This one was about two hours- with 25 min intervals (I drew this during two of those sessions). Although, I've seen her stand for four hour poses. 

Many new life models who are unaware of the challenges of posing at length will oftentimes attempt poses that are beyond their ability. This isn't the case with a seasoned model. Notice that straight line going from her left foot all the way up to the back of her head. This line acts as kind of a pillar that takes most of the weight of the pose. 

The contrapposto stance has been used in figurative sculpture for centuries for it's stability. The same sound principles of stable weight distribution goes for a multi-hour length pose as well. This model knows what she's doing.

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 #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.

First Post: Untitled #74 (Sold)

Untitled #74 (Sold)

24" X 36"

Pastel on Matboard

2012

This piece is a good representation of my working approach to start with. The Matboard is a fairly unforgiving surface to work on so I would practice each stroke several times just above the board before committing. This helped lend confidence to the choices made.

As you might be able to tell, I have a pretty deep affinity for a well placed bold and confident stroke in any medium. "Concision in description" is a desired goal as well. To explain the most with the least.