Untitled #93

Untitled #93

22" X 30"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

In this 40 min. drawing I spent most of my time on attempting to capture the likeness of the model. I left the hair and many aspects of the drawing as mere suggestions. I do this often, and not just because of time constraints, but because I've been a fan of the vignetted composition going back to when I was a kid.

There were two kinds of portraits of George Washington hanging on many classroom walls when I was growing up. The finished version, and the unfinished version. I always found the unfinished version much more fascinating. The exposure of the process in a work of art just seems to affect the senses in a way that "finished" work does not. It's a bit like seeing the face in the vase optical illusion and perceptually going back and forth in your mind between the two objects. Somehow it's endlessly fascinating and gives a work a bit of an interactive element to it; because it requires perceptual participation on the part of the viewer to complete the visual sentences. 

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 #38

Untitled #38

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2012

This 40 min. contour study was completed the week after I went to see an exhibition of Klimt drawings at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. He was such a master draftsman with pure line, and he had this amazing knack to be able to capture subtle turns of the human head with such sensitive accuracy. As in this study of a child's head:  

The head is tilted along every axis in this study, and all of those small shapes on the child's left side are very carefully placed. Unless the head is propped up against a wall or other structure, this kind of head tilt is typically very difficult for a model to hold with any real accuracy over the length of a session as the muscles in the neck usually get sore.  This is another favorite:

All of these angles are very challenging when drawing from life because even the slightest movement can cause the perspective to shift, which can lead to problems of coherence. This is especially important in drawing out the angle of the eyes, mouth, jaw, and nose. One can imagine if the models head in the bottom study even turned the smallest amount you would no longer see the edge of the eye. Models are always moving in the slightest so these studies must have been a real workout for his visual memory and patience on his part, and the models. 

Untitled #37

Untitled #37

24" X 36"

Pastel on Matboard

2013

This large pastel work from life was created with Pan Pastels. As I've mentioned in a previous post; they make it fairly simple to cover large areas of your working surface in a really short amount of time. So they make it possible to work much larger when working with a model. 

This pastel is also a good example of my working style. Especially in how the hair is handled. Due to the time constraints in working from life and the tendency of hair to be a complex juxtaposition of values and shapes - it is where a lot of artists develop their shorthand.  

Untitled #132

Untitled #132

18" X 24"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

This 20 minute drawing was completed at the Joshua Retreat Center in Joshua Tree, CA. They are kind enough at the center to allow for a local group of artists to get together and draw from the model. It's a beautiful setting that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright with construction overseen and completed by his son. 

Untitled #176

Untitled #176

16" X 20"

Oil on Canvas

2013

This painting was completed Alla-Prima in about four hours. I typically don't use such a warm ground underneath the work, but I like the way it worked out here. It brings out the neutral blue used in the surrounding background nicely.  

My working method is pretty evident in the way I handled the subjects left ear. It's merely suggested with a couple of blunt strokes. Although I was quite suggestive in this way, I was careful to check the drawing of this painting in a mirror several times during the working session. Straight on views of the head can easily go askew if attention to bi-symmetry isn't given careful consideration. 

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.