Monday, July 24, 2006

Life Drawing




My first life drawing session in six years! Wow. I'm glad I didn't think about it too long else I would have gotten too nervous to enjoy it. I was definitely rusty - it was hard to quickly get the poses onto paper, like I had forgotten how to look; and my shoulder got sore (even with all the whisking and lifting I do at work in the kitchen!). But it was so good - so, so good to get back to it; to let my hand glide along the newsprint with the charcoal nub between my fingers. It works like an extension of your body - like your nails could be made of charcoal and you are just drawing with your hands...

The session was in a woman's home in Cave Creek - an offshoot of the Arizona Artist's Guild group. And they were lovely, warm, and welcoming. What more could you want for a return to life drawing?!

Here are a few of my more successful sketches. The poses were 10 to 15 minutes in length. The final image is the drawing I completed during the long pose - not too successful I think; but great for the little practice I've had. I got really involved with rendering the face and may have done better paying attention to the organization of the entire piece. But then again, it's nice to be indulgent...(I love to draw faces). Let me know what you think.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

to be completely honest, i like the lack of overall "shape" as you put it on this. the shading that you've done evokes shape very nicely. better than anything more involved or deliberate (so to speak - lines and outlines and so forth seem more deliberate to me, the non-arteest). the shapes seems more full in a way.....dunno. that's just hows i sees it.

Anonymous said...

or rather - as you put it - the organization of the entire piece - as opposed to shape, as i typed (i was thinking of that organization as shaping it more deliberately and in a more focused way, i guess). i like the lack of that organization. that's actually not a good word, lack. it's there, just not in lines, but in shading instead. okay - enough commenting for sherri. i'll go to my 'room', now....

Anonymous said...

Limbs draped across time and space, a fluid graciousness...warm, inviting, provocative.
Thank you!