Midterm Review

Although drawing the human figure is possibly my favorite art subject, as well as one of the only subjects of study I went into teaching myself, I've always known that there was far more I could learn and that I could do so much better. Therefore, I enrolled in Life Drawing I in order to better understand the human figure and how it can be moved and formed.

Over these past several weeks, I have indeed learned quite a bit- not only about human anatomy but also how to express different forms through the use of dynamic lines. I used to look at the great anatomy drawings of others and wondered how exactly they were able to produce those kinds of lines. Since I've been in this class, I've actually learned how that is possible and have begun to execute the technique on my own, which essentially requires varying the thickness of the lines while surrendering most of your control over how you make them. This greatly expands the interest of the picture as a whole, especially when creating cross-contours.

Although my understanding of the human figure has increased dramatically, as well, I still feel there is much more I can learn. Starting each drawing with a spine and then adding a ribcage and pelvis has helped; I've learned before this class how to break the figure down into its foundational components, so that already makes sense. However, I still think there's something I'm not catching onto, especially where proportions are concerned. I feel that my gesture drawings are suffering because of this, since I follow the proper steps but still have the figure usually come out looking like nothing after I'm done. Whatever the issue is, I hope to resolve it during the next quarter, as well as improve upon the skills I've already gained.

Although I'm now double-posting this drawing, in my opinion, it's the best that I've done thus far.

This goes to my Flickr account...