3rd entry for September 25, 2009

These were 15-minute poses as well.

2nd entry for September 25, 2009

These were two 15-minute poses that B- took. At the time I was feeling quite rusty in terms of drawing, but the images are fairly strong in hindsight. What is lacking in terms of fluidity and proficiency of response can sometimes be redemed by the enthusiasm of returning to an activity one likes. It was a huge improvement on the Tuesday evening, which had been `rust-o-rama' night....

1st entry for September 25, 2009

On Friday I was able once again to go drawing, over at the TSA. B- was working. I haven't drawn him in a while, and I enjoyed the opportunity that night. I missed the very first set of short poses he did, and these are all 10 minutes in duration.

2nd entry for September 22, 2009

These were 20-minute poses from later in the evening. It wasn't one of my strongest drawing nights, but S- was a very nice model all the same. I don't feel I properly did her justice with these images, but came close in places.

1st entry for September 22, 2009

Owing to more bad time-management, I missed the first 25 minutes of the Tuesday night session at Artists 25. It was a very humid day, which meant my paper was softer than usual, and it wasn't adding to my joy.
The model, S- , was another person I had not drawn before. These are 2 10-minute poses she took. The drawings are a little rusty, having missed out on warming up properly.

3rd Entry for September 18, 2009

These were 15-minute poses. After those were finished, it was back to setting up for what turned out to be a very enjoyable evening at the Queen West Art Crawl.

2nd entry for September 18, 2009

These were two 15-minute poses.

Note - the last few days I haven't been doing as much figure drawing, on account of spending a lot of time preparing for the Queen West Art Crawl, where I was exhibiting work today, Sept 19th and tomorrow - Sunday, September 20th from 11 to 6 at Booth A65, in Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto. Some life drawing and some more pattern/biology oriented mandala drawings in pencil. Hope you will come visit!

1st entry for September 18, 2009

On Friday night, I took time out of my preparations for the Queen West Art Crawl to do some drawing at the TSA. M- was the model, and I had not drawn her before. These were some of the 10-minute poses she took.

Note - the last few days I haven't been doing as much figure drawing, on account of spending a lot of time preparing for the Queen West Art Crawl, where I will be exhibiting work Saturday Sept 19th and Sunday, September 20th from 11 to 6 each day at Booth A65, in Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto. Some life drawing and some more pattern/biology oriented mandala drawings in pencil. Hope you will come visit!

2nd entry for September 15, 2009

These were a 20-minute standing pose and a 15-minute seated pose.

Note - the last few days I haven't been doing as much figure drawing, on account of spending a lot of time preparing for the Queen West Art Crawl, where I will be exhibiting work Saturday Sept 19th and Sunday, September 20th from 11 to 6 each day at Booth A65, in Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto. Some life drawing and some more pattern/biology oriented mandala drawings in pencil. Hope you will come visit!

1st entry for September 15, 2009

The Tuesday was another one where - due to other interests - I was only able to get to the last half of the drawing session at Artists 25. M- was working. I haven't drawn her in quite a while, but she goes back quite a way, and it is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to draw her. These were both 20-minute poses.

Note - the last few days I haven't been doing as much figure drawing, on account of spending a lot of time preparing for the Queen West Art Crawl, where I will be exhibiting work Saturday Sept 19th and Sunday, September 20th from 11 to 6 each day at Booth A65, in Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto. Some life drawing and some more pattern/biology oriented mandala drawings in pencil. Hope you will come visit!

4th Entry for September 11, 2009

These were 15-minute and 20-minute poses that J- took at the end of the evening. after a lapse of time. I was pleased that I wasn't too rusty.

Note - the last few days I haven't been posting much on account of spending a lot of time preparing for the Queen West Art Crawl, where I will be exhibiting work Saturday Sept 19th and Sunday, September 20th from 11 to 6 each day at Booth A65, in Trinity-Bellwoods park in Toronto. Some life drawing and some more pattern/biology oriented mandala drawings in pencil. Hope you will come visit!

3rd Entry for September 11, 2009

These are both 15-minute studies.

2nd entry for Sepember 11, 2009

These were 10-minute poses.

1st entry for September 11, 2009

There is life beyond life drawing, and for a week a number of events involving friends, Z- and performances took precedence. It was a pleasure, though, to sit in on the friday session at the TSA. J- was working. She has been away from modelling for some time, but did an enjoyable set of poses. These were some 1-minute and 5-minute poses that she did.

3rd entry for September 2, 2009

I was feeling confident enough in the drawing that night that I tried out an idea that has been in my nmind for a while. In these two 20-minute studies, I tried setting down the mid-tones in a lighter value while drawing, and dropping them out in places altogether. I'm intrigued by the effect, but it required quite a bit of concentration to maintain.

2nd entry for September 2, 2009

These were two 20-minute studies. I realized after it was finished that I had inadvertantly given C- my bodily proportions, despite his being several inches/centimetres higher than myself, so I have stretched this image approx 10% from the neck down. Photoshop is great for testing out where one makes proportion errors...

In drawing the sitting pose C- took, I decided I wanted to convey more of the surroundings. The scene struck me as quintessentially `art studio': here is C-, sitting steadfast, looking into middle distance, arm propped on an interestingly engineered selection of stool, pillow and footrest. Behind him is a swath of fabric with a dubious floral pattern from the eighties.

This to me is a good example of one of the challenges in drawing from a model in a studio like this. Time limits the possibility of drawing the background, so usually I skip it. But the surrounding space is sufficiently random that either one has to find a way to depict it with love, or use something else as a background. My instinct suggests the latter route, as C- is a very interesting-looking and intense person, and in this case I don't think the environs underscore or heighten that.
I'm interesred in what others do about surrounding space. Commeents please- what strategies do you like to use in terms of seetings for figure studies?

1st entry for September 2, 2009

Through the summer, I teach a drawing class on Tuesday nights. It wraps up at the end of August, so on the Tuesday I was able to go back to Artists 25 to do some drawing. C- was working. These are 5 and 10-minute poses that he did. Like all the other posts that do not indicate otherwise, these are done on 24" x 36" sheets of newsprint, with HB conte crayon.

3rd entry for August 28, 2009

These were all 15-minute poses. As I have noted, I think that the G- 's anatomy - especially her bone structure - is a little more sensitively described here than usual.

2nd entry for August 28, 2009

These were all 10-minute poses.

1st entry for August 28, 2009

The period between the 16th and the 28th was a busy one. I had work in an exhibition, took a weekend roadtrip to Montreal, and taught a 5-day anatomy & drawing workshop.
So it was not until the Friday night that I had time free to go sketching. On Friday, G- was working at the Toronto School of Art. These were some 5-minute and 10-minute poses that she took.
I find that whenever I teach a topic, it is reflected more strongly in the studies I do. This being the first session I was drawing at in over a week, I was a little rusty. Nevertheless, I do feel that the body strucyure is set down a slight bit more clearly in that evening's studies.