5th entry for May 20, 2012

These are 15-minute studies, also done with hard compressed Nobel charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

If you're wanting to learn about life drawing, or want to re-connect with figure drawing basics, I have a summer evening class starting in a month at the Toronto School of Art. It runs 8 weeks on Tuesday nights, starting July 3rd.  It's the only evening beginner life-drawing class I offer in the year,  so take advantage of it while you can. The TSA's website is here.

4th entry for May 20, 2012

These are 10-minute studies, done with hard Nobel compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

3rd entry for May 20, 2012

These are two 5-minute studies and a 10-minute one below. All are hard compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of bond paper.
I saw J-   performing in a Butoh influenced dance piece he choreographed, called "The Lord of Death" two days earlier, and that was colouring the way I was trying to draw him. The background texture in the lower one (done while he was taking a break) was influenced by the stage lighting effects.

2nd entry for May 20, 2012

I was back in the evening.  J-  was working then. These are 1-minute studies, done with hard compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of bond paper.

1st entry for May 20, 2012

On the Sunday morning following a very solid week of teaching, I got in to draw for part of the Sunday session at the TSA. M-  was working. These are two 15-minute studies above, done with hard compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.
The bottom one is the same charcoal on a 22 x 30" shet of Maidstone rag paper, with a graphite underlayer on part of the sheet.
It was tricky trying to reconcile M-  's facial features with having the top of his head fading. It looks fairly disquieting, which I think is kind of interesting.

Entry for May 11, 2012

On the Friday night I got out for part of the evening drawing session. A-    , a new model, was working that night. The top study is done with hard compressed charcoal on an 18 x 24" sheet of bond paper.  The next two use the same materials on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper They are a 5-minute study at top, and two 15-minute ones below that.
The lowest one is hard compressed charcoal on a 22 x 30" sheet of prepared Maidstone rag paper, and was roughly 25 minutes.

Entry for May 8, 2012

On the Tuesday night I visited the more erotic-themed Keyhole Sessions drawing session. They are working through a series of Deadly Sins theme nights, and this was loosely structured around Pride as a theme, but that mostly translated into their standard fare of women in bondage/fetish ensembles enacting power dynamics with each other. D-  , who did the top tree poses solo was more clearly on-theme with her seated poses. She was also several months pregnant. Pregnant people's bodies are interesting to draw in any setting, but seemed more striking in this particular venue.

The sessions do offer the challenge of integrating multiple figures into a common space, and some interesting ensembles to draw, and on occasion some more deliberate facial expression than more standard drawing sessions. It is a stretch. And it definitely situates people into a more sexual context. My one quibble is that their presentation of that context is always along the same direction- one flavour. If one is to investigate more erotic imagery, it would be nice to be able to work with a broader spectrum of flavours. But it is what it is, and fun to be challenged by.

The top study is 5 minutes, the next ones of D-  are 10 and 15 minutes respectively, and the one of S-   and part of J R - is 15 minutes as well. they are all done with hard compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of cartridge paper.
The lower one also uses hard Nobel charcoal on an 18 x 24" sheet of Maidstone rag paper that was prepared with loosely applied bands of powdered charcoal.

3rd entry for May 7, 2012

A-  did a clothes switch, and these 25-minute studies ensued. The top three are on 24 x 36" sheets of Durotone extra white paper, using hard compressed Nobel charcoal.
The lowest one uses the same charcoal, but on a 22 x 30" sheet of Maidstone rag paper that was dusted with gray chalk powder.
None of these worked out perfectly - they have proportion and likeness problems here and there.  But there are things I'm happy with in each. Any of them could be the preliminary sketches for a more carefully worked-through drawing.
They were good costume and character practice.

2nd entry for May 7, 2012

These are a couple of 10-minute studies above, and a 20-minute one below. Hard compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Sketch paper.
Working in closer proximity in my space, I was finding it challenging getting A-   's whole figure on the smaller paper.

1st entry for May 7, 2012

On the Monday A-  was in working on some clothed studies.  These are all in the 3-minute to 5-minute range, done with hard compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of bond paper.

1st entry for May 6, 2012

On the Sunday I got out for a portion of the day's drawing sessions.  A-   was working that day. Above are a 15-minute and a 20-minute study on  a 22 x 22" and a 22 x 30" sheet of Maidstone rag paper. Both are done with hard compressed charcoal on a gray chalk underlayer.

The lower one is a 3-hour study, done using the same materials.

2nd entry for Apr. 30, 2012

These are a 25-minute study above, and an extensively reworked 20-minute study of S-    below.
Both are done with soft graphite on an underlayer of loosely applied bands of powdered charcoal.

1st entry for Apr. 30, 2012

On the Monday I got out to work with S-   for a while at the AGO. These are a 10-minute and a 15-minute blind contour study above (well, mostly blind...) and a 15-minute study below.

All are soft graphite on 18 x 24" sheets of cartridge paper.

3rd entry for April 29, 2012

Squares are a format I've been contemplating for a while, bur rarely investigate.  These are 22" square sheets of Maidstone paper.
The top study of G-   was roughly 2 hours, using soft graphite on a loosely applied powdered charcoal underlayer.
The lower study of N-  was started over 40 minutes, using hard Nobel charcoal over a lighter underlayer, followed by quite a couple of hours of after-the-fact reworking.

2nd entry for Apr. 29, 2012

These are a 15-minute and a 20-minute study done on 22 x 20" sheets of Maidstone rag paper. Both are done with hard Nobel compressed charcoal.
It has been a near article-of-faith of mine that the way to achieve a smoother grain of shading on a paper is having a soft pad beneath it, so the paper can flex under the shading tool, allowing more surface contact.
On these two I worked directly on smoothly sanded plywood with no padding beneath. The top one is using the smooth side of the paper, and the lower one using the more fluffy side, It generated sone different textures, and not-uninteresting ones at that, I felt. They have a more crisp, `graphic' feel, to me.
Just goes to show - it's good to try all sorts of stuff, and rule nothing out 'til you've tried it.

1st entry for April 29, 2012

I got out for part of the Sunday morning session. N-   was working then. These are a 5-minute study above and two 15-minute ones, all done with hard compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of bond paper.