4th entry for March 12, 2009

We moved into 5-minute poses, and switched over to a pair of silks, which P- had not tried in quite some time. Her experiments in suspension were interesting - often as if she was `caught in a web'.

3rd entry for March 12, 2009

These were some more 3-minute poses that P- took. At our break we were comparing notes - I find drawing a figure in a big hoop especially challenging, as the figure's parts have to hit on the right part of the circle, plus it often swivels slightly , which - especially end-on to the rim - noticeably changes how things line up against each other. Others like the hoop for just that reason- it offers a visible `frame' to help gauge where limbs are.
All the same, I'm happy as a clam while I'm working on these, even when it is more of a stretch.

2nd entry for March 12, 2009

These were some of the 3-minute poses P- did that evening.

1st entry for March 12, 2009

On Thursday, Z- came and joined me to visit the aerial drawing session at Diane Mcgrath's studio. We found P- working there. I had had the opportunity to draw her once before (check out the January archive for entries on Jan 15th.) For the first part of the evening she was working on a suspended hoop, which was where I had left off with her before.
The studies here are, bottom to top: 30-seconds, two 1-minute and two 2-minute studies.

At this session I usually get in on time, and always find I benefit from the very fast, scribbly gesture studies. You can see the transition from more loose and all-over marks to more focus on outlines and specific shapes as the time available increases.

While you don't see scribbly marks in longer studies, I find it invaluable to know whre they might go, and think it is useful to reconnect to that energy at the start of a drawing session. It informs the longer drawings.

Entry for March 10, 2009

E- was back working on Tuesday night at Artists 25. once again, by the time all necessary errands were done, I got there with only enough time to catch the last hour and a half. These were all 20-minute poses.

5th Entry for March 8, 2009

These were 15-minute poses. Typically for me, the amount of the body that gets drawn in is contingent on how effortlessly the person's face comes into focus. Which is why back views and profiles tend to be more complete figures than when the person is facing foward. It wasn't a speedy drawing night for me, but it went quite well.

4th Entry for March 8, 2009

The 10-minute poses were `head and shoulders' time for me: just long enough to shoot for a likeness, but only enough time to work on that.

Happily, for both R- and me, these don't look nearly as much like me...