2nd Entry for Apr 10, 2011

After that, I switched gears and shifted to compressed charcoal, also using 18 x 24" sheets of cartridge paper.  These are 10-minute studies.

1st entry for Apr 10, 2011

On the Sunday, S-  was working. I started with soft graphite on 18 x 24" cartridge paper. These are a 1-minute study above, and a 5-minute and 10-minute one below.

2nd Entry for Apr 8, 2011

The topmost study is 15 minutes, and below it are two 20-minute ones that ended the evening. All of these are using charcoal on 18 x 24" sheets of Japanese paper. The handling is a little rough in places, but there was an `airiness' of shading that I clicked into that night, and a directness, that I liked. Now, if I could only do that a little faster...

1st entry for Apr 8, 2011

On the Friday, I almost skipped out on drawing, but decided to go at the last minute.  K-   was working that night as well.  From the top, these are a 5-minute, a 10-minute and a 15-minute study. It took some time to get to any adequate drawing, but the bottom one worked reasonably well, especially the handling of K-   's hair.

These are all compressed charcoal on 18 x 24" cartridge paper.

5th Entry for Apr 7, 2011

(People looking for life drawing instruction - or basic perspective instruction - should take note that I have an intermediate/advanced life drawing class on Wednesday evenings starting in a few days at the TSA, and a perspective basics class on Tuesday mornings. Both run for 10 weeks, and you can get more info through the TSA website. There is still space for any interested students, and all ages of adults are welcome - but act fast - the window of opportunity is drawing to a close...)

These are two 20-minute studies, that finished the evening.  The upper one was especially strong, I felt, and perhaps the most successful one I've done using the compressed charcoal. That was partly due to my being in a good viewpoint in relation to what was a dramatic pose on A-  's part.

Not all physically taxing or unusual body poses translate into remarkable visuals, and location is an important factor - what is a striking collection of forms and angles from one place may not be so strong from another. But when someone's pose strikes a chord - and they are pushing themselves - it makes a heightened sense of an event that I as a drawer want to reach to describe. But for those to work, one benefits from all the practice time and experience in setting things down on the less dramatic moments, to be ready for when something subtle or dramatic does strike a chord.

4th Entry for Apr 7, 2011

I was feeling lucky - or maybe just prodigal - that night, so I shifted over to Japanese paper for the balance of the evening, but stuck with the compressed charcoal sticks.
These are both 15-minute studies, on 18 x 24" Japanese paper sheets. I haven't tried to modify them at all with graphite or other media, thus far.

3rd Entry for Apr 7, 2011

After a longer break, it was time for a few more gesture poses. These are two 1-minute studies of A-    , this time using a woodless compressed charcoal pencil on 18 x 24" cartridge paper.