Hello all. It’s been a long time since I updated, which I credit to both being busy and just forgetting. Nonetheless, it’s been quite the ride these last 3 months. I’ve been going to life drawing constantly (roughly 3 days a week) and the ROM once a week. It’s a lot of drawing. For a while there, it seemed to go ok. Eventually though, things started to get a little off with my life drawings and with my regular drawings. Now, I’m no stranger to having streaks, and I deal with those when they come. Usually it’s a day, day and two, three if it’s bad. But I bounce back. Â Around the middle of June, I was having a lot of trouble with my life drawings. Things weren’t working, and they were off becuase things just weren’t coming out quite right. So I saw my former instructor Chris and we figured out what was wrong. No problem, I thought, I can fix it. It wasn’t happening, and I was still struggling. I couldn’t get it sorted out, and it was really driving me wild, because all the core skills and ideas were there, but they weren’t coming together.
Fortunately for me, or rather, unfortunately, I should say, I got a bad flu a few weeks back. I was out for a whole week, and I didn’t draw all week, didn’t think about it, didn’t even listen to my music I always do. Then the Monday when I was better, I started to draw again, and it worked! Everything that I was struggling with was becoming natural again. I wasn’t thinking or overthinking, I was just doing it as it happened, going with the moment like I always did. I think I was over-extending my mind and thinking too hard about what I was doing, trying to make sure I was approaching things properly, thinking out loud “ok, now we have to do this” “remember that”. My mind was buzzing and I couldn’t “see” things properly. Now, with a it of mental rest, things are working better.
The reason for this development is the way I draw. Having internalized the methods I was taught (boxes, proportions and other such ideas), I decided that forcing myself into boxes (which provide a good sense of mass and give indication of the major parts of the body) stiffened me up and wasn’t producing the best results. So I keep those always in the back of my head, and just focus on the model and what they are doing and draw it. I like to think of myself as a “method-drawer”, for the reason that I don’t operate on a set plan ( I keep those ideas with me at all times), but choose to just go with the pose and draw the movements and what I see. My “sight” or ability to internalize shapes and solids and forms is strong and has to be, since it’s tied to how I draw. That’s why I feel I am strong with blind contours, since it relies so much on that sight. Sometimes, when I’m really “on” I get the Maurice Richard eyes. This sort of looser, freer style is good becuase it gives you a lot more emotion and life.
The problem with it is that becuase I don’t operate on a “schedule” or plan, I have problems with bad days, since I don’t have a lot of approaches. If I’m not “seeing” right, it’s tough. I also have to keep my mind from over thinking or thinking about things, hence the music, but that can be an issue sometimes.
Anyway, here’s the artwork for this month/week/time..
