A few weeks ago, Tommy Van Auken came to our art class and taught us about his techniques for figure drawing. We worked in the Black Box using large pads of paper, charcoal pencils, and we were able to draw from a real-life model. We focused mostly on making very quick drawings, in order to gain an understanding of how to convey the movement of a figure with only a few lines. I really loved this experience and I learned a lot, both about how to quickly draw from life, and what I need to work on in the future.
One of the most valuable things I learned about was how using parts of the skeleton, such as the ribcage and pelvis, can help map out the movement and proportions of a figure. This technique helped me a lot when we had to draw very quickly, and will continue to help me in the future. I also learned more about the line of movement of a body, its importance, and how diverse it can be. Before these lessons I thought that the line of movement referred only to the spine, but in reality it converys much more than that, and can change greatly as the figure's weight is shifted.
In the future I would like to get more practice with drawing slow contour lines, as when we did that exercise in class I wasn’t able to slow down as much as I would have liked to. I would also like to get more practice with proportions, especially with legs, as those have been a weak point of mine for a while. In some of the earlier figure drawings we did, you can see that the thighs are far too long in relation to the calves, and that I went over the legs too many times because I was unsure of their proportions.
I’m really happy that I was able to be a part of this process, and I can’t wait to use the skills I learned throughout this year.
The first photo is the art skill inventory we did at the beginning of the year, and the rest of the photos are of drawings we did with Tommy, and are in chronological order.
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