Preliminary Figure Drawing

This is an unfinished drawing of a standing model. Similar to the two drawings I last posted, this model's back is (somewhat) turned toward me. I laid in the the initial structural foundation for a finished drawing. The drawing is visibly schematic and geometric, with straigt lines and sharp angles, as opposed to the natural roundedness of a living being. This is a manner of setting up a drawing that I adopted many years into my practice of life drawing. Prior to adopting this method, I would take a few minutues to very lightly sketch in the volumes of the body as variably sized circles, elongated ovals, and rounded rectanges. I would then define the figure by drawing the contours of the models' shapes to bring the figure to a finish. I would add modeling ("shading") or not, depending on the time available and if I wanted to go beyond merely linear drawings. I was not a naturally "painterly" draughtsman, (that is, an artist who depicts the subject with broad planes of light and dark tones). I am, by nature, inclined to see and rely on contour lines. However, in the later years of my attending life drawing, the changing instructors tended to set up long drawings--that is, the drawing session would be devoted to drawing from a one long pose, either three to six hours, depending on whether we would be drawing the model for one session or two. In the years prior to that, my instructors tended to have us draw shorter multiple poses in one three hour class, from one minute gesture drawings, to five minute, 10 minute, 15 minute, and 25 minute poses, ending with one 50 minute pose, (with a five minute rest at the midway). With such short poses, I didn't have the time (or inclination) to try to apply more than rudimentary modeling, if any. (I have posted drawings here that are obviously primarily "contour drawings.") With the three- and six-hour poses, I took the time to erect the basic figure, using straight lines and sharp turns to achieve more accuracy in recording the figure. This is a typical way that life drawing is taught. I am of two minds about it. I appreciate the gains in my skill in perception that I acquired in adopting this schematic approach, but I feel that I lost, to a degree, the natural, "living" quality that I see in my earlier drawing. Also, there is a pleasure in just "knocking it out," and producing a satisfactory drawing. It feels more spontaneous, like playing, as opposed to the methodical "work" of building the figure from the foundation up, step by step. That said, I am pleased with this unfinished "schematic" drawing. (I had been drawing the model as the instructor was lecturing, and the pose was not intended to be resumed after the 20 or 25 minutes lecture was concluded.) However, I see in my drawing the model's head is too big relative to his body.

Two Backs

I have no memory or documentation to indicate when I drew these two models, but I can tell they were made years apart, with the drawing of the male model being an earlier drawing than the one of the female. I can tell the drawing of the male model was a short-ish drawing, probably 10-15 minutes at most, given its lack of detail. The drawing of the female model took longer, given that I took the time to lay in the shape of the shadow pattern on her figure. However, it is incomplete. It is too schematic for this to have been what would I intended as the final finish. It is fixed in that half-way state been preliminary "blueprint" (so to speak) and completion.

Lanky

I can't recall how long this pose was, but given the detail, I'm guessing it was a long pose of 50 minutes, (two 25 minute posing sessions with a 5 minute rest pause for the model). There were longer poses in which the pose would last for the entirety of either one or two drawing classes, (each class duration was 3.5 hours with 5 minute breaks every 25 minutes and one 25 minute long break for the model and the artists). In such cases where the pose lasted for two classes, the model would return to the next class session later in the week or even the next week and resume his or her pose from the previous class. Again, thinking back to my drawing skill at that time and the appearance of this drawing, I'm pretty sure this to have been a 50 minute pose.