Short Pose Figure Drawing Class (part two)

As I mentioned yesterday, last week I took a five-night workshop from Greg Follender at The Art Students League.  The workshop was all about learning to draw the figure in a very short amount of time.  We did a lot of 30-second, 1-minute, and 3-minute drawings, along with some longer (5-15 minute drawings).  There were two models: an extremely thin woman and a super beefy man.  This is Thursday & Friday.

Thursday

My 30-second drawings are definitely feeling less stiff and capturing more of the gesture of the figure.

That's a 30-second drawing next to a 3-minute drawing.  You can see how the extra time allows you to take the stick figure and add meat to the bones.

What I love about this drawing is how the model's weight is clearly on her right foot.  The instructor kept telling us to make sure we were clear about where the model's weight was and this is one of the first drawings where I feel like I was able to properly convey that.

The instructor gave us black paper and white conté crayon.  Our instructions were to draw the light and the mid-tones.  Super interesting exercise.  My whites are too bright and there isn't enough midtone, but it's amazing how a figure emerges.

The two models posed together!  It was such an interesting challenge to try and capture both of them and their very different bodies mushed up against each other and to try to convey his strength as he lifted her. 

This series of 30-second drawings may be my absolute favorite drawings from the entire class.  They're so alive and yet also somewhat accurate.  They really convey movement.  I love them!

We did more black paper & white conté crayon drawings.  The instructor lowered the lights in the room in order to make the light on the model more dramatic.  It was not easy to draw on black paper in a dark room, but I loved this exercise.  I can see more midtones in these drawings than the first one.

Two longer pose drawings.  I think the first one is 5-minutes and the second one is 10-minutes?

Friday 

After steadily improving all week, I feel like Friday was a step backwards. These are 30-second drawings.

Body too short, head too big.  Face enormous.  Ugh.

I was amazed that the model was able to hold a shoulder stand for 3-minutes.  Very impressive!  That left leg is weirdly wide, don't you think?

The models posed together again.  Obviously he couldn't hold her for too long, so it's a quick sketch.

Props got involved.  This was a big hammer and it really changed the story of the movement.

This model did a lot of squatting poses and I had trouble getting his back curve right and the flare of his thighs, but this drawing feels pretty accurate to me.

I had to draw the stool and drape in, otherwise I didn't think this drawing would make any sense.

Cape, sword, and mask.  These were the final two poses of the class.  It was interesting to add the cape.  It's amazing how much it changed my perception of the model's body.

All in all, I think it's kind of amazing how much I improved from Monday to Friday.  I still have a long ways to go, but I am very encouraged.  I just need to keep practicing.  I'm convinced that the key to being successful at almost anything is practice, practice, practice.  

If you get a chance, check out my instructor's blog.  He creates beautiful drawings in almost no time at all.  It's amazing.

Thanks for stopping by!