The Envelope Please.......

Our second portrait drawing class concentrated on seeing the big shapes and angles of the head. We followed a classic figure drawing method of creating an envelope around the head, with just a few lines. Then we started to refine our lines, breaking up one line into several small shifts. We had marking points, and used our centerline as well. We concentrated on this linear, angled and measuring approach. We applied it to shadow shapes given longer poses towards the end of class. Our model, Roger M., was fantastic!!! Our new student got right into the swing of things and the experienced students really took off with these concepts.

The Envelope Please......2

So many exciting drawings, what a great model, and fantastic drawings from everyone!!!

A Stellar Start to the Portrait Class Feb-March Session

Today launched our second session of the Portrait Drawing Class. We will be working in black and white this session, and I will posting drawings each week.

We talked about composition, how artists think about placing the head and looked at some examples from Gaugain and Van Gogh. Everyone drew quick thumbnail sketches of some possibilities of placement of the head within the rectangle.

As a guide to get started we talked about construction lines that help set the features. We also saw how depending on the tilt of the head, those classic construction lines don't always work and we need to trust our eyes. We used measuring with our pencils held out in front, to check angles and distances. Our model, local musician, Dave Meissmer, was GREAT!!

A Stellar Start to Our Portrait Class Feb-March Session 2

This is going to be a wonderful class, I can see already there is a lot of skill in this group, we will be seeing some wonderful portraits. Check back each week this spring to see how we are progressing.

Week Six, The Jaw Bone is Connected to the Ear Bone.

Today we looked at the placement of the ear. Shannon agreed to model, and I filled in for the final hour. We talked about the jaw bone and how it leads up to the ear. We talked about parts of the ear. How to loacate the ear canal, and some of characteristic folds of the ear. It has been a great pleasure to work with everyone, and I hope to continue all the good work next session. Scroll down and into "older Posts" to see what wsift progress everyone is making. Being big on values,lights & darks, I'm especially happy to see everyone go bolder with the darker values.

We have 3 exceptional young artists in our group, 11,11, and 15 years old. They are doing wonderfully, working at an adult level with ease. Grace did an exceptional job this week capturing her mom's likeness! Her sister Fiona, will be having an art show at the Lavender Day Spa with her own solo show of collages and Encaustic paintings. Opening is Feb 15th, 7 to 9 pm. Very Nice work!!!

The Jaw Bone's Connected to Ear Bone....2

More great drawings from this last class in our series. Such steps forward for everyone!

Week 5, the Expressive Mouth

Things are really starting to come together for this Portrait Class, our model was wonderful today and here are some of our efforts:

Week 5, Expressive Mouth Part 2

Today we took a close look at the mouth, noting the philtrum, above our lips. and the curve of the upper lip. We saw how the upper lip is often in shadow, and the lower lip catches light. The cast shadow from the nose moves over the topography of the philtrum. We saw that the line across the mouth isn't a straight line, instead following the lobes of the lips. We also noted that the corners of the mouth have soft indentations. Our model today was outstanding, local musician, Dave M., held fantastic expressive poses. I have a photo of Dave and then a posterized version, showing how the shadow shapes become a flat shape before we add details. It's hard not to go straight to details, but artists will get better drawings by mapping out bigger shadow shapes and major construction lines first, and adding details later once things are in place. Across the board, everyone is making great progress!