Friday, March 4, 2011

NEXT SET OF FIGURES

Finishing up the Structure section of the book, Expressive Figure Drawing, we come to another few exercises.



First, the Structural Emphasis Exercise, reducing the contours to straight lines again.  You were to use a crayon or pen that can't be erased so you commit to the lines.

I had fun with this (using my new water soluble markers) and did the lines with red and then the shading part with violet and wet it to get the shadow shapes. 




Second, the Structural Strength Exercise, using chunky sticks (I used my conte crayons in 2 colors).

Using the red earth color first, mass in the body and then, on top of that, using another color, you do overlapping contour drawing.  I was supposed to make the contour drawing all straight lines again, but I forgot that was the requirement.





I worked with the beginnings of a sketch I had in my large sketchbook from classes way back when.





Then I did the final exercise, Structure Drawing with Conte Crayon (although I didn't use conte for this one).  Starting with the "hinged I" to get the direction of the torso, adding the rest, building out the body shape as I went and reiterating the lines.  I did this one with a piece of woodless graphite.




I drew in the hinged I for that position so you can see the shoulders, hips and torso and how it is flexed. 




The next section is on seeing the body as a variety of SHAPES.  Since we are all taught to paint shapes, not things, this one should be fun and also familiar.







I'll be writing up a summary for the next part of the Alice Neel biography for tomorrow, if you're interested in coming back to read it.


Also, I checked the photos I uploaded here (from my computer) and they all start with https:lh3.googleuserscontent.com
and I thought that meant they wouldn't show up on someone's sidebar?

13 comments:

Ricardo said...

Hi I want to congratulate you for your work in watercolor is wonderful, I love the way you highlight the picture with your strokes, very good work, greetings.

Anonymous said...

Hi Rhonda, Your drawings are interesting and inspiring! I'll have to try this with my studies of kitties and ponies!

RH Carpenter said...

Gracias, Ricardo, for stopping by and commenting. I just looked at some of your paintings - they are clean and you have lovely use of lights and darks.

Peggy, try these, you will enjoy them. I really like doing the straight lines instead of curves - it makes you slow down and take little bites of the figure, not such large shapes all at once.

AK said...

All these drawings are really interesting.

jgr said...

Rhonda, these figures are great! I especially like the first one--it reminds me of Picasso.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Asit :)

Jane, thanks, I was happy with the first one except for how strongly I did the collarbones - but it was all about angles and straight lines so it works.

Ann Buckner said...

Rhonda, the more I read your posts the more interested I am in the book. Like what you are doing and tickled you share it with us.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Ann, there's a lot to learn from the book just by doing the quick exercises - you could spend a lot more time of each section and make it a semester's class :)

irinapictures said...

No thumbnail in my blog((

Jane said...

You have done some great sketching Rhonda, showing excellently the tone and muscle, especially with the two women.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Jane :)

Irina, it should be showing - I wonder if there is another glitch I don't know about? I did change it so it should be showing in your sidebar...oh, well, not sure what to do if it doesn't work.

Unknown said...

Oh my! These are fantastic.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Tim. I'm glad you enjoy them.