Figure Drawing
Every Tuesday (with the exception of summers) I draw from a live, nude model. I set this class up more than a dozen years ago with the intention of not only improving my drawing skills but developing a community of like-minded people. A couple of them have drawn with me since the start.
Not only do I love the process but I think figure drawing is essential to one’s visual art practice. Drawing from the model teaches foundational and fundamental skills: hand/eye coordination; proportion; form; learning to see amongst them. Over time, with practice, we can develop these and more.
But, I’m all about the line. I love an expressive, varied line. Thick and thin and in-between. Fluid but intentional. That’s what I’m aiming for. It’s nice to achieve an accurate rendering of the model but, for me, the energy and emotional aspects are more important.
I use black conté for the larger works on newsprint and Sharpies for the smaller ink drawings in sketch books. On occasion I use pencil but it’s not my favourite medium.