Final Post-Features

Final Post-Gesture Studies

Final Post-Long Pose Drawings

Final Post-Self Portrait

Final Post-Summary

Knowing only that Life Drawing entailed drawing nude figures and live models, I was understandably apprehensive about the class itself. This realization, coupled with the fact that drawing the human form and portraiture are two of my weakest areas when regarding drawing ability. Just by nature, I feel compelled to make sure that the subject is represented very accurately and this commitment to detail usually causes me to become frustrated with my work. However, this semester taught me how to quickly and accurately represent subjects that usually sent me cowering into a corner.

One of the most definite benefits from taking this course was simply the exposure to the subject matter. As I said before, I attempted to avoid this subject at all costs. By committing to the three hour studio sessions that incorporated numerous gesture and long-pose drawings, I was able to overcome this stumbling block.

Another achievement that I was especially proud of as a direct result of taking this course was the development of confident mark making. My drawing style is very loose and gestural by nature, which lent itself well to quick studies. However, when it came time to complete a long pose drawing, these techniques became less desirable. The diversity of drawing experiences forced me to adopt another, more structured and confident, system of mark-making. I will still admit that my approach is heavy-handed although this too has improved.

The human form is a complex one with numerous angles, swells, dips, rounds, edges, etc. Such a challenging subject will undoubtedly challenge even the most experienced artist or designer. Though the exposure to figure drawing was enough to gain valuable experience, the in-class instruction provided corrective inputs that allowed me to see specific shortcomings in my work. These helpful reminders allowed me to improve my perception of depth and foreshortening and all other areas of spacial relationships between forms.

Another useful tool that promoted this understanding was the sculpting of muscles onto the manikin. This may have been my favorite aspect of the course because my mind tends to work on a three dimensional axis as opposed to two. I also enjoyed working with the clay itself. It is very rewarding when you have completed a large section of adjacent muscles and they are representative of the true form. I also grew to be very efficient in creating muscles to affix to the skeletal structure after a while. I developed my own method for construction that served me well, if only I had realized it sooner!

Overall, my experience with Life Drawing was overwhelmingly positive. I overcame my apprehension towards the subject matter, my drawing skills and techniques improved and I was allowed to participate in a new and interesting sculptural experience. This class also paired especially well with Human Body and Form, an industrial design studio course that analyzes ergonomic issues and product interaction. I would recommend taking these two courses concurrently to other ID students in the futre.

Blogging

So far, my opinion of the blog continues to vary. While I never expected the outside of class work involved with a drawing studio class, I appreciate the introduction to a new medium for displaying my work. I also enjoy writing and the construction of a personal blog site has promoted my interest in writing. I personally feel that my blog is well constructed, informative and provides a decent reflection of my personal work. However, if I were to represent myself professionally I would spend more time evaluating the layout and I would be far more selective of the content included. However, when you have to constantly make scheduled blog postings, it is difficult to take some of these creative liberties.

Though this is a useful personal tool for each individual student, I know that it has personally only helped me to view the blogs of other students so that I can keep up-to-date on assignment deadlines for my own personal blog. I never feel compelled to browse other student's blogs and I comment on them only as often as required. When viewing other student's blogs, I noticed that many of them lack comments of any kind. All in all, the experience has been interesting but I feel it would be more useful as an informative activity or segment of the class rather than an assigned add-on.

Long Drawings

This first drawing is the most dated of the three. However, it, more than any of the others, captures the musculature of the form. This muscular definition is at least partially attributed to the fact that the model was male. Generally speaking, the muscular structures are more visible in males than females, which lends them better to representational drawings of muscular systems. Though we have been privileged to have Ashley, our male model, for the majority of our live drawing sessions, his often complex poses leave me struggling to accurately depict the form itself. During this particular session, he assumed a much more neutral and much more readable pose. This provided me with the opportunity to concentrate on the visible muscle structures we had discussed in class.

The proportions of this study are quite accurate but, with any drawing, there are a few discrepancies. The hips, though not directly represented, should be torqued more towards the upper left extremity of the paper surface. This lack of consideration causes the right leg to read as being longer than the left. This issue may also have been better resolved through the use of lineweights to distinguish foreshortening. Their is some consideration paid to the use of lineweight, but it is inconsistent. The left leg is the closest form to the viewer, however, the foot on the base of the same leg is faintly rendered.

The pose, as I mentioned earlier, is basic and relatively easy to read. The figure is seated and leaning away from the foreground. He is also resting his head upon his hand while using the seat of a stool for support. The ribcage is viewed essentially in profile. The external obliques are evident as they wrap around towards the anterior side of the figure. The recognizable curves created by the hamstrings and quadriceps, along with the protruding curve of the gastrocnemius are easily identified as well. The ripples of the external abdominals are also visible. Though we have not studied the arms, the forms of the bicep and tricep are visible along with the muscular contour of the forearm as it attaches to the elbow.



The second drawing, pictured above, represents a middle ground between the other two drawings. Represented here is a strong balance of proportion, lineweight and muscular structure without any one of them being outstanding over the other. Without the one notable exception that the composition is relatively weak, having the hand cropped out of the picture plane, all of the other areas remain well resolved.

Though the lineweight exposes little variation, there are fewer and fewer strokes used to represent and individual line. The muscles developed within the structure of the form are drawn more faintly than the line suggesting the overall form of the figure. Despite the muscles being difficult to discern on the actual figure, the gluteal muscles and the external obliques are visible as they wrap around the posterior region of the model. Spinal erectors also started to emerge as they contoured to the long axis line which represents the spine.

The figure itself is also portrayed in convincing proportion with no glaring errors noticeable. The pose, though simple, was easily portrayed. The model is simply seated, resting her arm upon an elevated surface, and facing away from the viewer. This drawing depicts areas of progression in my work perhaps, most notably, an accurate portayal of the model in pose.



The final long drawing is the most recent of the three picture here. The most impressive aspect of this particular piece is the realization of form and proportion. The depth, despite any strong variation in lineweight (a recurring flaw) is very convincing. The foreshortening of the torso is especially useful in designating the orientation of the model. The legs, a common problem area for me as well, appear to be in equal proportion to one another. The foot nearest to the foreground is also well accomplished, considering we have yet to examine this area in depth.

It is not to say that this drawing was accomplished without error. There is a vague, though noticeable, outline surrounding the defined form of the model. Due to on simple scaling issue, the rest of the drawing was thrown out of proportion. After some careful adjustments the end result is a success.

Further development of my future drawings will focus heavily upon the intentional application of line and lineweight. Muscles will be addressed in more extensive detail and, granted the time, adding value to these drawings is a crucial step that I have yet to explore. Though charcoal is far from my medium of choice, it would be beneficial to practice a technique that challenges my drawing ability.

Gesture Drawings

The three drawings pictured above are the earliest representations of gesture drawing completed in my Life Drawing 1 course. All of the drawings are characterized by a single-weight, rapid and expressive line quality. Perhaps this line quality is simply a reflection of the relatively short window of opportunity provided to complete each piece. Each sketch fills a space approximately 8" by 14".




Contained within the same sized picture plane as the sketches completed in the early stage of the class and within comparable time frames, the results achieved in these sketches are much improved. Rather than portraying a bloated, marshmallow-man figure, there has been a progression to central axis drawings which depict the human form much more accurately. The introduction of the pelvis and rib cage specifically contribute to the perception of the figure in each gesture study. These two forms are subject to linear perspective and this allows them to read spatially far more effectively than any simple outline drawing. However, the line quality has appeared to decline as all other aspects have improved. It is my opinion that, now that I know what is expected and have been provided with accurate examples of how the figure should be drawn, my confidence has fallen. Initially, I was unaware and must have felt that my gesture drawings were perfectly adequate. Obviously, this was not the case and may have caused my current mark making to become tentative and nervous. This, more than anything, is a quality that I feel my drawings still have yet to develop.

Manikin (summary in-progress)

At this stage in manikin construction everything seems to be going smoothly. I now have a certified method for producing each muscle...

1) Knead an appropriately sized ball of clay
2) Roll the ball into a log approximately the overall length of the muscle under construction
3) Flatten the log on a hard surface using the palm of the hand
4) Carve a shallow outline of the form of the muscle itself
5) Complete the outline and remove the muscle segment
6) Adjust and attach the muscle to it's connection points
7) Shave the muscle down to achieve the proper contour, final form and proportion
8) Create or emphasize the "line between the functions"

So far, this process has served me well. It is not only accurate, but also, relatively time efficient. I only wish that I had realized this method earlier. The spinal erectors, being the first muscles that we constructed, appear to lay a little flat when compared to the rest of the figure. I have molded them over time but, it is difficult to accurately modify an entire group of muscles after they have already been placed upon the model. Connection points cannot be moved and the relationship of one muscle to the next is challenging to alter. Another area for improvement was indicated to me during the last class session. The lateral side of the foreleg, which attaches the flexors and extensors of the toes, is too pronounced. In actuality, the lateral bone on the ankle joint protrudes further than any of the muscles located in the same area. Also, when viewing the posterior side of the leg, the tendons of the gastrocnemius and hamstrings meet behind the knee and the void between them is an obvious diamond shape. In my manikin, this void is more triangular in shape. These are the most notable flaws in the construction of my manikin thus far.
However, I feel that the overall strength in my particular manikin (affectionately named Johan) is the distinction between each muscle. Many manikins appear to have been placed in an oven. Their muscles run together into an amorphous mass or, it appears that a large hunk of clay was attached to the skeletal structure while individual muscles where whittled out of a larger structure. Also, the craftsmanship of each muscle appears to be well-considered. There are no unexplaned lumps, divits or surface undulations. I took extra time to ensure that the surface texture and construction quality would not distract from the form of the muscles themselves.

Radio Station Logo

For Graphic Design 1, we were directed to create three logos for three different genre radio stations. The logos above were created for a soul radio station, a news/talk station and a jazz station. Through an extended developmental process, the three stations pictured above are the colorized end results for each category.

Automotive Design

http://www.dieselstation.com/

Dieselstation.com is primarily an image database that displays "cutting-edge" automotive design. However, they also host design contests and represent some of the high points in classical car design as well. My initial motivation for entering the field of Industrial Design was to eventually become a car designer so I find this particular site to be, essentially, as good as it gets.

Manikin (emphasis hamstrings/quadraceps)

The final stage of manikin construction moved the most quickly. Having experienced hang-ups and navigating the provided text several times at this point I felt that my understanding of construction and muscular structure had advanced. There are 3 separate muscles that compose the hamstrings, 4 quadraceps and 5 adductors. The hamstrings flex the foreleg while the quads perform the opposite action by extending the foreleg. The adductors purpose lies within their name as they provide hip adduction and rotation to a degree. Each of the muscles share relatively common connection points which I had encountered before so this issue was easily overcome. The only truly challenge was to imitate the true volume of each muscle group. I noticed that my hamstrings fell a little flat and seemed inadequate in volume. However, the relation of the parts came together to create a relatively cohesive unit. All in all, the experience of construction muscular structures upon a manikin has been intriguing to say the least and very informative.

Manikin (emphasis gluteal region)

The gluteal region is comprised of both heads of the gluteus maximus (iliac and axial), the gluteus minimus and medius along with the tensor fasciae latae. The maximal region is repsonsible for hip extension while the minimus and medius are concerned with hip abduction. The maximus, medius and minimus are almost exclusively visible from the rear while the tensor can be seen in the front view and slighty more in the front 3/4 view. The construction of this muscle group was confusing. The images represented in the book seemed to be disconnected and poorly related to one another. I realize that my tensor was constructed too far towards the rear of the figure which caused all of the subsequent parts to appear long and sinewy rather than representing more of a quadrillateral form. However, each piece, disregarding the tensor, was comparable in size to the next which allowed the construction to move quickly. Rather than construct each piece methodically before placing them on the figure, I made a crude form, attached it and then shaved away to achieve the appropriate contour.

As a group, we gathered to discuss our progress. I remained a little behind schedule but was able to complete the structures later that evening. We were all within relatively the same stage of completion so we simply set our models out and compared them collectively, providing input and critique as a whole.

10/50 Minute Gesture Drawing

The two above drawings were created first, as a ten minute study and finally a 50 minute drawing. The drawing on the left represents the 10 minute interval while the one on the right represents the 50.

The ten minute study has a few notable flaws. The torso itself is obviously too long and accounts for far too much of the body mass. Rather, it should be relatively foreshortened as the figure is turned away from the viewer. The hips are also not oriented correctly. They are represented completely in profile while they would otherwise be seen at some sort of angle. The discrepancy in the hips causes the legs to be sized disproportionately which creates the illusion of a hovering figure, rather than a seated one. The lineweights are somewhat haphazard and there are altogether too many lines to begin with. However, the structures of the rib cage and pelvis are apparent though their proportions and relation to one another are also a little skewed. These inherent problems were rooted in the long axis drawing. Having drawn the spinal curve too long, it created a negative relationship among the rest of the parts. The musculature surrounding the skeletal frame is representative with extra detail payed to the definition of the triceps and calves. The shoulder blade is also a visible peak in the subjects back and the pectoral muscles can be seen curling underneath the crook of the arm. Compositionally, the work is simple. The subject is centrally located and involves most of the picture plan with no cropping or excess of negative space.

The second, but first 50 minute drawing is much more well accomplished than the first. The proportions represented in this model are far more representative of the human form. The structure of the rib cage is very evident and it involves the musculature arround it accurately. Though the pelvis has been erased almost to the point of non-existance, it's influence upon the muscular region surrounding that area is evident. The gesture is also clearly defined with the figure leaning away from the viewer and resting his head upon his hand with arms crossed. The definition of the calf muscle is again evident but the muscle groups studied in class are relatively lacking with a simple amorphous outline designating the volume of the overall form. Again, the linework lends little to perspective or distinguishing one form or plane from the next. Clearly, this is an area in my drawing that needs development. The angle of the pelvis is slightly flat which caused confusion when trying to draw the second leg receding into the background. Other than that consideration, the rest of the drawing seems well accomplished. Compositionally, again, the figure occupys sufficient space and remians entirely within the picture plane.

Group Meeting 1

It was noted to avoid drawing in muscle tendons as it distracts from the behavior of the muscles. Tools were discussed, from techniques on carving to how to get into gaps with a smooth finish. The bulk of muscle was brought up and it was determined to feel your own muscles and build from there. The length of tendons as well as their connecting points were compared as well as the lower longissimus thoracis . Eric has had to remove muscle mass in order to place form underneath and build off of. Cal's mannequin has a fashionable mustache. For the actual building of the muscles, either rolling in the hand or flattening of the muscle was found to be easiest.

Manikin (emphasis spinal erectors/abdomen)

All of the spinal erectors are visible in both the rear and rear 3/4 view. The nine individual muscles that comprise the spinal erector set are responsible for flexing the cervical and thoracic vertebrae as well as the articulation of the neck. These muscles were especially difficult to construct due to their complexity, small size and the sharing of many common connection points on the skeleton. The external obliques (obliquus externus abdomimis) can also be seen reaching around the side of the manikin towards the spine. They function to flex the lumbar vertibrae and compress the rib cage and abdomen. In the front and front 3/4 views the obliques and abdominus rectus are also visible, including the tendonous separations between each individual abdominal muscle head. Initially, I began by trying to sculpt each of these individual muscles to exact scale and size before placing it on the manikin. This proved to be difficult because it is hard to account for twists, tapers, and interaction with other muscles. I was able to use my thumb and forefinger to smooth out the clay surface however, which created a sinuous and smooth finish that disguised any tool markings. The construction of each of the following muscle groups was interesting and provided a novel experience.

Pelvis Master

The first pelvis study was originally created by Luca Signorelli and was again a part of her piece, "Resurrection". The pelvis is viewed from behind in this instance, allowing the viewer to notice the posterior superior spines and the gluteal folds and cleft.



The second re-worked master drawing was selected from the much larger piece "The Triumph of the Bibulous Silenus" by Maerten van Heemskerck. The pelvis is noticeably foreshortened as the iliac crests are directed towards the viewer. The visual center, located around the sacrum, recedes into the background, suggesting a foreshortened perspective.


"Adam", created by Albrecht Durer in 1507, represents the final pelvis study. The pelvis is visible, open faced and without distortion. The anterior crests are easily visible and the location of the inguinal ligaments is noted.