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.