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.