Midterm

Before starting Life Drawing I, I was some what confident in my ability to portray the human form. Not so much the shell form- I knew that would be my biggest challenge. However, I knew that I needed this class to really learn the structures and reasons for shapes and contours. I think when I use to draw the figure, I was more concerned on the form based on the skeletal structure. Sure muscles were there, but it didn't click that they were how the curves and tones underneath the skin came from. I always hated cross contour drawings because I like to scribble my way through ideas and when I have to be smooth and follow shapes, it's frustrating. But, I'm getting better and starting not to dread them! So far, the thing that LD has helped me with the most, is to slow down my scribbling and to think about my process. The most I want from this class is to feel accurate when drawing figures.




Oh man, I sure love midterms this semester.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenzieowens/
Here are my drawings so far in Life Drawing 1.
I have a few more to add, including a photo of my ManiKen (Louis)-He wasn't 'ready' to be photographed when I was the other day....

Muscles

Between 5 hour drawings and clay molding, I do believe I am building some mean muscles... somewhere.

Just now I was thinking, how is muscle built/maintained. Why do muscles grow? How do they grow? Is it a chemical reaction or something else? I'm no body builder but I am curious of what it takes to make lots of muscles and how some people seem to be without any extra bulk.

I felt stubborn to drawing the shell at first. But once I sit down, I just go and try to get things right the first time. Or fixable. Sometimes I just want to lay the charcoal on the side and shade in order quickly show curves and depth. However, I haven't felt the need to for a while.... I wonder if I can anymore.

Trickland

I have not been on a field trip since middle school, so it felt awkward sitting on a bus full of people I hardly knew. Regardless, I have been out and about visiting and touring my share of museums recently. Not once while I was out on those adventures, was I able to sit down and really force myself to think deeply about a given piece.
At the Walker in Minneapolis, I walked into a large salon-style room full of 90 paintings. It had paintings that reached the ceiling with benches on in the center with binoculars to see the highest paintings. Although the room had giant paintings, I chose a rather small one to study called, Trickland by Michael Borremans, 2002.
Standing farther back from the work, it looks highly detailed and like it was painted with smooth and realistic craftsmanship. However, it is very choppy and busy in strokes up close. Almost like a gesture drawing. The piece is very dark in color around the outter edge and only lightens up slightly from the shadows. The details such as the eyes and delicate noses are deep shadows. The figures look like children all seated and playing with a mock farmland, but it is adults-old women, farmers, mothers.... all placing their hands down on what seems to be a model of a country side.
When I looked at the painting, I felt drawn to it because on how the figures-although not highly detailed, were painted with detail to human proportions.