Sunday, June 22, 2008

FDW - Sessions 6











More train wrecks but there are some improvements. Getting quicker at laying in structure and quick simple value shading. Times range between: 10secs - 25min

I also bit the bullet and purchased some time on the xTrain website where Ron Lemen has his training foundation videos. I highly recommend them if you're unable to get any formal training... shit, even if you can get formal training, his instruction are still very informative. I've been using his charcoal pencil technique; shaving them down with a strait razor. Doing that provides a lot of options for mark making. Sadly I went through 2 pencils cause I kept breaking the tips as I shaved them down. doh... But I really like the resaults.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

FDW - Sessions 5




(^^Attempting to fudge poroportions when you don't give enough paper space = Fail, though I like the form on the waist to legs)








I think that I get too dark too quick. I still don't have a controlled handle over structure, form, and value to warrant the value range I use. I get results but not the ones I'm looking for... drawing time range from 10 seconds to 25 minutes.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Figure Drawing Workshop - Sessions 4











Last nights results I've enjoyed. I feel my confidence growing in capturing the basic structural shapes, though there are still some poses that are hard to break down quickly. Using the simple lighting technique is going well. I still want to rush which results in my mark making muddying up the shadow planes. I think this tendency to hurry comes from years of schooling and the need to get done quicker or to "finish" the piece quicker for a grade (even though art is hardly ever finished.) Slowing down (I still value my ability to get a quick picture of the whole and want to retain this skill) a bit will help me not make so many mistakes in the tougher areas of poses or form construction. Practice, practice, practice...

These all vary in lenght from 10 secs to 25 minutes being the longest.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Loomis Exercise 1 - Blocking Forms, Planes, and Lighting



"When white paper is used for the drawing, the paper theoretically represents the greatest--that is, the plane which is at right angles to the source of light. In all cases other than flat-front lighting, the form is rendered by the correct interpretation of the direction of the planes away from the right-angle planes, or the turning away of the form from the source of light." - Andrew Loomis
"The first and brightest planes are called the 'Light planes.' The next planes are the 'halftone planes,' and the third planes, which are unable to receive direct lighting because of their angle are called 'shadow planes.' Within the shadow planes may be those that re still receiving subdued, reflected light; these are called 'planes of reflection.' form cannot be rendered without a clear grasp of this principle. The planes are worked out in the simple order of: (1) light, (2) halftone, (3) shadow--which is the darkest and is at the point where the plane parallels the direction of light, and (4) reflected light. This is called 'simple lighting.' It is unquestionably the best for our purpose." - Andrew Loomis
My initial study above was decent but lacks repetition in doing more of them. For the moment I traced the outlines of the examples Loomis provided in his book (only a couple made up.) Filling in the form myself just to get a sense for how he starts and ends his lines. I see a lot of subtle dark to light line quality. He's pressing hard at first then possibly flicking away. I'm over complicating his mark making but I think a lot of that helps reinforce the illusion in areas where no contour edge is used to indicate form; if the mark has a darker to light line quality the form can sort of float in space and read as form. He has a lot of these floating marks in his examples.

I'll be supplementing this exercise in tomorrows Figure Drawing Workshop session. Focusing primarily on Loomis's "simple lighting" techniques, and posting my results.