Drawing Jasmine on June 1st 2010

It is four weeks since my last life-drawing session. I have been to Croatia for three of those weeks: visiting family, eating sea-food everyday, exploring fortified towns, enjoying the warmth of friendly people and the sun and the islands. Upon my return, a week of physical activities: planting out lettuce and brassicas, squash, cucumber and courgettes, peas and beans, and sweet-corn, all of which had been growing in pots in the poly-tunnel whilst I was away. And so it was, with some hesitation, and a feeling of uncertainty about my drawing confidence, that I re-engaged with my Tuesday life-drawing class, run by Angela Palmer at Brockweir in the Wye Valley, on the border between Wales and England.
As usual at the start of the day three 10 minute drawings. My technique is here, but they lack a certain quality of 'life' and 'spirit'. They are all on A2 white cartridge, using conte crayon. Below are the three 10 minute drawings at the start of the afternoon session. I see in these an engagement with the flow and poetry of the female form. The lines and marks on the paper are free and flowing. This indicates to me that I am back.

So , let me reproduce the two I am happy with. They also represent and illustrate two recurring images of the female form which fascinate me and with which I have become almost obsessive about. Firstly, what I refer to as the compacted and triangulated form.

Secondly, that which I have referred to in the past as the iconic female image.

For the charcoal and pastel drawing below I had no plan. After the four week break from life-drawing I had no particular 'thread' to pick up and take further. The perspective of the overall form of the body, the magnificent bottom and thigh, and the contrast of this with the complex geometry of head, arms and breasts, were the principal issues in setting up the drawing. I very quickly constructed the drawing to deal with these issues, and then set about throwing colour at the paper. I would say that the result has a certain un-controlled dynamic about it. This is on a sheet of A1 white cartridge paper.

After lunch I felt relaxed, and felt that I was 'back into life-drawing'. This is charcoal on a buff A1 newsprint paper. There are about six layers of drawing each rubbed over with tissue. Marks from each layer remain to exhibit a history of the drawing process as the final result is searched for. Whilst I was pleased with the composition of the whole body on the paper, I felt that the mountainous landscape of arms, hands and breasts required emphasis so I have cropped this part of the drawing to end this posting with.