Drawing Angela on 24/11/2011

This was a fascinating morning at Paul Fowler's studio at Pegasus Art in Stroud. Not only had I prepared a number of A1 papers the night before but Paul wanted us to start off by using his clay based materials. He provided pots of clay and water mixes, brushes, sticks and pieces of card. 

For my first two drawings I used brush and clay, together with some pastel and pencil, on prepared gesso treated cartridge paper to which I had added some red acrylic ink.

For my third drawing I again selected a gesso with acrylic ink prepared paper. This time juxtaposing the pose with the gesso structure on the paper.

 

The next is a charcoal drawing on A1 cartridge paper which has been treated with clear gesso. However, this time there are two added areas of 'somewhat aged' tissue paper. You will see that a rectangle of tissue paper was torn diagonally, moved apart, located to the top right and bottom left corners, so creating a diagonal void from bottom right to to left across the paper. I placed the pose in relation to this diagonal void and allowed the charcoal marks, on the different surface textures, to do the rest.

Finally, and with another prepared paper, I played with charcoal. Clear gesso with some added acrylic inks had been randomly brushed on the paper but leaving about 50 % of the surface untreated. A thick stick of charcoal, drawn across the paper responds differently to the raw paper and the gesso surface: soft on the paper, darker and more intense on the gesso as the charcoal is gripped by the 'sandpaper' character of the surface.

Drawing Jamie on 22/11/2011

Here are four A1 drawings on cartridge paper in which I am continuing with my palette of techniques. 

Drawing Angela on 17/11/2011

I'm at Extreme Poses with Angela in the ropes, and today Paul Fowler started us off with two exercises. 

Firstly, an approach taken from Giacometti in which we were asked not to remove our pencil from the paper during the ten minute execution of the drawing . This was nothing new to me as I have pursued this approach on many occasions previously and enjoy it.

Then Paul illustrated with a number of Van Gogh drawings how blocks of marks/lines/shading can be used to build up a picture. Again ten minutes. I followed this approach and could not resist adding a few lines to help convey the pose.

Then on to a thirty minute pose. I did not do justice to the length and structure of the torso but the relationship of the head to the legs in the construction of the perspective was basically OK.

Here I attempted a single line drawing. However, I was unhappy with the unsophisticated outcome, so I played with it and added some finer pencil marks and some tonal treatment.

The approach to each of the above drawings was pre-planned and carried out in a self-conscious way. A useful exercise.
But for the last two poses of the morning I felt a real need to be more expressive, yet I am certain that as a result of the earlier 'considered' approaches these two soft pastel drawings were constructed less hurridly than usual and that each mark was more carefully considered.
The technique uses the soft pastel stick on its edge either to make a linear mark or to draw it across the paper.

Drawing Jamie on 15/11/2011

Just a quickie to start with to recall some techniques I have been engaging with recently.

Then two ten minute poses superimposed.

Followed by a 20 minute charcoal drawing.

This standing pose is a ten minute charcoal drawing. Somewhat crude.

Another attempt to relate a pose to a 'recycled' earlier drawing which had been treated with clear gesso with a touch of phthalo turqoise acrylic paint. For the male model I used soft pastel.

The earlier seated pose from the other side of the studio this time using three tones of soft pastel. I am attempting to slow up the drawing process and be more selective with the marks made.

And finally a fifteen minute soft pastel head at the end of the day.

At Extreme Poses on 10/11/2011

Same model as last Thursday, November 3rd.

For this first drawing I spent more time looking and thinking than actually drawing. This is an approach I have been keen to pursue. But it is unusual for me as I tend to explore the form through drawing it, often many times.  Here I studied it and then drew a line, studied it again then drew a line, and so on  and carefully selected lines and tonal blocks. I used an HB pencil and two soft pastel sticks (black and grey) on their edge.

The next drawing was not successful. I wanted to continue in the 'style' of the first drawing but somehow this got lost. I think I also wanted to set up a dialogue between two 'journeys' up through the pose. The main journey being a flow from the left  foot, up the leg then connections up to the head. The secondary journey would then be conveyed in a very different technique and set of marks in light pencil. The idea being that a dialogue is set up between these two. I conclude that execution does not do justice to the idea. So I will return to this concept next week.

So for a third drawing I returned to a familiar technique in order to capture and convey:
(i) the poetry and grace of this beautiful model, and
(ii) the 'extreme' nature of the pose as the model balanced within the rope structure.

Drawing Penny on 08/11/2011

I went to life-drawing today with no expectations as to my approach, technique or medium. What emerged was somewhat surprising and rather pleasing!

A new model at Extreme Poses

I believe this was the first time that the new model had climbed up into the matrix of ropes in Paul Fowler's life-drawing studio at Pegasus Art in Stroud. She took to the challenge very well and admirably held each pose for about 30 minutes.

Pencil and charcoal on A1 cartridge paper.

Charcoal on clear gesso treated A1 cartridge paper.

A pastel drawing juxtaposed against an earlier 'recycled' drawing which I had brushed over with clear gesso.

This final pose presented a major challenge and I completely failed to capture the perspective of her body as she leaned backwards. Her left knee should be slightly higher and much further to the left and the lower leg should be much shorter. However the marks made using a soft black pastel stick on its edge in the areas of the shoulders and hair are very satisfying to me, so I have included a cropped drawing below in order to concentrate on them.

Drawing Penny on 01/11/2011

A typical session of life-drawing at Angela Palmer's studio in the Wye Valley in which I used mainly charcoal on A1 cartridge paper.

The first drawing is of two ten minute 'warm-up' poses in pencil.

Then two ten minute poses in charcoal.

I then addressed the seated pose in three drawings.

This one is in pastel, and superimposed on a recycled drawing which has been treated with clear gesso.

Finally, I stood close to and over the model.