In retrospect: an iconic influence.

I use my Samsung Tablet in relation to my life-drawing in two ways. I photograph my drawings and post them on this blog. I also download the drawings of others which I feel relate to my own work and therefor are helping me to understand my own in some way. An image can have a direct impact on what I do. Some, I may find fascinating at the time but I may not consciously engage with them. However, I frequently sit quietly and scan through the 2 or 3 hundred images, and reflect on their significance and how they relate to what I am currently doing, and the issues I am currently engaged with and experimenting within.
Tonight, my attention was held by a drawing by Nicholai Fechin which I must have downloaded about four years ago but have not really revisited since. In other words, at the time I liked it, found it interesting, but I cannot recall the significance I placed on it at the time. BUT now it possess a magical relevance to my current preoccupations. Such as:
   the eye is taken on a journey up through the composition along the feet and hands
   lost or soft edges throw focus on this selected emphasis of the composition
   early marks remain to convey the history of the making of the drawing
   distant elements are lightly treated to convey perspective
   there is a real feeling that the drawing is being used to help the artist to see what is there.

To me it is irrelevant whether Fechin had any of these points in mind. This drawing is helping me to understand the process I find myself immersed in. So, on that basis, I thank Nicholai Fechin. And regardless of its relevance to my own life-drawing journey, in itself it is a masterly drawing
Fechin was born in Russia in the early 1880's and after the Revolution lived in the USA. His art is amazing.

Early Influences 7

Frequent and regular reference to fundemantal starting points are essential to engaging with the human anatomy, but also such aspects as mark-making and composition.

Early Influences 6

THE MODEL.  Early on, but not at the beginning, I became aware that a special relationship between model and artist emerged over time. This, of course, was dependent on having the same model over a period of time. I have been extremely fortunate that I have attended life-drawing sessions with the same models over a number of years.
Some time ago I wrote briefly of this. I feel very honoured and privaliged to be able to engage with such professionals.

Early Influences 5

Dee Berridge also helped, through her drawings, to get me to value 'line, tone and composition'.

Early Influences 4

I went through a long period engaging with tonal contrast using and playing with charcoal on gesso treated cartridge paper. This was a drawing which inspired and encouraged that approach.

Early Influences 3

There are a number of life-drawing artists whose mark-making I have enjoyed and admired, and who have influenced me to varying degrees. Here is one. Her principal vehicle is charcoal.

Early Influences 2

My visit to the Egon Schiele exhibition at the Courtauld enforced my love of his drawing technique and compositional skills. His line, form, and his placing of the pose within the page, all stimulated me to freely deliver through what creative abilities I might possess.

Early Influences1

When I began to be really captivated and fascinated by the processes of drawing the body my researches came across Nicolai Fechin. Here are two of his drawings which attracted my attention. Now, I believe their influence is significant, although I have not consciously followed his work.

A further step in my life-drawing journey

I frequently have a feeling that I am taking a step along my life-drawing journey within my basic philosophy that 'paths are made by walking'.
This morning, I did feel different. I went with an approach, an attitude, which I had considered. Last evening I attempted to articulate this, and I think this preparatory thought did set up within me a frame of mind which was relaxed but eager, was selective but flexible, was confident but open to uncertainty.
So, it appears that some rules are appearing: select that part of the pose which interests; employ three stages/layers of mark-making; structure points of emphasis within the overall composition; retain an articulation of the 'making of the drawing'.
But, I also have in mind the challenging quote from Helen Frankenthaler "the only rule is that there are no rules. Anything is possible. It's all about risks, deliberate risks". So having set myself up, I was in fact quite prepared to act differently. In fact, I believe my preparatory thoughts took place within the context of how I feel when I am drawing either Natalie or Robin, our two amazing female models. But today it was our other regular model, Paul. Equally captivating and a joy to engage with. Friendly and humorous, Paul the gardener, conveys through the size of his hands, shoulders and biceps the strength of a chainsaw user, very masculine, yet the slimness of his lower legs particularly convey a contrasting femininty. In the past Paul Fowler our tutor has frequently observed that I have responded to this contrast and that my sensitivity to this has found expression in my drawings.
So much for the analysis. And I recall two of the '10 Rules' popularised by John Cage in the 1960's, but originally put together by Sister Corita Kent:
"Do not try to create and analyse at the same time: they are different processes", and, referring back to Helen Frankenthaler, "Consider everything an experiment".

A1, 220gsm cartridge paper, two-handed drawing, woodless graphite pencils from 4H to 8B, 30 minute poses. At Paul Fowler's 'extreme poses' life-drawing class at Pegasus Art in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England.

Being selective then emphasising that choice.

The drawings in this posting are from a week ago, and these notes are written after a degree of reflection (usually I post the same day).
I believe that I am much more in control of what I find interesting in a particular pose, and then holding myself back from including that which I feel will distract from my main intention.
I first used two hard graphite pencils to explore spatially those aspects of the pose I was interested in, then two medium to start to place some emphasis, then I tended to mainly use a soft graphite pencil in my principal hand to provide focal points in the composition although I was trying to maintain my two-handed approach into this final third phase of mark-making.
Having clearly articulated, to me anyway, what happened, I will aim to continue with, and hopefully refine this attitude tomorrow. Again I will be at Paul Fowler's 'extreme poses' at Pegasus Art in Stroud.