The Process 1

This is the first pose of the day run by Tony Tribe at Arts Alive in Crickhowell on November 26th. The model is Penny. This is a 10 minute pose.
In these 'Process' postings I want to try and relate the essence of my thinking at the time.
Here I was immediately attracted by the back of the head appearing over the shoulders as they curved away from me, and the curve of the back. These I explored on the A1 220gsm cartridge paper with a graphite pencil in each hand with fairly gentle flowing lines. Also the triangular gap/space/view formed by the arm, leg and torso through which I could see the folds of the tummy and the breast, was essential to emphasise in the drawing. I picked up two softer pencils and strengthened these components of the pose. But then I also wanted to let my drawing tell that I had appreciated the form of the whole pose, yet the scale I had already used to respond to the parts which had attracted me at the beginning meant the bottom, legs and feet should be off the paper. So this is where I employed my 'anagram' approach, which is when I include all the parts but deconstruct the pose and reconstruct the parts in a new relationship to each other. I then picked up a 7B or 8B pencil in my right hand and introduced heavy marks/lines at points of tonal contrast. Then time was up. Not sure what else I would have included with more time. I often say that it is important to stop before ones gets to the end, so knowing when I have reached a point in a process of mark-making, after which unnecessary/redundant and often damaging work can often be added, is for me a critical skill. For me this drawing holds the essence of what I was experiencing during the ten minute process.