Picabia here I come........

Tomorrow we will have another virtual life-drawing session by Andrew with himself as the model.

Andrew has let us know the following poses: 1x15minutes, 1x25minutes and 1x45minutes. I prefer the longer pose. So this is good. I am proposing to make the most of the concentration required to address the longer pose, but also to attempt something which I have not previously experienced. I will place all my responses to all of the poses on one A1white cartridge paper.

So, there will be overlap, super-imposition, different scales, one pose upon another. There will be transparency, perspective and depth, There will be a spatiality within the confines of the frame of the paper. 

There will also be confusion and ambiguity. There will also be a morphing of parts. There will be unexpected and unanticipated anatomical juxtapositionings, all of which will surprise, and hopefully delight by their bizarre emergence. 

As I approach this experimental process what are my questions? 

My constants are: an A1 sheet of cartridge paper, portrait format (this I am familiar with so here I am within my comfort zone. This aspect is a controlled variable). What do I draw with? Most recently, with the models Wren and Fra, I have frequently reverted to and exploited my big thick stick of willow charcoal, with very satisfying outcomes. I use this in my dominant right hand. But previously for a long time now I have exploited drawing with a fine-liner pen in each hand: hence the nickname of '2pencilbob'. I have also for a number of years enjoyed graphite pencils, ranging from 4H thro' to 9B (although I have rarely found the harder leads to be useful). My thinking is that I will need to use a diversity of mark-making materials in order to distinguish and differentiate between my responses to each pose as I place them on top of or adjacent to each other. Picabia used variety, sometimes heavy bold outlines of faces interplayed with much more delicate and sensitive drawings of whole bodies and architectural features. The overall constant in this coming session will be 'line'. Tonal engagement will be kept away (except where a line indicates tone). The weight, and the intensity, and the power, and the depth, and the quality, and the characteristic, of each line will be differentiated. THIS IS MY INTENTION. 

What is my approach to be? I will not place the first pose over the whole paper using a heavy line. I will probably commence with fine-liner pens, drawing small and subdued, and with minimal impact on the paper. I will probably gradually build up a sequence of forms which overlap to a limited extent. Marks then may become bolder. Truth is: I don't know. 

Now, As so often recalled, pre-planning goes out of the window soon as one sits and engages with the model. Can't wait to witness what happens this time.....................keep in touch!

AND, This is what happened........

Three poses and a selective response to each: 

a) an arm using 4H graphite pencils

b) from the foot right up to the head using fine-liner pens in each hand

c) a lovely perspective pose, foot to the fore, simply outlined with my big thick willow charcoal stick.

Afterwards I then quickly dipped my finger into my pot of charcoal powder to transform my line drawing into a 3D sculpture. 

The virtual session (which started at 19.00hrs) finished at about 20.40hrs followed by us all showing each other our drawings and enjoying a brief discussion.

I then photographed my drawing and posted it on the group's 'Cluster' so that we can all see each other's output and make comments on them. I then added my pieces to this posting which I had previously written.