Thanks Jacqui & Martin

Thanks to the two models at Tony Tribe's Summer School at Arts Alive in Crickhowel.

Drawing Robin on April 3rd 2014

Continuing on from last week with a plinth introduced as a new support point in addition to the matrix of rope and strap suspended from the ceiling, presented new challenges both for the model and artist.
Increased tensions within the body shortened pose times from the usual 30 minutes to 15 to 20 minutes. My view is that poses are: more contorted; hold increased foreshortening and perspective; have more twists and turns. I revelled in the experience. I believe I usually look to amplify any of these characteristics which might be suggested by a pose in my interpretation, but here they were in their raw state.

My two-handed drawing is now my natural way to draw. Most are pencil but today there are two two-handed fine-liner pen drawings. All are on A1 cartridge paper.

Drawing Martin on October 22nd 2013: a variation on my 5in1 series.

This drawing starts with three 8 minute poses at the start of the morning session. I've an HB pencil in each hand, and like nearly all my work it is on A1 220gsm cartridge paper. Although I felt that the three poses achieved a pleasing composition and I was fairly happy with the quality of my mark-making, in line with my recent intentions to introduce complexity into my work I decided to bring into the drawing some selected parts of the main pose of the day. Additionally I decided to change to 2H pencils and to utilise my exploratory squiggle technique. In this second layer of drawing I am trying not to use lines but to search for and create tonal areas.

 

 

 

 

This next project starts off again with a two handed linear drawing but this time of the main seated pose of the day. I then moved my easel around the studio to select parts of the pose to introduce complexity into the work. I am also searching to create ambiguity, which I have discussed in my previous '5in1' postings. I tightly grouped the five contributions together on the right side of the composition for two reasons, a) I liked the triangulations formed by the arm and legs and wanted this to remain, and b) by tightly grouping the separate parts I hoped to blend them together in order to introduce an uncertainty (ambiguity) which would require the viewer to 'look twice' to see what is happening. I think this is a fairly pleasing example of the anatomical gymnastics which has crept into my work over the past weeks.          

 

 

This approach is unplanned.

The composition is not designed.

The sequence of arrival of the contributions is to a large extent random, but their selection and placement does become more considered as the drawing evolves.

There is a hope that the whole will convey something more than just the sum of its parts: "I recognise a hand and a foot, etc., but how is this body possible? What am I looking at?" 

I could say my life-drawing is beginning to embrace elements which are abstract and surreal.