Life Drawing in the Absence of Models

Eve, a drawing of a statue of a bare lady, almost like life drawing

Here we are then. A couple of dreadful sketches from real life, courtesy of passengers on SouthWest Trains, and one of a beautiful statue in the V&A museum. It’s unfinished, time ran out and I had to be somewhere else. And it’s OK but not that good. More of a learning experience. So what did I learn? That I need to practice more, and that I need to measure better to get the proportions right – the body is too short and I have lost some of her feminine curves. I plan to go back and draw Eve again, but perhaps with grey paper, chalk and charcoal.

As for the commuters, both of these are unfinished because they got off the train before I had a chance to finish. I know, I know, the lesson is to draw faster. I just can’t seem to do it though!

Passenger 1, girl with a wide mouth

Passenger 2, bloke on the train

Sunbathing

Sketch of Lady Sunbathing

OK so I have mostly been sunbathing, and jolly nice it was too. But I did take a moment now and then to draw and this is probably my favourite result from the summer weeks. Don’t you just love the way the spiral binding and perforations in the paper intrude on the subject? Hmmm… Must try harder and scale things to fit.

Haven’t booked any classes for September yet. I don’t know if I can afford it really, but I will miss the benefit of a teacher to tell me what I am meant to be doing, the regular meetings with like minded people, and of course the models without whom I will once more be reduced to trying to draw people in public. I may have left it too late to get on any good courses anyway.

Another Coup for Antiques Roadshow?

You may recall the hype surrounding the amazing “discovery” on BBC Antiques Roadshow, when the council brought in a smaller version of the Angel of the North, which they knew they had and is not an antique. Well don’t you just bet they are already planning to “discover” this model of the Angel of the South in a few year’s time.  Yes Kent is to have the biggest statue of a horse that anyone’s ever built. A towering 50m or 164 feet in the old money (how many hands is that?) and costing a mere £2,000,000.

Even ignoring the Antiques Roadshow potential there is still so much fun to be had here.  “Kent, it’s a one horse county.” And depending which way it faces, visitors coming at it from the “south” will be able to gaze straight up the biggest horse’s arse in the world. “Kent, UK, home of the biggest horse’s arse!” Surely something we can all be proud of.

Without even pausing to consider how many life-saving operations might be performed for £2,000,000, how many Tony Blair peace missions to the Middle East could be funded (4 apparently), or how many starving people could be fed, there is one extra-bright spot on the horizon. It hasn’t got planning permission yet. Perhaps it may never be built. And then just think how that will push the value of the brand new antique model of the world’s biggest horse’s arse that never was!

The View from the South

Life Drawing – Chalk on Blue Paper

Bare Lady in Chalk

The last Bare Lady picture of the term was a study in chalk (and a little charcol) on blue paper. I think I used too much chalk as some other people’s pictures left more blue paper showing and the greater contrast was effective.  I quite like my drawing though, except I have made the model look mean and grumpy when in fact she has a lovely sunny personality!

Life Drawing – What no volunteers?

So far nobody has volunteered to model for me. Perhaps I should have advertised more widely. Never mind, the replacement class is tonight and I will be one of the few attending. I’ll put up the picture tomorrow (unless it’s too awful!). Think I will slope off to the British Museum at lunch time and get some practice in by drawing the statues. I find drawing is like sport, it helps if you warm up a bit first.