Block In 16: Entire Figure

Block In 15: Resting Man 4

I couldn't resist shading and turning the form just a little. But back to more block in tomorrow. Keeping my promise of doing ten Resting Man and ten Crouching Man before I go on to block another figure. I also need to draw from life more...Bill? I think so! My only willing and dependable model besides Lilly.

Pretty close on accuracy today. Only spent a half hour. I was just pooped out. Whatever will I do with a six hour class for five straight days in January? I need to do some weights to build up my arm or else I won't be able to draw at the easel for that long.

Block in 11: Cat 3

Lilly's easy to block in since from the back she's just a little black chunk of angles clearly outlined against anything light colored.. Hmmm. I need to remember that when I'm trying to do more complicated things....just look for the simple outline, lines and angles. (And of course, Lilly, when sleeping, moves hardly at all!)

Block In 10: Clothed Figure 2

A ten minute, quick block in of Bill while he was reading and petting Lilly (and stubbornly setting a ten minute time limit due to TV football kickoff!)

Block In 7: Crouching Man 1

As Juliette Aristides recommends in her book on classical atelier drawing, I am doing a line block in from a wonderful drawing of hers. The idea is to use as few lines and angles as possible to capture a likeness and the 'gesture' of the figure. I sure didn't accomplish the likeness and gesture here.

I traced her drawing first, and then laid that tracing over my finished drawing to see how accurate I was. I'd give my self a C- mostly for effort, not so much for result. It is difficult.

I'm going so far backward into the basics, I feel that soon I'll be drawing only straight lines side by side, lined up like little matches. But all this is supposed to make my painting (remember painting????) stronger. I hope as I work my way back from these basic steps I will see stronger work.

And remember, the intense five day workshop with Ms. Aristides is in January. So I am still in a state of panic.