Ahhh Thursday nights always feel great – six hours of drawing time. I can only imagine what it would feel like to do six hours a day, every day, five days a week like at a full time Atelier program… or how fast one would grow. I go to a total of nine hours of class a week plus add another seven for drawing at home, that’s about 16 hours a drawing a week. (I also paint but I am not including that.) I am growing so fast even at two days a week that even though I feel down and frustrated at times, I can not help but notice my growth.
The bargues this week were amazing. I started a new one, the leg. I had my block in done in three hours (!) – a full, correct, solid block in. I was not rushing, or going for time – I know this Bargue is easily going to me 30-40 hours. It just flowed like water from my eye to the paper. It happened before I could even think about how it was happening.
I have done some nice art in the past, some paintings, some pastels. When I get it right I always have this feeling of “ya but, can I do it again” or “how on earth did I do that?”. It always felt ‘lucky’ when I hit it, and most of the time I did not hit it. In this case, I had a successful drawing session and know exactly how I did it and that luck had little to do with it. This is a revelation. This is why I am stydying classical drawing. What really excites me is that it will just get better and better.
The live figure drawing is always more of a challenge for me and this week was no different. However, this week something subtle happened that I think will be key in my progress as I move forward. I trusted my eye. The Bargues are teaching me that I can make correct marks. The tools support my eye and my eye is not enslaved to the tools. Find your place (measure), look hard, think and make your mark. Check it… adjust. What is amazing to me is how often when I check it I am right on. I used some of that ‘style’ today as I slowly worked my block in. I would trust my eye, use my eye THEN go back to the tools to validate my judgements. I progressed much faster this way and had more on the paper for the teacher to work with at the critique. Again, it’s only going to get better.
This is my third block in and is part of a five week pose taht I really want to do a good job on because the pose and the model are really beautiful. There is a movement in the pose up the figure that inspires me in this one.
SW 