I am a bit rusty with my knowledge of the human body so I thought I would partake in more figure drawing workshops. An artist I admire recommended "Life Drawing Muze" at Artshare LA. A great program. 10 dollars for each 3 hour session of straight drawing . I could not find the right materials to do pastels, so I brought water colors. I am not great with water colors, but I need to improve my skills there so I figured it would be easier for the first time. I am making the main category for this post drawing rather that painting because it seemed more appropriate for the topic.
Below was my first study, you can see how stiff I am. The model was great, stood perfectly still and he was very handsome.
The second image was perhaps my least favorite; I have to learn to work between model breaks because it is impossible to return to the exact same pose.
The last image was perhaps my best composition, as I was remembering how to enjoy the process a bit more. I made the body fill the space completely and paid close attention to both negative and positive space.
I was a bit sad that it ended just as I was getting into it, but I will definitely return; maybe with pastels or vine charcoal next time. I like working with watercolor but I find for figure studies I like a material more forgiving for exploration and discovery before the final composition is worked out. I was able to do more than I thought with watercolor this way, but perhaps I should return to it when I am less..."rusty"
I like that the sessions are right in the heart of the arts district. I stopped at the "Piehole" for a slice of pie before heading home. It was delicious, a thanksgiving turkey pie complete with cranberry dressing, and it was a great place to wait for an Uber on a Wednesday night.
I really like the one with him standing up.
Thank you. that was hard because he looked like he was in pain. Or perhaps that was just me remembering what it was like being an artist model and knowing how much pain I would be in for that pose.
Standing still that whole time is not easy. I had great respect for the life models we drew in college.