Drawing lessons from life
My first life drawing class in six or more years took place this week. I’d forgotten, for better or worse, how fun it really is to observe and draw from life. We spent close to two hours making gesture drawings from one-minute poses. The third hour was devoted to five and ten minute poses.
At this point, my lack of practice shows through in the lines and marks I make on paper. Drawing is a discipline, just like playing an instrument, and after a seven-year break from drawing, I shouldn’t be surprised at the hesitation I saw in some of my lines.
However, I can always remind myself of the lessons I wish to take away on my first day back in the drawing studio:
- Remain unattached to the results. This means not getting caught up in the desire to make a pretty picture. This means focusing on what I see and realizing that the marks I create on paper represent my interpretation of that figure at that moment in time.
- Learn from others around me. The beauty of this class is that I am surrounded by folks who have been drawing from the figure for many years. I can either view them as a threat, because their pictures are prettier than mine, or I can view them as masters who can share their experience with me. And, there’s the first lesson to remember…
- Have fun. Right, yes, I remember. Having fun is a big part of the reason why I draw. I actually enjoy it!
Though I’m discouraging myself from getting attached to the results, I do want to share the drawing I found to be most successful in capturing the essence of the pose, the one included in this post. Unfortunately, I don’t have a scanner that can handle 18×24 sheets of paper, and between the poor lighting, my digital camera, and photoshop, what you see is the best result.
It will be interesting to see how my drawing progresses through the next several months.
