Week 1

Continuous Line Drawing, 30 minutes

Tuesday was spent working on shell drawings. I found it interesting to examine the shell and discover its similarities to the human body. The curves, the angles, the points and the smooth surface are all reminiscent of the skeleton, which is not a connection I had ever thought about or observed before. We started class with blind contour drawings. This gave me an opportunity to really study the shapes within the shell without worrying about how accurately I they were being portrayed on my paper. We then drew the shell once more, this time while looking at the paper, but using only one, continuous line. This gave me an opportunity to follow the contours and see the shell as shapes inside a form. This allowed me to draw what I saw, not what I thought the shell should look like. This activity also gave me a chance to really focus on my line and mark making, which is something I think I can improve upon during this course.

Spinal Study, 3/4 view, 5 minutes

Thursday was spent studying the spinal curves. We studied each spinal section individually to define visual landmarks which would allow us to have a reference point while doing our model drawings. It was also discussed that the spine is where all movement begins, so mastering the spine will be the first step to mastering movement in the human body. We then drew quick sketches from the skeleton models from four different angles. The goal of these drawings was to accurately, but quickly depict the spinal curves from the neck to the pelvis. I was surprised to observe how dramatic the curves actually are. One doesn't usually think of the spine as being so curvaceous. I knew the curves were there just by knowing my own body, but I still thought of the spine as a pillar of strength, which to me conjured up images of straightness. Understanding the forms in the spine and its curves will be very helpful in understanding the figure as a whole.