Week 8

This week in class we concentrated on the leg and knee. I worked with the thigh muscles on my Maniken and will most definitely be re-doing them. I am a little frustrated with this process because it seems that no matter how long I spend or how closely I observe, they look pretty awful! However, I know it is a valuable exercise and in the end will help me understand the human form better. I have redone my Maniken once now, some muscle sets I have done three or four times and I am at least relieved to say that every time I redo it, the better I get, so that is encouraging.

We spent quite a bit of time this week on long poses, which I had really struggled with in the beginning of the semester. I had trouble slowing down and being patient with myself and my work. I usually work very fast, and to some degree thrive off of instant gratification in my work. It has been a great learning experience for me to be forced to slow down and observe the forms more carefully. I have noticed a great improvement in my long poses since the beginning of the semester. My understanding of the internal structure of the body has expanded, which in turn has allowed the external form to come more naturally. I am still convinced, however, that the human form is the most difficult thing to draw or replicate! If one line, shape or proportion is off, even by just a little bit, the whole form looks very, very wrong. It is certainly not a forgiving subject matter, which puts me as the artist in a great position to learn. I feel like life drawing is a combination of art and science, and therefore exercises a different part of the brain than most art classes. While this aspect has been one of the most difficult for me, I also find it to be the most exciting!