Drawing 2 Part 1 - Project 4 - The Human Form

"Make a drawing of two combined body parts."

Life drawing doesn't start again until February and the son-at-home baulked (as usual) when I suggested he sat for me so I was my own model which has limitations of viewpoint but is quite liberating in that I don't have to please anyone else with my drawing.

I liked the idea of a hand holding a foot as it was easier to generate some tension but drawing myself meant that my first preferred pose had a lot of foreshortening which was distracting.

Some sketchbook studies with varying degrees of photo quality.

The scanner doesn't pick up the crayon as well as a camera

This is the image that I like. I started drawing from life but I was getting very cold feet which is good for keeping the urgency and energy in a drawing but not so good for making a close observation of the subject.

I like the simplicity in this sketch

Here I used more coloured crayons and hinted at the floorboards crossways to break the flow of the lines created by the hand and foot.

The next version using conventional coloured pencils is more detailed because I used the reference photo although I took out my little finger which in the photo is weird and distracting. 

and I quite like this crop

The problem with drawing in detail from a photo is that it can get a bit stuffy so I turned the heating up and tried to be a bit more experimental with conte. It's not entirely successful but it is livelier.

I also experimented with a different pose. This has no background because I want the viewer to wonder what is happening.

In reality it's not as exciting as the drawing might suggest....

I also tried the same pose with coloured crayon which isn't as successful .

Reflection

The drawings that worked for me are this one which sends the viewer in a circle from the bottom left hand corner along the limbs and out up the arm. It is a bit static but it disorientates slightly because of the lines of the floor and the angle of the limbs.

Also this version which also sends the eye along the arm up to the leg. It has more tension partly due to the medium and partly due to the pose.

I have enjoyed this exercise and I think that shows in the drawings. I liked the challenge of creating something interesting with the limitations due to the lack of a model. Generally when faced with a model I draw the whole pose and it makes for a more interesting image to focus on just part of the body.