Life drawing is a challenge to describe. You think you know what a body looks like, and then when you draw it, you have to throw all of those notions aside. Try to draw a hand the way you see it - it is a pile of ovals and lines - and it makes no sense objectively.
Same goes for arms, the face, the shoulders, the legs - they all have curves, movement, and grace that needs to be SEEN to be drawn, and it is a constant battle between what your mind THINKS it should see and what is actually in front of you. Good exercise. It hones how one observes and how one can have the confidence to draw with an intuition that it will all work out in the end.
Timed drawings are a particular challenge - and I love the last few minutes when I get to tie it all together, either with a wash for shadows or with some white conte crayon for highlights.
Judith was my model tonight. You may remember her from a
couple of years back. There is something about her that brings out my best - I did the drawing above in 20 minutes. Time well spent.
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