Most of the subscribers to this blog are artists, so they understand why I love figure drawing...and drawing from life in general. For non-artists, direct observation (not from photos) sharpens your skills just as practicing your golf swing (or piano pieces) improves your game. For me, those are the rewards; being able to see and describe on paper the nuances of shape and line and changes in value helps me to make a better painting. I also think that changing your methods or medium opens doors in your everyday work...in my case, landscape painting. Drawing is my fall back mode...when things are new or uncertain and I am not comfortably moving in the direction I want to go...I draw. That is the one thing I always know I want to do...no hesitation.
This model has a great deal of character and attitude and he is really fun to draw. I used charcoal pencils on Canson drawing paper. The pose was about 3 hours. My teacher at The River Gallery School of Art, Jason Alden, liked parts of the drawing and had some ideas how I might improve my efforts this week. We'll see...first I have to get to the school studio without slipping on the ice.
