Q1 Figure Drawing Reflection

This quarter, a guest speaker, Tommy Aukens, came in for a few sessions to teach us the basics of figure drawing.

I had never drawn on an easel, used a charcoal pencil in this style, drawn using a searching line, or made a contour drawing before. This is quite evident when comparing my "skill inventory" figure drawing (a pre-test for drawing taken at the beginning of the year) and with the rest of the images. I learned that the way an artist perceives their subject, especially if it is a living or moving subject, lays the foundation for the final piece; drawing something by contour yields and drawing something using a searching line will yield two completely different pieces. I had been far more familiar drawing things by contour instead of by form before these sessions. Instead of considering only the shapes that appear to the eye, however, Tommy guides us through using a "searching line" draw things as forms rather than as shapes.

I'm excited to improve in my control over proportion and overall composition. Although I like the feeling of capturing movement on paper, I think figure drawing will strengthen my overall sense of composition and proportion rather than directly apply itself to my art (I prefer humanless pieces or pieces with stylized humans).