Life Drawing - Part 2

In this workshop we continued life drawing as before, though instead of sticking to a pencil we used a variety of mediums. Initially drawing as I had done in the prior session to warm up, we then proceeded to draw and create the shapes of the human form from the shadows which it casts, rather then the subject itself. Our tutor Tracy guided us to draw in this way as to see how it differs from our usual style and as a further way of speeding up the process. This way of drawing also defines the muscles and creases of the skin rather then the outline, therefore bringing the subject to life.

My favourite sketch from the workshop

When using the bright markers we were asked to choose one colour to represent the body highlights, while trying to resist drawing the outline and the second as the body shadows. This was difficult to do in the way of, once we had the initial shapes drawn, drawing over and around these with the second highlighter felt wrong when using such vibrant colours. However this is a good exercise to do, as not only does it make you aware of what you are drawing but it also brings another style to the work and perhaps opens the opportunity to experimentation with colour. In addition to pencil, charcoal and highlighters, I also used indian ink and a large brush to draw the form. I found this particularly awkward due to the sizing of the brush and the limitation in gradation, however using gradients with this medium is possible when watering down the ink.

Below is a slideshow of my different sketches from the day.