A possibly
frequent question worth posting
The
other day I have received an email with a question which I suspect would cross
the mind of many of those who thought about doing my online course. I thought
it is a good idea to actually publish (with permission) both, the question and
the answer:
Hello,
I am curious about your online
courses and how it is meant to be used. I don’t have access to a live
model at home and wonder if it is OK to use virtual models to practice what I
learn in your course? (books with a CD of various poses). Is it
valuable to learn that way and then to supplement these studies with live classes?
I take classes with a live model twice a week, one in figure drawing and the
other a portrait class. I have been doing this for years, but I find that
my drawing skills for the figure is still quite weak!
Thanks!
C. H. from USA
There is a way to learn figure drawing.
It is a simple way and so everyone can do it. It is a set of steps guiding you
through the decisions everyone wanting to draw has to make. These decisions are
being made on the fly as you draw. The more you practice making these
decisions, the more they become subconscious and your attention is therefore
free to start to create. That’s the purpose of practicing. To free you up. The
accurate realistic figure drawing, as nice and satisfying as it is, is not the
end goal. It is to become a tool you can then use to express yourself, to
communicate your ideas and feelings to the world. That is Figure Drawing in a
nutshell.
Drawing from live model is the best
there is because it allows you to perceive the 3 dimensionality of the body
better than looking at a 2 dimensional photo of a 3 dimensional body. However,
if you don’t know what you looking for you will not be able to progress.
You already have a part of the
ideal solution. If you draw from a live model twice a week, all you need is
someone to tell you how to go about making the conscious decisions when
drawing. And, of course, then practice.
My online course is a series of
videos which take the viewer through all the body parts, explaining how to
decide upon the shape you are about to draw and why. It provides a basic list
of the “do”s and “don’t”s. All of this is done watching me drawing in real time
so that you can see how it happens while I talk and explain why I am doing what
I am doing and why is it working.
I really enjoy teaching in person
because it allows me to see the mistakes everyone does and point them out
early. And, of course, I get a kick out of watching someone else “getting it”,
when something clicks and magic happens. But precisely for that purpose I
started the “Common Mistakes” free series of videos anyone can watch.
I haven’t seen your drawings but
based on your own assessment I assume you stopped at a certain level and can’t
get past it even though you are doing life drawing twice a week. I would
suggest you get the course, watch it all carefully, follow the drawings I make
in the videos and then look for the things discussed in them on the live model
when you draw the model. You will leap forward.
Ohhhyes, and one more thing. You
said you have no access to a model at home. But you do. Yourself. Look down at
your foot, look at your hand or, as I often do, stand in front of the mirror
(clothed or naked – up to you) and draw. Observe the mechanics of the body
while you are having a shower, when you make a motion, what happens. You are
the perfect model, because you can feel the pose in your body, you can feel
your own weight, which muscles are contracted and which are relaxed. Invaluable
exercise. See how you go, and please let me know if it is ok to post your
question on the blog. Happy Drawing!
