Ballerina at rest - two poses

My regular fortnightly life-drawing session had a new twist this time. Our model was a ballerina wearing a leotard and long lacey ballet skirt.
After a few quick practice sketches, we did this pose of 20 minutes, with our model curled up as if resting or sleeping. From my angle, this proved quite challenging with the legs mostly hidden from view. I chose to use Conte crayons on a coloured paper, in order to capture the white of the leotard and the skirt.

We then did a longer pose of 55 minutes, which I found quite inspiring and rather reminiscent of some of Degas' pictures, where he captured the dancers in off-guarded moments.
I have tried to depict the tranquility of the pose as well as the delicate muscularity of the dancer herself (such as the prominent collar-bones). I have to admit the face is not a good likeness of the model and I'm not sure about the left arm and especially the hand tying the shoe-ribbon.
But on balance, I'm not too displeased with the overall image.

Life drawing with Geoff

I think this was my sixth life drawing session. The model this time was a well preserved man in early middle age, with grey hair and a beard.

This first five-minute sketch was done in charcoal, and still shows that I'm having trouble with proportions while holding the drawing board. Basically I start off OK at the top but the legs end up looking too short. I've tried working with an easle but this presents its own difficulties. However, I think I need to be able to step back from the picture every now and then to ensure I'm maintaining the right proportions.

We then went for a 15-minute pose with the model seated. I switched to using Conte crayon for this.
Looking at this now, I'm quite pleased with the left arm and hand, which really seems to be gripping the crossed leg. The right arms is less successful, and the left foot needs to be better defined to stand out from the leg beneath it.

Finally, the model adopted a reclining pose. Still using Conte crayon, I ended up doing three sketches of the same pose from different angles. Working from both the head and the feet, it was a real challenge to get the foreshortening right. It was really difficult and I was very unhappy with the pictures at the time, although now I'm slightly more satisfied with some aspects of them, helped by the use of white crayon to depict light.

Fabric draped on a chair

In this exercise (P 118 in course notes), the aim was to depict a piece of fabric draped over a chair.

I had three shots at this, using pen, charcoal and pencil, and I think each created their own effects and challenges. Although I felt safer using pencil, I have to say the boldness of the charcoal and the clarity of the pen sketch is much more eye-catching.

It's worth saying, I guess, that the exercise proved a lot harder than expected, and I think I'd like to experiment more with different types of fabric (silk, velvet) to see if I can express the actual texture of these different materials.

Anyway, here they are in the order they were drawn (pen, charcoal and pencil)...Still some work to do to show how the fabric hangs on the shape of the chair.

Life drawing with Asha

This was my 6th life-drawing session. The model was a young woman called Asha.

We began with a couple of five-miute poses which I did in pencil. In this first one, I've hit my old problem of doing the legs too small, which seems to happen when I've got the drawing board on my lap..

 In the second pose, I deliberately worked on the legs, and have probably made the model too tall and thinner than she actually was. Also, at the last minute I noticed that her left foot was further back than I'd drawn it. But I was out of time be then.

I decided to switch to Conte crayon for this next crouched pose of 10 minutes....With more time, I'd have tidied up the foot.

In the final session of 50 mnutes, I did two drawings of the same pose from different angles. The pose was quite an awkward one to portray with the fireshortening the legs. But I do like the effects that can be achieved with the Conte crayons..

Life drawing with Erol

This was the 5th life-drawing session I've attended. Erol the model was a middle aged man with quite a hairy body.

In this 10-minute pose, I used Conte crayon on coloured paper.

 This pose was for 20 minutes, and for me the biggest challenge was to depict the left leg as it went away from me. I've stuck with Conte crayon, which is a medium I'm beginning to like, especially being able to use white on coloured paper.

In this final pose of 50 minutes, I switched to pencil. Here the main challenge to the right leg, which the model had splayed to one side, facing away from me, although the shin and foot faced back. I had a couple of attempts on this, and although I did try to draw what I saw, the limbs still look a bit small compared to the body. As I say, the pose was slightly awkward, with the model sinking into the cushion of the Chesterfield sofa.

Two images of Lesley seated

The first of these images was done in charcoal, and took about 15 minutes.

I'm not particularly pleased with the result. One problem is that I've found that when drawing with a board held on my lap, I tend to do the legs too small and I'm not too sure how to remedy it. Maybe using an easel, which would enable me to step back from the picture and get a more holistic view.

 This second image in pencil is a bit more successful, I think, although I still struggled with the right leg. There was some foreshortening with the knee pointed towards me, and the foot going back under the chair. This took about 20 minutes.

Life drawing: poses with female model

This is my fourth session of life drawing, and the model was a young woman with tousled black hair.

The session began with a couple of five-minute studies. This one was done with Conte crayon on orange paper...

For this second pose, we were given 10 minutes. Again I used Conte crayon, experimenting with some white for highlighting (not very successful)

This next pose took 20 minutes. I switched to pencil using an HB which was rather too hard and failed to give much depth. I show the pencil version below, followed by a version that I've worked up thre next day using a graphite pencil. I think the legs look a little short, although they were facing away from me so there was a measure of foreshortening anyway.

Here are the two versions...

For the final pose, we were given an hour. After an initial botched attempt (not shown here) I switched to a 4B pencil and watercolour paper and did one version of the pose. I then switched back to coloured paper, and made better use of the white Conte crayon to achieve highlights.

I have to admit I struggled with the legs and feet turned away from me, but I think I managed to capture the lefthand foot with the sole of the foot facing me, after some use of the rubber to erase early efforts.