Final Reflection

This semester in Life Drawing I have been focusing on many different aspects of the course. I feel like I have fulfilled many of them, and improved on all of them. Maintaining a blog has been an excellent way for me to reflect on my own work. Updating it weekly has helped me practice how to effectively communicate about my work, skills, and things to work on in the future. Understanding artistic anatomy was difficult at first; it was hard to find a balance between what I saw and what I knew and then draw it effectively. At first I focused too much on the bone structure that we were learning, but as time went on I improved on combining it with the knowledge of the muscles and of what I actually saw on the model. I enjoy drawing with a structural approach rather than painterly drawing, but it is a different mindset that took me a while to understand. At midterm, I really began to focus on understanding the form better. Also, my midterm report suggested creating more fluidity between parts of the figure. At the beginning of the semester I would draw contour lines anywhere on the figure without reasoning behind them; at this point in the semester I have trained my eye to see the plane-changes as well as subtle curves of the body. Spending more time looking at the figure and how it works together as a whole has really helped me. This is still something that I still want to improve on. I know that the ability to draw in this way will be beneficial in my career as an interior designer. It is important to be able to draw as a way to quickly convey an idea to a coworker or client. Also, it will help me understand the way forms are constructed.

Final Portfolio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mccarthyk2070/

Self Portrait

Drawing the self portrait was a very rewarding assignment. I was really not looking forward to it because the face had been frustrating previously. Although I don't think the drawing looks a lot like me, I can tell how much I improved on drawing the features and seeing how the all fit together as a whole. It went a lot faster than the other drawing I did of the face and I did not have to erase as much. They eyes were the hardest part; I had to redo them to try to get them to match in size and the direction they are looking. It is also hard to get the eyes to look like they are fitting into the sockets and not plopped on the face.

Final Drawing: Full Figure

After just focusing on specific parts of the body (hands, feet, skull, and facial features) it was nice to be able to put it all together on the last day of class. I thought that this drawing went pretty well. I can really tell how much I've grown. It's amazing how my eyes can now see the form better. I struggled with the upper body; it was difficult to get the correct angle of the sternum. The face could also be improved. Overall, I am very happy with my progress! I hope to continue pr acting drawing the figure and drawing in general.

The Face

Learning about the ear and the mouth, and then adding it to the knowledge of the nose and eyes was exciting but also frustrating. It seems that when drawing the face the different features have to be captured very exactly in order for it to look correct. Also, the angles of the face and where things line up is crucial! I really struggled with lining up the eye and the nose correctly. The lips and ear were easier than I thought they would be. I think that the self portrait will be challenging.

The Eye and Nose

After learning the structure of the skull we learned the basics of the eye and the nose. These forms were harder than I expected to draw accuratly. When looking at the eye and nose it was difficult for me to see how to capture the angles and curves on paper. I drew two eyes and the second one was an improvement, but still needs a lot of work before I work on the self-portrait! The nose took me many tries; I think that in comparison with the eye it should be a little more angled. I think that being able to see people individual features and draw them accurately would be a great skill to have. I'm glad we are learning the basics but I can tell it is going to take a lot of practice.

Final Shell Drawing With Ink

This drawing is a huge improvement from my previous attempt. The first drawing that I used ink with became very washed out and blurred. Right away I lost the pencil marks and was basically guessing where the shadows and highlights were. My goal for this drawing was to make sure the lines were dark enough to stay so I could use the ink to really enhance the form. I used a softer pencil lead which helped. I also was more cautious with wetting the page which gave me more control of the ink. Overall I am an satisfied with it, the bottom is the open part, but this was lost with the ink; it looks a bit like it is reflecting in water which is a neat affect (if I had meant to do that). Lastly, I would have used a different color of ink (not brown) because it looks kind of dreary.

Hand Drawing

I was apprehensive about drawing the hand, I thought that it would be difficult since it has many details and it seems crucial to get the proportion correct. For a first try I am fairly happy with how the drawing turned out. I like the finger portion better - it seems blocky and unfinished, but I think it has more dimension and life-like qualities. The back of the hand portion, on the right side of the drawing, seems flat to me. I do not think I captured the bottom angle exactly right. In the future I would like to work on a view with the hand open.

Shoulder Blades

I had been looking forward to learning about the shoulder girdle; I thought it would make my drawings look a lot more finished to be able to add more detail and definition in that area.
My first attempt was a little more difficult than I anticipated. In previous drawings I had added some of the main lines in the shoulder blade region which seemed obvious. From the angle I was drawing it seemed hard to capture the correct angle since the left side is angled away. It look many tries for me to figure out the angle of the should blades; looking at the drawing I think there is still room for improvement, especially on the left side of the back.

Ink Drawing

It was interesting adding the ink to our shell drawings since it was something new. I haven't worked with ink before so it was quite a learning curve. I was sick for the class period that we practiced, so after a few trials on my own, my first real attempt was on my third large shell drawing. I underesimated how difficult it is to control the ink. Also, I didn't know what to expect because it dries a lot lighter than it appears when wet. This was good becuase so much ink, water, and paper particles built up it all seemed to be blrrying together. For our final drawing I will be aiming for more control and more defined shadows and highlights to really add dimention!

Mid Term Progress

I can’t believe that it’s already midterm, the semesters has flown by! Although it went quickly I can see that I’ve already learned a lot in Life Drawing. It was a bit of a struggle to get back into drawing since it has been three years since I have taken a drawing course. I found figure drawing to be more my style than Drawing I and Drawing II. I like that we do a combination of fast gesture drawings and longer contour drawings. They each hold their own challenges for me but I can see how I am growing with each and how they will help me in other aspects of my major and career.

I have gained a better understanding of the form of the body from the hours of close attention devoted to it this semester. This will be beneficial for me when I am designing spaces when attempting to understand proportion and scale. My ultimate goal is to design functional, aesthetically pleasing spaces which better the lives of the people who occupy them; this would be impossible without knowledge about the form of the body that the spaces are constructed for. I know the studying the body will help me with incorporating successful ergonomics in my future designs. It has been good to have a refresher in drawing since this is always an important skill to have when designing since it conveys ideas quickly.

When working on interiors projects I am a perfectionist and spend as long as it takes to get every detail the way I want it. This course challenges me in that regard since I know that it is something that I will not master by the end of the semester and my drawings will not be perfect. I think this is a good thing for me to accept so I can find a healthy balance. For my drawings I want to improve my proportion. I am still leaving too much space between the rib cage and pelvis. Also, I struggle drawing the pelvis if the model is laying or sitting; I only seem to understand it best standing.

My work so far (albums are on the right side of the page): http://www.flickr.com/photos/mccarthyk2070/

“Synchromy in Green and Orange”

Stanton Macdonald-Wright (July 8, 1890 – August 22, 1973)
“Synchromy in Green and Orange” 1916 oil on canvas

This piece was in the room of benches and binoculars; I decided to write about this piece because in a room full of so much art my eye kept returning to it. It is a combination of the bright colors and shapes which create a sense of mystery that make this work very interesting to examine. At first glance it appears to be a blur of colors and angular shapes; after focusing on the piece it begins to take form.
After a minute or two of looking at the shapes, a figure appeared to me; he looks like he is sitting with his left leg tucked under and his other knee up. His head is somewhat down and looking off into space; this creates a submissive or reflective feeling. The background is paler and more blurred, which causes the figure to pop forward. Because the work is created from colors shapes of varying blurriness, a certain amount of interpretation is left up to the viewer. After a little research I learned that Standton Macdonald-Wright co-founded the Synchromist movement. It is art which aimed to create emotion with color. Before knowing the definition it was easy to see that this painting was successful because it was the emotion of the colors and shadows which initially drew me to this work.

This Week...

Creating the abdominal muscles out of clay was a lot easier than the spinal column. Even though it was only the second time using the clay it went a lot faster and I knew how to use it a lot better. The abs were easier though since there were less muscles and they were larger.
I feel like I really need to focus on keeping angles accurate when I draw...the last contour drawing I did got really off and disproportionate because the sternum angle was wrong.
I thing I'm doing better with the 4 curves of the back!

Horse Conch Information

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Superfamily: Buccinoidea
Family: Fasciolariidea
Genus: Pleuroploca
Species: P. gigantea
Binomial Name:
Pleuroploca gigantea

This shell is commonly known as the Florida Horse Conch, but it is not a true conch. It is a species of large predatory subtropical and tropical sea snail. It is one of the largest gastropods in the world and the largest that lives in American water. They are found along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina through the Gulf of Mexico.
The shell is designed so the entire body of the snail can retreat into it; it can stay inside for months to stay safe from bad conditions. The shell can reach 24 inches in length. It is somewhat fusiform. A long siphonal canal is the tube-like extension which acts as a siphon when the snail is inside. It can have up to ten whorls (360 degree turn in the spiral growth of the shell), several spinal cords and axial ribs. When it is younger it is bright orange but the color fades with age.

Week 2 Reflection

I enjoyed the time we spent learning about the spinal column; I can already tell it's really going to help me understand the body better and have better proportions. It's good to understand the curves and know what to be looking for. I think I need to work on slowing down when I draw. During the 30 minute contour drawing at the end of class I kept erasing and re-drawing lines when I actually took the time to see their form. My goal is to be able to see the correct shape the first time I look and transfer it to the paper. I liked that the parts of the reading about feeling what the object feels and thinking about curves as multiple line segments rather than one curved line. I'm going to work on slowing down this week.

Bind Contour Drawing

waves. curves. suggestion.

My process for this drawing was to attempt to capture the small curves of the body; I tried to draw very slowly and only focus on little segments at a time. I tried to move the charcoal at the same speed my eyes were moving along the figure. This is evident in my lines since they show the recognizable shape of a figure, but the lines are very choppy and irregular, due to the slow speed. Certain areas are less abstracted than others. I think the hardest part of this was getting to a certain point on the body and being unsure how to connect my line or spot back into the whole.

A bit about me and my drawing goals...

I am a senior in the interior design program. I love my major! I have interned at Perkins + Will, an architecture firm in Minneapolis, and loved working there also. The diversity of the art program at Stout has been great because I now have a background in fine arts as well as interior design. All of my fundamental design courses and studios have been beneficial, but recently I have enjoyed being in my core classes. I have not taken a drawing class since I was a freshman so it will be a bit of a challenge getting back into it. I am looking forward to life drawing because it seems a lot freer than the drawing style in Drawing One and Two. In those courses I learned a lot about shadow and light, which I know is a neccesary, but I think figure drawing will be a great change. Understanding the human body and the details of how it works will be an asset since my career objective is designing spaces where people function comfortably and efficiently. It will be good for me to learn new techniques. I hope to improve my skills, speed, and confidence.