FIGURE DRAWING
A life drawing both records and explores
the body. By making a drawing we allow
ourselves time to observe the fi gure in front
of us, discovering things about the pose,
the model and ourselves as we draw.
We translate what we have discovered
into marks on the page, telling a story
about what we have seen and experienced.
The language of marks, and by extension
the medium that we use, will lead us to
have different experiences of our subject
and make different drawings.
OBSERVATIONS
- CROSS CONTOURS
Where contours describe the outer edge
of a form, cross-contours describe what
is going on between those outer edges.
Cross contours are imaginary lines that
trace the topography of the fi gure – you
cannot see them in real life, but you can
perceive their presence in the rounded
masses of the body.
To help you perceive cross contours,
imagine lines drawn in marker pen
horizontally and vertically over your
model [far left]. Notice how marks left
by elasticated waistbands or the curve
of rings and bracelets all suggest
cross contours.
Cross contours can be used to
emphasise form, suggesting the direction
that you might build up tone in charcoal,
colour in pastel, or hatched marks in pen
and pencil. Notice how the tonal marks in
my drawing of a torso [left] roughly follow
the direction of the cross contours in the
topographical study [far left].
http://www.jakespicerart.co.uk - CONTOURS
The edges of the body are often
the fi rst clues we have to the form
of the fi gure – as you lay down the
external lines that describe the
outer limits of your model think
about how the weight and
emphasis of your marks might say
something about the hang of fat,
skin and relaxed muscle, tugged
down by gravity – the speed,
pressure and rhythm of the mark
all contribute towards the corporeal
expression of the drawing. - CREASES
When two surfaces of skin press
together it is the slim occlusion
shadow between them that tells the
story of their contact (see point A).
To become more sensitive to
these shapes and rhythms try
making a drawing that begins with
the creases [far left], starting from
the internal contours of the fi gure
and working outwards, exploring all
of the variety of their rhythmic lines.
A
Next month:
Jake turns his attentions
to drawing the surface
of the body