Artists & Illustrators - UK (2020-06)

IN DEPTH

one on top of the other or side by

side, allowing for instinctive gestural

responses that reference the basics

of the pose without focussing on too

many details.

After those are done, try to make

a continuous line drawing. Keep your

drawing material touching the paper

at all times as you search out the form

of the figure with one long line, as if

made from a piece of string. Work fast.

Once you’ve got the hang of that,

try the continuous line drawing again

but this time avoid looking at the

page, focus only the model. Stand to

one side of your drawing board and

make a quick, two-minute drawing

while observing the pose with full

concentration.

When you’re finished, look at the

drawing. You should find the line is

confident and assured, rather than

being concerned about anatomical

correctness. The drawing has

captured an essence of the pose

and the abstraction has begun.

5

TRY A DRAWING

CHALLEGE

Another challenge I set my students

is to make a quick series of

sequential drawings that show the

model as if they were moving.

Ask your model to take a step

forward and then hold that pose for

1-2 minutes, then move forward again

and hold the next pose for a similar

time, and so on. (If you don’t have

access to a live model you could

pause a TV show at different stages.)

BELOW Arias Fallen
from the Sky,
oil on canvas,
150x125cm