Life Drawing Class - Fall 2010

Artist S. Tschantz

First Saturday

1st of 6 drawing days.

Figure drawing started last Saturday after the summer hiatus. It took a little effort to get things organized, but we made it.

It was good to get back to basic—real live drawing. First pose lasted a bit more than the scheduled 20 minutes. Time-boy forgot to set the timer at first! Since Time-boy is also lighting-man, this is understandable and forgivable. Lighting-man had to rush back to is own easel to start his drawings.

Thankfully the oppressive hot weather seemed to break by Saturday, so the gallery was comfortable. We still needed the little fan for Lynn, our model, but we were able to turn off our loud, stand alone air conditioner. One of the drawbacks of being in an old historic building is old pre-central air wiring!

Support and media

Interesting was the different approaches by the artists. Most use large sketchpads, spiral bound to keep the pages together, but not all. There were several newsprint pads as well as one artist who brought a box of full size drawing paper sheets. These sheets or pad were put on easels, but one artist brings a more manageable size pad, which gives her the freedom to walk around the room for just the right point of view. Since she works off a pad she can comfortably hold, she is not tied to one spot.

With this variety of formats is a variety of media. While everyone has an array of pencils, other media is also employed. There were charcoal pencils, vine charcoal sticks, pens, pencils, colored pencils and water media. One artist routinely “sketches” with watercolor washes.

Artist L. Helgasson

There are 5 more Saturdays in this fall session of figure drawing, and there are still 2 spots available to local artists. This session runs through Saturday October 30, 2010, ending the Saturday before the Miniature show.

Location:

The Renaissance Art Gallery is convenient for West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky and Southern Ohio, and all adult artists are welcome to one or more drawing sessions.

Class meets Saturday afternoon, 1-4 pm in the Exhibition Hall of The Renaissance Art Gallery.

The Renaissance Art Gallery
900 8th Street, Suite #20
Huntington, WV 25701

Gallery (304) 525-3235
Appointments: (304) 453-3187
gallerywv@yahoo.com
www.orgsites.com/wv/renaissance

http://twitter.com/wvgallery
http://renaissancegalleryart.blogspot.com/

Gallery hours are:

Friday & Saturday 12-4 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm
Studio hours Monday 10-Noon, Wednesday 1:00-7:30 pm and Saturday 10-Noon

The Unfinished Nude

She's Mocking Me!

(Gary Taylor, Studio Drawing)

That nude young woman in the charcoal sketch on the easel is mocking me.

She thinks she's complete.

She thinks it's so easy to stop with those few strokes and lines and sweeps of charcoal.

I sketched her from life in one of my last sessions of figure drawing, taught by fellow gallery member Bruce Bowersock.

Her name is Melanie.

I think Melanie needs to be fleshed out -- well, not that way.

I mean, her flesh is pretty nearly perfect, as is, for a young woman.

Melanie's an active character. She's young enough to be my daughter.

She's demurely turned away from the viewer except for that knowing glance over her shoulder.

I'm looking for that. I want the viewer of my final artwork to understand that look. I want the viewer to see this whole, complete young woman.

She's not a naked girl. She's not a head-and-shoulders portrait.

She's a whole nude Melanie, kneeling, at ease, her face turned to look at something that interests her. She's not unaware of being looked at; she's simply at ease with it.

(She's America. She's life. She's seen from behind. She doesn't hide her face, exactly. She's naked, but no one knows her entirely.)

I've been drawing different versions of the original sketch for months now. I start by drawing her from memory, without consulting the original sketch.

Each time, I simplify or elaborate something about the original sketch. I work on the shadowed background. I work on the composition.

Then I compare my latest attempt from memory with the original sketch.

I've begun to think that I should paint her in ink wash or washes of acrylic paint.

I talk to her in her sketch on my easel. I ask her what she thinks.

She keeps giving me that Mona Lisa smile. That is, I think that's how La Gioconda would look, kneeling nude with her back to us, her head turned to her left, to the side of her heart, arms folded across her unseen breasts.

For now, I'll keep working.

~Gary Taylor, Artist