Life Drawing Final

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v222/RealityShift76/Life%20Drawing%20Final/

It's been a long semester. I feel like I learned a lot but I think I could have learned a lot more. I blame my immune system for this partially for letting me get sick twice in one semester. The rest of the blame is on me. I didn't have the time to spend on this class. I had 6 classes this semester and 3 of them were studios. One of those being a design studio selective that helped me create portfolio pieces. Life drawing had to take a back seat to that class because I needed to spend as much time creating good portfolio pieces. I think I would like to take another life drawing class sometime in my life when I can devote more of my attention to it.

I learned quite a bit about the human form and more importantly how to see it and then draw it correctly. I was never a strong figure drawer before this and now I can say I'm not a strong figure drawer but I'm not terrible.

This class helped me learn to slow down and take the time to look at what you are drawing before you make your first mark. I feel I'm always rushing whenever I draw anything, but in this class I really slowed down to try and double check or triple check a mark before I commit to it.

This class has definitely improved my skills and I hope that they continue to grow after I'm done with it.

Big Shell

I had a lot of trouble with this assignment. I only got to spend a little more than an hour drawing it when we were supposed to spend ten. I had a project due for my design class that is going to be a portfolio piece due the same day so this drawing was unfortunately not top on my list of priorities.

In my critique I was told I did a pretty good job for only spending a little over an hour on it. I was satisfied with what I accomplished in the time I had to work with. Working on such a big piece of paper was really nice. I want to do some drawings for myself on paper that size sometime.

Some comments on my shell were that my line weights need more variation, especially on the inside of the shell, and that the top of my shell was really flat.

I agreed with both of those comments completely. I was trying to work so fast that I kind of forgot about line weight and I rushed through the top of the shell.

Field Trip

First thing I want to say about the field trip is how glad we weren't on a crappy school bus or have to drive ourselves. I think that made the entire trip much more enjoyable. I only wish I knew I could have used my laptop on the bus before I got on it.

Anyways Bodies was pretty interesting. I had seen Body Worlds before at the Science Museum of Minnesota when it was there. I think Body Worlds is a better exhibit so I encourage anyone to check it out if they get the chance. I just remember the quality of the bodies to be much better and the poses and amount of bodies were much better.

Thing is I wasn't in life drawing when I went to Body Worlds. So to see any exhibit like Bodies when in a class like this is amazing. To see the muscles up close and see how they overlap and fit together was a big eye opener. I wanted to spend some time just sitting there drawing little pieces and try and get as much detail as possible.

Feet

This past week we began working on the feet. I have to say I was intimidated by this when it was first announced. I have never been able to draw hands or feet before. They always looked weird, and lumpy, and just downright ugly. I was scared that my drawings were going to look like crap. But, I was pleasantly surprised with what I turned out. The way Amy showed us how to draw the feet was pretty amazing. I couldn't believe how easy she made it look. It was one of those moments where I was like "oh, wow. It's not that bad once you see the right way to do it."

This was my first attempt that I took pretty slowly. I was trying to get the proportions just right, but I needed to work a bit faster.



This was my second attempt which went better because I got more done, but the leg looks a little small. There is obviously more wrong with it too but that leg just really gets ya every time you look at it.


This is by far my best foot drawing. Maybe one of my best drawings period. Her foot is a little long but I didn't think I had enough time to fix it by the time I realized it. Plus I felt those toes were the best I was going to do and if I tried to redo them I would only end up disappointed. I was having a few issues with the tibia and fibula, but after Amy came over to look at it she got me on the right track.

This was a pain in the butt to draw, but I didn't think it was bad enough that I wanted to try and move to a better angle in a room that was already kind of crowded trying to get a good angle. After some proportional adjustments I think it turned out pretty decent. The left arm irks me every time I look at it but I think I did a good job with the legs. The lower right leg especially. I feel I did really well with the foreshortening and the foot.

November 3rd and 5th

This week we started drawing again. I was a little outta practice seeing as I hadn't drawn in 2 weeks. I feel like I could really tell in my drawings that I hadn't drawn for a while. I was having a tough time getting back into the swing of it. My drawings were alright but nothing special. Lots of flaws throughout. Also I tried to draw bigger than I normally do but found it hard to do so. Every time I felt my proportions were off so I'd erase and it would gradually get smaller every time I did so. I think that if we draw all this week and then the field trip should really help get me back into the swing of things so I can make some real progress on my skills.

Here's the 2 long poses we did this week. They are ok on proportion I think. Some areas are off but for the most part decent for not drawing for 2 weeks. I need to work on the line weight though. I get too heavy too fast and then my drawings are hard to clean up at the end of the day.

Midterm Post

I can't believe it's already midterm. I don't feel like I've done much this semester or progressed very far but then I was flipping through my newsprint pad and I saw where I started and how far I have come. I can honestly say I think I am making progress. Maybe not as fast as I would like but if I stick with it I think I could really be great at this. Like after years of more practice.
I think one of my strengths is trying to take my time. Sometimes I catch myself moving to fast and I slow down and works a little slower and I find my results are much more satisfying. Like my contour forearm, I didn't finish a lot of it but the part I did finish looks great.
Another area that I think I'm doing well with is the ribcage. After all the time we've spent with it and the practice I've had on it I feel my rib cages are the right shape and sizes.
Things I need to work on: proportions, line weight, and the manikin. I spend a lot of time erasing due to messed up proportions. Now I know erasing isn't a bad thing, but a little less erasing wouldn't hurt. My line weight is something I hardly ever pay attention to. I'm more focused on getting the form correct than worrying about what is where in space and how my line reflects that. Maybe that's right maybe that's wrong, but either way it doesn't mean it should be ignored entirely. And finally the manikin. The manikin drives me nuts because the pictures in the book really don't show me everything I want to see. I wish I could compare the muscles I build with another manikin that has the muscles done correctly so I could pick it up and move it around to see it from every angle.
I would really like to improve in all the areas I feel I am weakest in. I think getting better with the proportions and line weight will help the quality of my drawings and I think getting better at building the muscles on the manikin will help give me a better understanding of the shape of body.
Photos

Pelvis Week

Last week was focused on the pelvis. First we had the video lecture and then we had a solid drawing session. Sitting through the video lecture I found myself drifting in and out of a sort of daze. I picked up some of what was being said but I feel like it went in one ear and out the other at times. I was sitting in the back and it was a little hard to see from time to time so maybe that was it. Or maybe it was the guy's voice just being one of those voices that just puts you to sleep. Anyways my point is I feel like I didn't get as much from this lecture as I have from previous lectures. I think seeing Amy's lectures work better for me. I don't know if it's the colors, or the way she explains things or what but I hope we don't do the video lectures that much.

When it came to Thursday and actually drawing I felt a little like I was going in blind. I tried to get my gesture drawings done quickly but I kept falling behind and not getting everything done right. The last drawing we did was a bit of a challenge. I had kind of a weird angle but I was determined to work through that and force myself not to take an easier view. By the end of it I was pretty satisfied with what I produced. I could see parts that still needed work, but the fact that I know they needed work and what parts they were makes me feel like I am making progress. Other parts I felt I did very well on which also contributed to that feeling of progression.

Reflection week of Oct. 5th

So this past week we began working on drawing the rib cage and building the abs in clay. Images of my progress will be up when I charge my camera's battery.
On some drawings I feel like I am making progress but others I feel like a toddler with a crayon. It really depends on the angle of the model. I need more work on foreshortening as always but as always that should come with time and practice. Drawings where I have a view of the model standing up are better, especially straight on or a three quarters view. Still trying to get a feel where the arms and neck go from the rib cage. Also having some trouble with size. My drawings alway look so elongated like they've been stretched on a medieval torture device. I hope the proportion sheet we got will help with that, although if the head is drawn out of proportion then it'll screw up the rest of the figure. I need to look for more of the key points to give me guidance of where my lines need to go.

As for the abs in clay, I feel I did alright but I honestly have no idea. They may be a bit large but they look as close to the image in the book as I can get with my eyes. I found it a little difficult to get an exact match due to the differences of the manikins. Some of the places the muscles connect to the skeleton look a lot different so I connected it close to the area with a guess.

Reflection first 2 weeks.

I completely forgot to do my reflection for week one so this will be a reflection for both weeks.
The entire summer I was worried about this class. For multiple reasons. The one I think a lot of people were worried about. A live nude model. I thought that there was going to be no way I could keep a straight face. I thought I wouldn't be able to look at the model or anyone else in the class. It was a little awkward at first, but after a while the awkwardness was gone. It still seems to take me a minute or two to get into the mindset every class period, but it is getting easier and easier every time.
The other worry I had was that I was not going to be very good at it. I still look at my drawings from time to time and just shake my head and pick out all the flaws. I know we've been doing mostly gesture drawings and short poses but I look at other people's drawings and feel like I'm behind. It might have to be with the fact that a lot of people don't like their work after they finish it and look back at it. I see most of the flaws in my work, but miss a lot of the flaws in others work. I feel like I am making progress especially after watching Amy and Josh draw and their pointers. I just wish I would learn a bit faster. Oh well practice makes perfect.

This is probably the best drawing I've done in class so far. Still a lot wrong with it but I feel like it is the first sign of making progress. I'm still struggling with the foreshortening. I've tried to teach myself to draw people before and foreshortening is always where I struggled. The only time I've ever gotten it right is when I've drawn from an image and used a grid to draw.




Now here is my shell drawing. This is actually my second one. My first one got so messy and was so terrible I tossed it out. I was moving too fast on the first one and for this one I tried to move slower. I think, especially after the crit with Josh, that I needed to focus more on the shape that the texture on it.



And the manikin. I feel like I did alright with this. I know it isn't perfect, but after a few hours at it it was either claw my eyes out or be done. I think like with the drawing that this will get easier with time. The muscles that twisted were the hardest part for me. I think they are the ones that need the most work.


So it has been an interesting first two weeks of Life Drawing and I hope that I continue to make progress.

Some of my work

Just a few examples of some of the work I've done here at school.

2D Design Text self portrait.


















GD2 Logo Tennis Old Pappy Pants


















Exploring Photography Final Portfolio Fender Stratocaster

















Computer Imagery Illustrator Xbox 360 Controller replication.

















Type in Motion Emotive Type Project Bret You Got It Going On

Intro Post

My name is Andrew Freeding and I am taking Life Drawing because I think I'd be terrible at painting. Actually I am taking life drawing because I have always wanted to be better at drawing people. I love comics and wish I had the skills to draw like the pros in the comic book industry. I hope that this class will help improve my skills and maybe I could start drawing my own little short comics. I think that this class will provide the best environment and guidance I need to better my skills.