Figure Drawing Demo

 

Hi everyone, here's a taste of what I'll be teaching in my long pose figure drawing class at LAAFA this summer. If you're in LA and want to improve your figure drawing, come join us! To sign up, visit http://www.laafa.org/laafa-classes or click one of the class links on the sidebar.

In the beginning, my main concern is to find the gesture of the figure, feeling how the main masses move and oppose each other. At the same time, I work to establish major proportions, relating one part to another.

Once I'm happy with the gesture and major proportions, I map out the main shadow shapes and fill them in with a flat value. On the light side, I look for major landmarks and map them out accordingly.

 After my basic framework is established, I can begin adding intermediate values to turn the forms in a general way. I increase the contrast between the shadows and the lights, so I can maintain a clear separation as I work in the halftones.

At this point, I start thinking of the drawing as if it were a sculpture. My aim is to carve in the forms and make sure that I capture the anatomical complexity of each part, while keeping the unity of the figure.

Working on one section at a time, I continue to think of how the light affects the forms in space. I address every edge and make sure that it has a sense of movement and expresses as much information as it can.

In the final stages, I reassess the drawing as a whole, add dark accents and introduce the brightest highlights. For me, the finish is not about polishing, it's about making sure that the information in the drawing works together as a whole. 

I'll be posting more demos like this in the future, so stay tuned!