Sunday Figure Sketch Class

This past Sunday we had Jake as our model. It's very important to understand both the male and female structure, so it's a good thing that they mix it up. This guy can hold a pose too - the sign of a really good model. Anyway, same drill as usual - we started with a few quick gestures, then a couple of 25 minute drawings, and finished with a long pose. I took advantage of the reclining pose to challenge myself from a lower perspective. I sat on the floor to draw it, and I think it turned out pretty good.

I wanted to put a couple of notes in here about process. In some of these drawings you can see tiny horizontal and vertical "tick" marks that I use for reference as I'm mapping out the pose and the figurative elements across the picture plane. It's important to have these reference points to constantly refer back to so you don't lose your way in the drawing - literally, it's like leaving a trail of bread crumbs as you draw - and it helps A LOT.