Life Drawing- Seventeenth Session

'Initial 20 Minute Drawing'

5 Poses, 5 Characters (7 minutes each)

'Character 1'

For each pose, Robin (our life drawing model), embodies a different character, which we then have  to capture in our own drawings. I try to empathise the 'character' with use of lines, colours, etc. as a means of showing their personalities. How they hold their weight, hold the space, or come across in 'first impressions'.

Above we have a 'rickety old man', shaking and holding most of his weight onto the walking stick. 

Incidentally, to show his left arm (or our right), shaking, I'd made the lines quite jittery and unstable to show this. The walking stick in comparison, shows a point of stability. I'd tried to shade in with more detail, and the hands planted firmly on it I'd added more detail to show this weight transfer.

'Character 2'

At the other extreme we have a rigid, and proud-like figure. Patriotic, and with a possible military background, shown through the immediate response to salute.

Chest thrust upwards, and body firmly planted on the floor. In that regard, upon reflection, I'd have more emphasis on the lower legs, and less lines to further strengthen the sureness of the figure.

'Character 3'

Adventurer, and curious bystander. We have the adventurer, with his 'Herbert Johnson Poet Hat', and spear, marvelling at an old age, tribal ceremony of fire. The light of the flames reflecting upon his back. 

'Character 4'

With a mask, and fake hair galore, this mysterious figure sits back, away from the viewer. I tried using more diagonal, or askew lines to show this uncertainty (though the 3 boxes behind the figure were contradictory straight, which I'd change upon reflection).  

Finally, we have a 'Policeman' sitting in quite a 'feminine' pose, with one leg perched upwards, and the other resting on a second box. I started to use straight black lines to show this sharpness, and 'black and white' approach to justice, particularly in this job (according to existing film and books). 

'Character 5'

Ron Mueck

In inspiration of Ron Mueck, known predominately for his hyper-realist sculptors which both captures an extreme likeness of his subjects, and may push them to certain extremes anatomically- so some may appear slightly caricatured, or compared to the viewer be huge or tiny in comparison... we responded to Robin's pose in front of one of Mondrian's abstract pieces, (possibly 'Pier and Ocean- Composition No.10). The grid like portrayal backing the masked figure, leaning comfortably back on the block behind him, gives the impression of an enigma. A puzzle, or perhaps an intimidating, powerful person who we cannot work out- because of his lack of facial figures, and relaxed posture.

Incidentally I decided to exaggerate the hands to an extreme, to make him seem quite intimidating, and unsettling. Powerful and anomalous.