Figure Drawing II Virtual Sketchbook
A twice-weekly update on progress in my Figure Drawing II class. Covers steps in the development of outside body of work, five inspirational artists a week, best in-class work (gestures and extended drawings), and other figure drawings I draw inspiration or influence from.
Virustal Sketchbook for 11/24
Body of work. Due to current/recent illness/thesis installation, most of my "progress" has been reflective thought/writing. I'd like to create more individual figures that explore the effects of color on the figure. I have been thinking about this for a long time, but now that my thesis is up and there is only so much left to do with it, i feel like there's an opportunity for some thought and time to leak away from it.
Virtual Sketchbook for 11/18
Body of work progress.
"Armor"
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"Mermaid"
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"Push and Pull"
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1. "Armor" -- I made this one of a photo that I really liked but I knew was most likely too vulnerable. I tried to think what would be best color-wise to deal with this -- emphasize the vulnerability with light colors or use bold colors as the "armor." Then I thought, what if I could give her actual armor? So I used metallic paper to try to give her her own armor. I couldn't find the paper I needed so the lightest is reflective foil wrapping paper glued to the posterboard, and the darkest shade is paper spray-painted with metallic charcoal. I don't know that I like this piece as much as I expected to, but it was a fun experiment and break from the repetition of the other colors. One thing I do like is that the reflective part is that it is almost mirror-like and almost implicates the viewer, should they get close enough, in the vulnerability and the armor.
2. "Mermaid" -- I have gotten a lot of "She looks seductive" and "She looks uncomfortable" in response to this figure. I don't mind this -- I like it, and I think that the desire to be seductive or the attempt to be so can make a person both seem and appear vulnerable. I did not use obtrusively bright hair for her in an attempt to downplay her boldness a little. I am considering removing her face and replacing it simply with a flat shade of blue to shade it. I don't want to keep calling her Mermaid, but it seems to fit because of the colors, and because I think that people tend to think of mermaids as beautiful and exotic and sensual, but whenever I imagine a mermaid near a human, I imagine it being nervous and wanting to shy away.
3. "Push and Pull" -- a follow-up diptych to Cortisol and Adrenaline. The title will not stay. I want it to look like the hands of the figures are anchored on a wall (as they are in the photos these are taken from). I think I may have to add the texture in the hands in order to add weight and imply this anchorage, but I'm not sure that will work. I've also considered putting them on the wood panels and painting a section of the wood panel just a slightly slightly darker shade to imply a wall behind them. I am not sure about the orange hair -- I also considered dark blue, but the orange is growing on me. It perhaps makes them look a bit too charismatic, but for some reason it doesn't really bother me.
2. "Mermaid" -- I have gotten a lot of "She looks seductive" and "She looks uncomfortable" in response to this figure. I don't mind this -- I like it, and I think that the desire to be seductive or the attempt to be so can make a person both seem and appear vulnerable. I did not use obtrusively bright hair for her in an attempt to downplay her boldness a little. I am considering removing her face and replacing it simply with a flat shade of blue to shade it. I don't want to keep calling her Mermaid, but it seems to fit because of the colors, and because I think that people tend to think of mermaids as beautiful and exotic and sensual, but whenever I imagine a mermaid near a human, I imagine it being nervous and wanting to shy away.
3. "Push and Pull" -- a follow-up diptych to Cortisol and Adrenaline. The title will not stay. I want it to look like the hands of the figures are anchored on a wall (as they are in the photos these are taken from). I think I may have to add the texture in the hands in order to add weight and imply this anchorage, but I'm not sure that will work. I've also considered putting them on the wood panels and painting a section of the wood panel just a slightly slightly darker shade to imply a wall behind them. I am not sure about the orange hair -- I also considered dark blue, but the orange is growing on me. It perhaps makes them look a bit too charismatic, but for some reason it doesn't really bother me.
Portfolio in Progress for 11/14
OLD gesture 4
OLD gesture 10
OLD gesture 7
OLD gesture 1
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NEW gesture 4
NEW gesture 10
NEW gesture 7
NEW gesture 1
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gesture 6
extended 1
extended 6
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gesture 2
OLD extended 2
extended 7
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gesture 3
gesture 8
extended 3
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gesture 9
NEW extended 4
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gesture 5
NEW extended 5
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Virtual Sketchbook for 11/12
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I like the pen marks, but the proportions are off -- her torso is too short and her head looks too big but I think if it were accurately proportioned her head might be too smaller.
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Virtual Sketchbook for 11/10
I have no images at this time. However, I did construct the partner figure to my newest figure and have decided that probably the best place to add the layered texture is in the feet that are nearest each other, to add weight that is either holding them down or back, and to help link them together.
I had to go home over the weekend because my father's surgery was moved up, so I rescheduled taking new photos of me with Haley and Elizabeth tonight.
I did look for more already-existing diptychs, and found that with the "seductive"-ish pose, there is another of the same pose, but leaning the opposite way, that is less seductive and more shy. I am not sure that the lack of movement works for the diptych, though.
I also have been spending a lot of time looking at the small, colored trials and would like to find a way to link them together in a piece that explores the effects of color on a figure, perhaps in a book or in one of those things that spins and has images on the inside and you look into it through little slits... I forget what they are called.
I had to go home over the weekend because my father's surgery was moved up, so I rescheduled taking new photos of me with Haley and Elizabeth tonight.
I did look for more already-existing diptychs, and found that with the "seductive"-ish pose, there is another of the same pose, but leaning the opposite way, that is less seductive and more shy. I am not sure that the lack of movement works for the diptych, though.
I also have been spending a lot of time looking at the small, colored trials and would like to find a way to link them together in a piece that explores the effects of color on a figure, perhaps in a book or in one of those things that spins and has images on the inside and you look into it through little slits... I forget what they are called.
Virtual Sketchbook for 11/7
Gestures and extended drawings.
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Portfolio in progress
Virtual Sketchbook for 11/5
Gestures and extended drawings.
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Virtual Sketchbook for 11/3
Out-of-class body of work.
One of the problems I have been having with my body of work is the poses, so I took another batch of photos, keeping in mind that the tension in my limbs is important in building the idea of the figure as reacting to an outside force and seem less static. I looked at Robert Longo's drawings of the moving figures to get an idea of what kinds of angles, tension, and poses affect the idea of movement or outside forces.
Another problem I've had is the use of color. Instead of waiting until until I'm ready to cut the paper before I choose the colors, I have a palette of colors that are similar to my paper options that I used to create a series of small, digital figures, wherein each figure has had one color changed from the previous figure. In this way, I can more closely examine how different colors affect the feel of the figure before I impose the colors on the figure.
Even though these are trials for final pieces, I enjoy the experience of seeing them next to each other and the progress of the color changes and wonder if there's a way to incorporate the small, varied multiples in a piece.
Another problem I've had is the use of color. Instead of waiting until until I'm ready to cut the paper before I choose the colors, I have a palette of colors that are similar to my paper options that I used to create a series of small, digital figures, wherein each figure has had one color changed from the previous figure. In this way, I can more closely examine how different colors affect the feel of the figure before I impose the colors on the figure.
Even though these are trials for final pieces, I enjoy the experience of seeing them next to each other and the progress of the color changes and wonder if there's a way to incorporate the small, varied multiples in a piece.
Virtual Sketchbook for 10/29
In-class gestures and extended drawings.
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Portfolio in progress.
Virtual Sketchbook for 10/27
Out-of-class body of work. Working from my own photos, I've noticed a couple things I'm doing, but not especially liking. I believe that when posing for my own photos, I focus too much on the pose, forgetting that there is a whole process after the photo that will change the effect of the pose. I put weight on original photograph, thinking that the pose in and of itself needs to communicate everything there is. This results mostly in failure. I also used a color combination that was much more loud and contrasting than normal, using yellow and blue both for the skin instead of just shades of one color. Part of me really enjoys pushing the combinations of colors to "almost too much," but part of me also thinks that it isn't "almost too much" and is just "too much." I think I might be overcompensating in the 'boldness' area because using photos of myself ups the vulnerability for myself.
I have also been reading a lot about Camille Claudel and a book by Brene Brown, a researcher who studies vulnerability, shame, courage, and worthiness. Her writing and TED talks have seriously influenced the way I am thinking about how I approach vulnerability in my pieces. I have been focusing on denial and fear, when I think that vulnerability might be the core of both of these things. I am doing a lot of reflective writing to see if my concept needs to be tweaked.
As an afterthought, I'm not happy with the poses I've been using for my thesis. They feel too protected -- there seems to be too much emphasis on the fear and the caving in, instead of the vulnerability and the potential for overcoming. I think poses with slightly more exposure might work better. I was looking at the paper figures from Figure Drawing I, and I think even those figures felt vulnerable in ways, though the poses weren't implicitly so. The colors and composition can do a lot, and I need to keep this in mind when picking poses. Just the nude figure will enhance any hint of vulnerability that exists in the pose -- I don't need to try emphasize the idea of "vulnerability" so much that it shifts over into "fear" and "hiding" -- this results in about 10,000 variations of the fetal position, which is not what I want.
I've also been thinking a lot about installation. Part of me is beginning to like the idea of the figures on the wall, but since they are slightly smaller than life (and life is already pretty small), and, so far, most of them are sitting or crouched, I don't want them to all be just on the floor. I am debating ways of raising them without making them floating, as well as continuously considering the option of putting them within the format of a canvas.
I have also been reading a lot about Camille Claudel and a book by Brene Brown, a researcher who studies vulnerability, shame, courage, and worthiness. Her writing and TED talks have seriously influenced the way I am thinking about how I approach vulnerability in my pieces. I have been focusing on denial and fear, when I think that vulnerability might be the core of both of these things. I am doing a lot of reflective writing to see if my concept needs to be tweaked.
As an afterthought, I'm not happy with the poses I've been using for my thesis. They feel too protected -- there seems to be too much emphasis on the fear and the caving in, instead of the vulnerability and the potential for overcoming. I think poses with slightly more exposure might work better. I was looking at the paper figures from Figure Drawing I, and I think even those figures felt vulnerable in ways, though the poses weren't implicitly so. The colors and composition can do a lot, and I need to keep this in mind when picking poses. Just the nude figure will enhance any hint of vulnerability that exists in the pose -- I don't need to try emphasize the idea of "vulnerability" so much that it shifts over into "fear" and "hiding" -- this results in about 10,000 variations of the fetal position, which is not what I want.
I've also been thinking a lot about installation. Part of me is beginning to like the idea of the figures on the wall, but since they are slightly smaller than life (and life is already pretty small), and, so far, most of them are sitting or crouched, I don't want them to all be just on the floor. I am debating ways of raising them without making them floating, as well as continuously considering the option of putting them within the format of a canvas.
Virtual Sketchbook for 10/24
In-class gestures and extended drawings.
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Virtual Sketchbook for 10/22
Virtual Sketchbook for 10/17
Outside body of work. As a result of my comps and continued writing, I've taken more photos to base my cuttings on with a stronger direction for the poses than just "easy to relate to" and "slight ambiguity." I've started focusing more on poses that hint towards aggression or some form of victimization, and, because I have a stronger idea for what I'm aiming towards, I am becoming much more aware of the difference very small variables make. Depending on which foot my weight is on or even the spread of my fingers can change the whole feel of the pose, and thus, the implication of whatever is happening to cause the pose. It also starts to become more acting than posing, and I begin to feel that the photography stage is beginning to carry much more weight.
I've also starting working with color combinations before I start cutting to self-impose some limitations ahead of time.
I've also starting working with color combinations before I start cutting to self-impose some limitations ahead of time.
Inspirational artists. For my inspirational artists, I've chosen Kara Walker, Eiko Ojala, Adam Fowler, Swoon, and Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman
What does our work have in common? Both of us are using self-portraits in a vulnerable way and involve a degree of theatrics, though hers more so than mine. She goes all out, with posing, make-up, costumes, wigs, while my theatrics mostly involve the acting of the original photo, followed by the "staging" of the final form (depending on how much I distance myself from it at the end).
How is our work different?
Cindy Sherman uses only photography, while photography is just the very first step for me. She also claims that she does not see her work as "self-portraits," that she is simply her own model, while I definitely do associate with mine as though they are self-portraits, even though they also allow me to distance myself a little bit.
What does our work have in common? Both of us are using self-portraits in a vulnerable way and involve a degree of theatrics, though hers more so than mine. She goes all out, with posing, make-up, costumes, wigs, while my theatrics mostly involve the acting of the original photo, followed by the "staging" of the final form (depending on how much I distance myself from it at the end).
How is our work different?
Cindy Sherman uses only photography, while photography is just the very first step for me. She also claims that she does not see her work as "self-portraits," that she is simply her own model, while I definitely do associate with mine as though they are self-portraits, even though they also allow me to distance myself a little bit.
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In-class gestures and extended drawings. I am not happy with my gestures much at all, though I do not know if it is just because I was tired. They feel very stiff to me, even the charcoal one. The extended gesture I am mostly pleased with, because I feel I got the proportions closer to correct, although I feel that there are parts of the body that are overworked -- basically, anything in shadow).
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Other figure drawings. Most figure drawings that I find that use pen and ink are very neat and use lots of short parallel lines in different directions to shade. I tried to find more breezy, building up types of drawings, but didn't find many that I liked.
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Virtual Sketchbook for 10/10
Outside body of work. I have purchased a new supply of paper with a larger range of colors, but still largely bright, illustrative colors. I find that the poses I enjoy most are poses that seem easy to relate to, and have a certain instinctive feel to them, but have elements that could be read differently. For instance, I enjoy the crouching girl, because she is obviously crouching, and the feelings seem to read as weight, burden, shame, judgement, hiding... but If you look at just the way her arms and hands are positioned, she could be a runner getting ready to take off on a track, or a diver at the edge of a board. There are other poses that have similar qualities -- if a certain limb or element is just slightly altered or cropped, it creates a slight ambiguity. I don't want this ambiguity to be enough that it confuses the viewer, but just enough to allow variation in interpretation between different individuals.
Inspirational artists. For my inspirational artists this week, I've chosen Kara Walker, Howard Schatz, Eiko Ojala, Adam Fowler, and Swoon.
Swoon
What does our work have in common? Both of us use cut paper with an emphasis on using the figure in some way. Both of us utilize color, though in different ways, as well as negative space, again in different ways. There is an emotive quality to the faces of many of her figures that I strive for in the poses and postures of my own.
How is our work different? Swoon works on a larger scale than I do (though not on a large scale than I would like to!) and abstracts her figures in a completely different way than I do. I use color and sometimes disassembling and recomposing the figure to abstract mine -- she removes parts of the body and replaces them with textures, colors, and patterns. She also seems to want to emphasize the face, while I try to obstruct the face whenever possible.
What does our work have in common? Both of us use cut paper with an emphasis on using the figure in some way. Both of us utilize color, though in different ways, as well as negative space, again in different ways. There is an emotive quality to the faces of many of her figures that I strive for in the poses and postures of my own.
How is our work different? Swoon works on a larger scale than I do (though not on a large scale than I would like to!) and abstracts her figures in a completely different way than I do. I use color and sometimes disassembling and recomposing the figure to abstract mine -- she removes parts of the body and replaces them with textures, colors, and patterns. She also seems to want to emphasize the face, while I try to obstruct the face whenever possible.
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In-class gestures and extended drawings. Single large-scale drawing in (mostly) charcoal.
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Other figure drawings. Figure drawings using pen and ink.
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Virtual Sketchbook for 10/8
Outside body of work. To push my body of work, I need to consider the placement and texture of the additional layers that I place on my cut paper figures. Color is also of consideration, though I often work that out intuitively based on the palette I have available and based on the specific pose. I'm seriously considering using photos of myself to turn the characters into almost a series of self-portraits, playing off the idea of a reader becoming the character in a narrative, and also to make the actual making process a little more personal. I'm curious how it affects the process if I'm cutting out pieces of myself or reassembling myself. When I look at stock photos now, I look for poses that I like and am less concerned with the lighting, because I just need poses to duplicate when I photograph myself.
I also made a couple of smaller figures digitally to experiment with the idea of a white background, which I rather like, and the inclusion of text in the figure, which I like less.
I also made a couple of smaller figures digitally to experiment with the idea of a white background, which I rather like, and the inclusion of text in the figure, which I like less.
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Inspirational artists. To be updated on Thursday
In-class gestures and extended drawings. No in-class work; class-long critique.
Other figure drawings. I found drawings of large-scale figures to look at for class on Thursday (large scale drawing in class).
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Virtual Sketchbook for 10/3
Outside body of work. Following class, I decided to push my body of work from Figure Drawing I. To do this, I plan on adding layers to the designs that add texture. Using the same color of paper (for now), I will cut an extra layer for a color (for example, the hair or the darkest shadow), with spaces that create an additional visual that can only be discovered up close, but not fully realized at a distance.
10/6 - I've gone through hundreds of stock photos of the figure to select poses and lighting, narrowed it down to four, and then cut apart printed out images to experiment with final compositions. I also drew on the print-outs to determine the delineations for the light and shadows on the figure.
With the image I finally selected, I projected the image to create a stencil which I used to cut the paper into the shapes determined by drawing on the smaller print-outs. Using an X-Acto knife and spray adhesive, I've constructed most of the figure and am nearly ready to add the textured layer.
10/6 - I've gone through hundreds of stock photos of the figure to select poses and lighting, narrowed it down to four, and then cut apart printed out images to experiment with final compositions. I also drew on the print-outs to determine the delineations for the light and shadows on the figure.
With the image I finally selected, I projected the image to create a stencil which I used to cut the paper into the shapes determined by drawing on the smaller print-outs. Using an X-Acto knife and spray adhesive, I've constructed most of the figure and am nearly ready to add the textured layer.
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Inspirational Artists. For my inspirational artists this week, I've chosen Kara Walker, Howard Schatz, Eiko Ojala, Adam Fowler, and Teresa Redden.
Kara Walker
What does our work have in common? Both of use use cut paper to portray the figure, often in a simplified, illustrative way. Hopefully, mine will be able to take on a narrative aspect in the future.
How is our work different? Much of Walker's work is black and white, whereas mine incorporates bright, unrealistic colors. Hers are also put right on the wall, while mine are on large pieces of paper. Mine do not have the strong historical connections that hers do, but have a more personal feel to them.
Kara Walker
What does our work have in common? Both of use use cut paper to portray the figure, often in a simplified, illustrative way. Hopefully, mine will be able to take on a narrative aspect in the future.
How is our work different? Much of Walker's work is black and white, whereas mine incorporates bright, unrealistic colors. Hers are also put right on the wall, while mine are on large pieces of paper. Mine do not have the strong historical connections that hers do, but have a more personal feel to them.
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Howard Schatz
What does our work have in common? Howard Schatz uses the human figure in poses and lighting in ways that I admire and would love to achieve. He also often isolates the figure within a sterile environment to emphasize the figure.
How is our work different? Howard Schatz uses photography and works extensively with his own models, posing and choreographing them, whereas I find stock photos and work with those to create compositions by distorting them.
What does our work have in common? Howard Schatz uses the human figure in poses and lighting in ways that I admire and would love to achieve. He also often isolates the figure within a sterile environment to emphasize the figure.
How is our work different? Howard Schatz uses photography and works extensively with his own models, posing and choreographing them, whereas I find stock photos and work with those to create compositions by distorting them.
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Eiko Ojala
What does our work have in common? Both Eiko Ojala and I use our mediums to deceive our viewers from a distance and reveal the real medium closer up -- mine look like paintings at a distance, and turn out to be cut paper. Eiko's appear to be cut paper, but are actually digital renders and photo manipulations. We also both use a simplified version of the figure with unreal colors.
How is our work different? Obviously, we use very different material and subject matter. His work create a calming effect, whereas I hope to achieve a more harsh feeling for my viewer.
What does our work have in common? Both Eiko Ojala and I use our mediums to deceive our viewers from a distance and reveal the real medium closer up -- mine look like paintings at a distance, and turn out to be cut paper. Eiko's appear to be cut paper, but are actually digital renders and photo manipulations. We also both use a simplified version of the figure with unreal colors.
How is our work different? Obviously, we use very different material and subject matter. His work create a calming effect, whereas I hope to achieve a more harsh feeling for my viewer.
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Adam Fowler
What does our work have in common? As of right now, our work has very little in common other than that we both use layers of paper. I hope that eventually I can use paper to create a similar effect in texture. We both seem to have a thought process that hinges on the idea of perfection and detail, though this manifests itself in very different way.
How is our work different? Our work is very different in concept, appearance, and execution. His is monochromatic. abstract, and highly conceptual, while mine is brightly colored, recognizable, and conceptually weak.
What does our work have in common? As of right now, our work has very little in common other than that we both use layers of paper. I hope that eventually I can use paper to create a similar effect in texture. We both seem to have a thought process that hinges on the idea of perfection and detail, though this manifests itself in very different way.
How is our work different? Our work is very different in concept, appearance, and execution. His is monochromatic. abstract, and highly conceptual, while mine is brightly colored, recognizable, and conceptually weak.
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Teresa Redden
What does our work have in common? At this point, very little. At the time I had chosen Teresa Redden, I was going in a different direction in which I had hoped to use her attention to detail, light and shadow, and repeated shapes. I am still intrigued by the repeated shapes and would like to use them, but it is not as strong a connection at this point.
How is our work different? Her work is 3-dimensional, as well as much more rhythmic, labor-intensive, and calming than mine. The scale is also a huge difference. My paper figures are tall, but her sculptures fit in your hand and are wonderfully lightweight.
What does our work have in common? At this point, very little. At the time I had chosen Teresa Redden, I was going in a different direction in which I had hoped to use her attention to detail, light and shadow, and repeated shapes. I am still intrigued by the repeated shapes and would like to use them, but it is not as strong a connection at this point.
How is our work different? Her work is 3-dimensional, as well as much more rhythmic, labor-intensive, and calming than mine. The scale is also a huge difference. My paper figures are tall, but her sculptures fit in your hand and are wonderfully lightweight.
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In-class gestures and extended drawings. I chose the gestures that most embody fluidity in the figure, as well as accuracy of anatomy, though I was ultimately disappointed in my gestures from this class period. I chose the extended drawing based on accuracy and evenness of mark-making. I am happiest with the drawings that have small, intriguing spaces between harsh pen lines, and drawings that have built up slowly with multiple layers of lines to create the image.
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Other figure drawings
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