Drawing 2 Detail

This is a detail of the second drawing in my series called: Weight. Technically, I had to adapt the proportions of this figure a great deal from my reference material. In my sketches, I used pose books as a mentioned previously. For the large drawings (this one is 75 inches tall) I am using a model. I couldn't ask my model to hold a rock over her head for hours, so I had to take photos. So this drawing is based on a photographic reference. However, not entirely. Photos are a distortion or interpretation of life, not reality. So I use photos as a reference, but not gospel. I adapt my drawings: increasing the foot size, elongating parts of the arms and legs, etc. I do this so that the figure is correctly proportioned. People will accept things in a photo that do not look correct in a drawing.

Drawing 2 Begun

I finished drawing 1 and started drawing 2. The facial expression on this drawing is more pained. The first drawing the face had a neutral expression. As the series progresses I may change the expressions to become more harsh. The reason that they are not in complete agony now is a comment on our society. We take the pressures we face with a great amount of stoicism. We don't want anyone to know that we are in trouble of being crushed by the rock suspended over our heads! As I read the paper, I am amazed that our society works so well in spite of all the hardships faced by everyday citizens. Due to my background, these are American figures. Developing countries face more pressure than we do in the U.S. This figure is determined to overcome her obstacles.

Detail of First Drawing

I received a lot of support from people who came by the studio while I was working. They helped spot several problem areas. Initially the legs were to short, feet too small, and face to shrouded in shadow. Thanks for the critique! Many of my students dread critiques; I welcome objective suggestions! I stopped short of finishing the drawing completely until I have all six planned drawings complete to this level. Then, I will finish all six at the same time to gain consistency. Or at least that is the plan now!

First Drawing Started

The first drawing is now about 80% complete. I went like gang busters on this one. I had been thinking about starting this series for so long, that once I started I worked on it for two straight days. I did not get any progress photos. Sorry, I'll do better on the second drawing; I promise. On my way to the studio, I looked at the hardware store for a door and decided buying a new one was too expensive. I didn't know how I would proceed when I arrived at the studio. I was a little bummed, thinking that I would be delayed. As I walked into the Charlotte Art League, where my studio is located, Bobby Underhill asked me if I had any use for the old door her husband had just removed from the bathroom! So, I rearranged my studio to accommodate the door and started drawing!

The sketch above is the last preliminary sketch I executed. I asked myself what would happen if the rock began to win? I like to ask myself questions and answer them in my art. My metaphorical person is losing the battle to the pressures of society. So, I drew the rock coming down a quarter of the way into the drawing. When I show the sketches to people, they like this one the least. After this one, I felt it was time to begin the large scale drawings. I mentioned a pose book for artists in a previous post. I looked up the title of the one from 1966. The Human Form in Action and Repose by Phil Brodatz and Dori Watson. I see poses from this book all the time, even today. The artist Mobius used poses from this book for his drawings in Heavy Metal magazine. The word repose is so nice, but not too commonly used today. Here is a quote from the introduction: "Artist have endlessly labored to translate the facts of experience into the realities of art." Is there any reality besides art?

Lines and Shadows

One thing I have done over the years lead to the concept for this series. I try to get to my studio as often as possible. I usually have some painting or project I am working on, so I always have something to do when I get there. However, sometimes the spirit is not in me to work on the project that is pressing. So, when that happens, I work on my figure studies. I have hundreds of sketchbooks full of figure studies now. These studies lead to my drawing the figures holding things and eventually rocks over there heads.

For this series, I have decided to use a thick, dark line to outline the highlighted side of the figure. Where the shadow meets the edge of a drawing, I will usually not use a hard line and let the dark values do the work of the line. Because of the rock being overhead, much of the figure is in shadow. Also, the rock and figure will cast a shadow on the ground. But this shadow will be minimal and hopefully not overwhelm the drawing.

Decisions, Decisions

Starting a new drawing is easy for me. I just start putting marks on the paper. Beginning a new series of drawings, however, requires many, many decisions. What type paper do I want to use? As with everything in life today, the choices are almost endless. I decided to use gray paper for my larger drawings. It is a light gray so that graphite shows up well. Also, I may decide to use white charcoal or color pencil on these drawings, so gray allows for that. I wanted a textured paper, so I chose one with a slight texture. I paint on rough paper and I did not want to use paper that was too rough. In the above sketch, I experimented with color charcoal or conte. I like this effect on white paper, but it did not look as good on gray.

The composition of each drawing calls for making decisions as well. In this sketch, the figure is 'winning' against the rock. She is pushing the rock up and off the top of the page. I will experiment with this choice in my composition as the drawings progress.

The number decisions we face in everyday life or as artists can become overwhelming. That is one of the weights we face in our society today. I wanted to limit the number of decisions I faced with this series. This lead me to drawings over paintings, to simplify the number of decisions I faced as an artist each day when I walked into the studio.