The more I think about and experiment with drawing techniques, the more
I understand the extraordinary range of opportunity that drawing offers the
artist, whether the drawing is intended as a preliminary sketch to a painting
or a drawing in its own right, or the opportunity to experiment with a new
skill or practice an old one.
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The artist of this drawing also cropped the
composition tighter, yet another difference
between the two drawings seen here. |
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What is also fascinating is seeing how artists represent the
same image, differently, each in their own style or method of working. Of course,
drawing art requires work--real
effort--but fortunately can be done
somewhat discretely or, for example, at "open studio" sessions held in many art
schools or even galleries in many communities. There really is no excuse not to
engage in life drawing, at least from time to time. All that said, I regret to
having to admit that I spotted the two drawings shown here hanging on a wall
after they were completed. I was not there drawing myself when they were created.
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A drawing from a recent "Open Studio"
event at Studio Incamminati. |
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The two drawings here were done at a Studio Incamminati "Open
Studio," both from the same model and a fellow artist. You will notice that
the drawings are different in numerous ways. One artist chose a white paper with no toning, and
the other toned a greyish paper with charcoal. One artist looks to have used a bit
of white chalk as a drawing medium or let the white of the drawing surface show through, and
the other achieved lights by pulling off the tone that was initially applied to the paper. The underlying
paper became the "light" though it was grey not white. Both artists used
hatching and smudging, but in very
different ways.
The two artists were in a similar position around the model--perhaps even next to each other--at an angle that gave them a roughly profile or three-quarters view of the model. Yet even side by side, these two artists created two very different drawings. If we had more drawings
from that day, I expect we would see even more different choices and drawing techniques as
each artist exercised his or her personal vision through their art. Isn't that wonderful!!
--Judith