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In figure drawing and painting, knowing the ins and outs of the human body is essential. There's no way around that fact, and honing our skills with anatomy drawing helps us understand and truly see the body more accurately than any other endeavor. Drawing by Stephen Schultz. I was flipping through...
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Okay, I'll admit that skull reading and phrenology sound a little silly to me. Trying to get a sense of a person from the hollows and grooves on their skull? Not buying it. But I do know that "reading" the skull as an artist is key when it comes to learning how to draw a human head for...
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I recently took a life drawing class and showed my sketches to a friend, who's a super-skilled painter. I was reluctant to share them, but when she looked at my final sketch--in which the model had her hips contrapposto but twisted slightly away from me with one arm across her chest and the other...
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I'm not a napping kind of person. When I'm up, I'm up and I want to be doing something or on the go. That's usually the kind of body drawing that I'm pulled to as well--muscles torqued, body indicating action, and an underlying sense of movement. That being said, I do recognize and...
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Yep, it is a pretty lofty goal. I know it. But there are so many incredible artists out there who are doing incredible work and deserve more visibility! Here are a few ways that you can elevate your artistic profile in the wider world. By no means are these a cure-all or guarantee, but if they get you...
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Today was a day spent asking myself questions about my art. Two of the questions I have focused on are: "Why do I draw?", and "Why do I draw what I draw?" The copy of a Prud'hon drawing that I did in Natalie Italiano's drawing class. I believe drawing is a foundation to realistic...
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Drawing human anatomy can be an adventure if you take it to the limits. Artist and draftsman Leah Yerpe certainly does. Her large- and small-scale drawings feature figures freefalling, tumbling, and twisting as they swoop across the page. Pleiades by Leah Yerpe, 72 x 107, charcoal drawing, 2011. Though...
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I combined not just artist and model (self-portraiture), but artist-model-athlete in my Life Drawing Gymnastics series. In my Life Drawing Gymnastics series, I attempted to do more than simply draw from life , but rather allowed life to be a large part of the drawing process. I combined not just artist...
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Woman on a Treadmill by Kate Sikorski, figure drawing, 2009. I am a firm believer in starting a life drawing with the envelope—the shape you first draw before anything else. I've come to think of it as one of my drawing basics. This envelope maps out the highest, lowest, most left, and most...
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Drawing anatomy allowed Leonardo to understand how the human body works in relation to its appearance. Back when I was struggling to pull my drawing abilities together, I realized that it didn't matter how good my line got if I couldn't tell what I was looking at. This came to a head when I was...
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Drawing block-in by Steve Early. From the time I started drawing, I have had a constant battle with myself over how to start. For years I have been looking for the one right way to sketch in a composition or block-in an underpainting. Lately, and with the help of my Studio Incamminati instructors, I...
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Leonardo Da Vinci's drawing, Head of an Angel , 1483. In my last post, I was telling you about how I decided to take Leonardo Da Vinci for my master when I was first studying art seriously. Choosing a master means taking a close look at great art and great artists, and learning the lessons they can...
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My pencil drawing, Alley , was the result of a 40-minute pose that I did a few weeks ago. Hello, all, and thanks for having me as part of the Artist Daily community. I’m an artist working in New York, and I’ll be offering thoughts on the art I make and see in my posts. Let’s get right...
Posted to
The Drawing Blog
by
dmaidman
on
1 Mar 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: drawing, art, Drawing Basics, figure drawing, how to draw, how to draw people, pencil drawing, life drawing, drawing anatomy, street art, Artist Daily
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Here are a few basic concepts of artistic perspective you absolutely need to know, whether your intentions are expressive or realist-minded. by Dan Gheno No, you’re not the only artist who is afraid of perspective and foreshortening. For beginners and advanced artists alike, the fear is as palpable...
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Learn to draw the cube and you have a good introduction to basic perspective and drawing essentials , plus the cube is one of the geometric building blocks of all objects—including the human figure. The Three Graces by Jon deMartin, 2002, burnt sienna and white Nupastel drawing on toned paper,...