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I have a painter-friend who is gearing up to do a major work with figures, but she feels a bit rusty about painting a model in all his or her glory. To help prepare herself, she's set up a series of life-drawing sessions so that she can spend a bit of time drawing models before tackling her actual...
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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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I have always loved charcoal drawings. A few years ago, I came across a book of charcoal figure drawings by Henry Yan , who was then an instructor at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I immediately bought two copies of the book--one to keep in my studio as a reference and one for my family...
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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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So often with still life paintings, we focus on the objects in the painting first—and rightly so; they do take center stage. But still life artists know that backgrounds can play a major role in the look and feel of a painting as well. A still life composition against a patterned background can...
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The grapes establish dominance in an otherwise bland still life painting setup. Your still life! By following a few key guidelines when creating still life painting setups, you will be on your way to creating successful, dynamic paintings that really stand out. Here are a few pieces of advice to keep...
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Slumber at Chuckwalla Valley (detail) by Sharon Allicotti, drawing. If art were a banquet, I would constantly be going back for more helpings of life drawing. It is a consistently rewarding artistic experience because I've never met a more inspiring—and challenging—exercise than drawing...
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Back II (Joshua) by Martha Mayer Erlebacher, 2003, oil on canvas, 42 x 42. The human body is beautiful—as a whole and in its parts. Body drawings that accentuate the sensuous lines of the body and the power of the human form are steeped in a knowledge of anatomy. But the body is a complex machine...
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The Remains by Joe Gyurcsak, 2007, oil painting, 24 x 24. If I start my morning with a bit of artistic inspiration, it really carries me through the whole day, just like a wholesome breakfast does! And today is a very good day because I was able to begin by going through the "pages" of our...
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Frank by Eileen Healy, pastel drawing. Artist Daily Member Spotlight: Eileen Healy I don't think any of you know how often I brag about you and the great work you show off in the Artist Daily Member Gallery. Recently I had several colleagues looking over my shoulder at the computer screen as I showed...