Sept 27 - Oct 1

Our first day this week (Tuesday) began with going over our manikins. Despite us all following out of the same book and the same pictures, each of us had a completely different look to the muscles we were assigned to add to the body. I personally struggled with understanding the different views of each muscle and ended up spending a ton of time on the assignment. Overall I was pretty pleased with mine, and with a few minor adjustments I believe I’ll be ready to move on to the abdominal muscles. It was nice to see everyone’s and get feedback.

After going over those we moved on to some fast 15 second sketches, and then some one minute ones, where we focused again on drawing the center line in relation to the rest of the body. Each time we do these fast exercises I go through a bit of a rut and then seem to get back in the swing of things. I can’t wait for the day where that rut isn’t so time consuming! The image below is just one page of a few of those one minute drawings (some a bit better than others).

We then moved on to something completely new for me: contour line drawing of the torso. I struggled at first, and ended up completely started over. Having 30 minutes seemed like a long time, but it went pretty fast once I got started on my second drawing. The angle I was at was difficult for me, but I tried to keep the perspective correct while drawing line after line. 

Today we did faster passed drawings but added the “egg” ribcage. I had a really really hard time with this at first, but towards the end I started to grasp the concept. I definitely need work on showing the twisting movement of the body. I also seem to have a hard time showing if I’m looking at the front or back of the model. We did another 30 minute drawing of the torso (again, contour line), and I was excited; I felt like I needed to redeem myself. This time the drawing went much smoother for me, but perhaps that was because the model was laying on her stomach this time, or maybe because I moved to a spot with a better view. Either way- I was pleased. My first one was good with line weight but the perspective was off, so I did another quick one (10 min) to redo the perspective. 

Sept 20 - Sept 24

This week was pretty exciting in Life Drawing. Getting a real model was way more laid back and professional than I had imagined. So Tuesday was all about drawing the model. We began with quick 30-second sketches of her, doing about 15 in all. We then switched it up, gradually making the times longer and longer. The 30-second sketches were way harder than I thought they would have been. At first it seemed like I would get two lines down and we would already be on to our next sketch. Fortunately, the more we did the quick sketches, the better I got. We learned about drawing the center linear line of a ligament, rather than the typical outside, thus creating a more 3D look to simple line drawings. It’s still a difficult concept for me to grasp, but I’m getting there. The first picture below is just one of my pages of the quick 30-second drawings, and one of my better pages (which might not say much, but believe me, there is improvement).

After doing 30-second and one-minute drawings and so on, we went on to do a 30-minute drawing. The 30-minutes seemed to go so slow compared to the 30-seconds that we had done over and over again. After I completed one drawing (or what I felt was complete), I went on to tackle it again, in the last 5-minutes or so.  I feel that my first drawing is better with line weight and detail (which makes sense because I spent the most time on it), while my second drawing makes better use of space i.e. the perspective seems better and you can see the total stretch of her body. 

Today, Thursday, we got our mannequins, and this weekend we have to begin adding muscles to that. I’m sure, this too, will be something that gets better with practice.

Sept 13 - Sept 17

This first week of Life Drawing went really well. After not being in a drawing class in about 3 years, it was good to get back in the swing of things. Needless to say, I’m a bit rusty. Our first drawing exercises were with seashells, taking careful note of all the curves, dips, and crevasses. The 10 minute continuous line drawing of the shells was much easier for me than the blind line drawings. But with that said, I definitely needed to think more carefully about line weight. My shell looks flat and made out of distinct shapes, rather than appearing as a 3D object. 

We got to start on the skeletons in the second day of class and that was something totally new for me (as is all the content of this class). Beginning with a quick intro on the human skeleton, we learned about the major landmarks and the spinal column, made up of the 34 vertebra called the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccyx.

Drawing the primary curves of the spine along with the pelvis and rib cage was a great exercise. After drawing the skeleton 4 or 5 times, each in a different angle in 10 minute 

increments, the drawings and perspective came much easier. My skeleton drawings, much like the shell, need work. The variation in line weight just isn’t there yet.

The critiques, even on these quick drawings, are going to help me get the level of my drawings where they need to be.

Introduction

Hi, I'm Nora Langer, a senior at UW Stout working towards a BFA with a concentration in Graphic Design as well as a minor in Applied Photography. I really love traveling and being outdoors. Sewing is also something that I'm inclined to do once in a while. While I may be a decent drawer, the human form is definitely my week point. I look forward to this class and hope to take as much away from it as I can.