Continuation of Gesture Figure Drawing

After last weeks critique I have decided to continue to gesture draw the figure because I feel that the drawings could be pushed more and I want to finish working life size. This time I want to start from the inside of the figure and work out. I think looking at some gesture drawings of the figure will also help. Im thinking of also maybe varying the thickness of the lines and hopefully that will show more movement and weight. Lastly shortening the time to 30 seconds or less so it will force me not to get stuck in doing contour lines.

I plan on another fifth teen gesture figure drawings on newsprint paper just to get warmed up and back into the swing of things. Then move on to color paper with ink and cante crayons. I have scraps of canvases and Im thinking of also trying that with ink. Then Lastly I want to work life size with using ink and a sponge and then changing it up and switching to house paint.

Round Two of Gesture Drawing

I continued to work from Muybridge videos. After doing a variety of different sizes last time. I decided to continue with doing the smaller gesture drawing because they came out more gestural for me last time. I also tried doing a life size one as well and that came out pretty well. I wished I did a second one of those. With the life size one I felt like I was my whole arm and was varying the brush strokes.

Figure Gesture Drawings

I had a lot of fun doing these figure gesture drawings. I ended up watching Muybridge videos and drawing from the models. I feel like I was really able to let go this time. I could not even think even if I wanted to. The more I did the easier it got. I only had enough time to react. I feel like some of the gesture drawings came out better then others. The smaller the paper was I feel like the more gestural the figures were.

Methods of Investigation

The material I chose to work with that I have never worked with is ink. When I was first learning how to use ink I found it be challenging and frustrating. If I was not careful enough the ink would not only ruin down my paper but also into other shades. I like not having that much control of over the ink because it allowed me not to think. However it allowed me to react quickly. It also allowed me no room for mistakes which can be a good thing because it allows you not only

to go with it but to work with it.

I wanted to show an experience or something personal that I have gone through. The problem is I don't know how to express it but I decided to give a shot anyways. I feel like I dint really stop thinking and dint really let go. I feel STUCK.

Identify Questions

Inspiration

My inspiration comes from a lot of different places. A lot of the times it comes from friends and family. Some of the paintings I have done have been portraits of my friends and family but necessarily in the traditional way. Things that have meaning, value or are personal to me in some way also inspire me. Even just driving or walking through different towns and places can also pull inspiration.

Sometimes I will look at myself as another source of inspiration. A lot of times I will draw or paint something that I am going through or feeling. It may not necessarily be spelled out in the work but something you can feel in the work. I love doing simple still lives and I will usually be drawn to objects that I find cool, interesting or grabs my attention is some sort of way. There are times were Im stuck for inspiration in that case I will go looking for it

Working Enviroment

My working environment varies from what mood I am in to what I am working on. I like to change up my environment because I get tired of constantly working in the same place all the time so I like to switch it up. Ill either work in my classroom studio or ill work at home. A lot of times I will work in the studio to get away and escape for a little bit. It also really allows me to focus on what im working on. I find it to be nice and relaxing if I listen to music as I work. It’s nice working in the studio because I feel like I can make a mess and not have to worry about ruining anything. When Im working at home I have to be careful about ruining things and that can get annoying and distracting

Sometimes with when I work in my classroom studio it gets to quiet and lonely for me to work in so I will work at home. When Im working at home I will either work in bedroom, family room or kitchen. I will usually be bounce back and forth from those three places. Lastly sometimes I will work with other people in the same room and talk to them while I work but that depends on if I can afford to talk.

Working Process

A lot of times I find helpful to do thumb nail sketches of how Im going to set up my composition for my painting. I will do as many thumb sketches, as I need to in order to find the right one. It’s very important for me before I start that I have everything I need and set up. It’s usually a slow start for me when I start painting but sometimes it can be a quick start. It all depends on how complicated the subject matter is.

I will start off by drawing with either pencil or paint. Sometimes I will just skip the drawing and just jump right into the painting by starting to just put down my light and dark values. Painting for me is a constant push and pull where Im satisfied with some things but not with other things. Now and then I will take a break or if Im getting frustrated with the way my painting is turning out I will walk away and then come back to it with fresh eyes.

Motivation

I am a majority of the time my own personal motivator. I find it that I will have more motivation and excitement for painting if Im really liking my subject matter. Which is usually a majority of the time but sometimes is not. Also my professors can motivate me to push my work further or help me take my work into a different direction. Getting some constructed criticism really help as well and will allow me work on things that I need to.

Time is also a huge motivator for me. To me time is very precious and valuable. I feel that there is never enough of it in the day so I need to be able to plan accordingly and use it wisely. Most importantly that I used it productively and at the end of the day I feel like I got a lot done.

Reading

Ill is completely honest I do not do a lot and I don’t really like to read. I have also been like that since I was a kid. I will read for however for required classes or I will read stuff that interests me in some way.

Most Inspiring Person

I don’t have just one most inspiring person. I have a couple of different painters that I find to be inspiring to me. A couple of them have similar subject matters in their paintings or their working style is similar.

The two artist that inspire me are Morandi Giorgio and Edwin Dickson. Giorgio color scheme and simple object still lives remind me a lot of my work. The way Dickson applies the paint and his short glare painting is very similar to how I apply the paint and I to like to just do stare paintings.

Mathew Ritchie

I really like Matthew Ritchie's work. I love the simplicity of his work and of his lines and how is able to blow and shrink is work. It seems that he is very involved with his work and his process and that he has a team working with him. I feel if he dint have a team with him it would be very difficult for him to get everything done. He will blow up his work on the wall, make sculptures, and drawing and is able to incorporate figures into his abstract work.

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