Learning Figure Drawing

These are from a five day workshop in July, 2005 organized by my friend, Susan Singer, and conducted by a fantastic teacher, Thomas Bosket. Both are terrific artists, as were the others in the class - I was the neophyte.

I was surprised by what i was able to do early on, with pastels, but did not expect what i was eventually able to do with pencils. I was also astonished, challenged, and delighted by the depth of attention that representational drawing demands and rewards.

Quick pastels sketch of Tom, day 1 #1

Tom insisted that we look at the subject and not at our drawing.

Quick pastels sketch of Tom, day 1 #2

Tom insisted that we look at our sketches *less*. It's full of flaws, but there's something substantial there - I didn't know that I could draw faces at all.

Quick pastels sketch of Tom, day 1 #3 – all colors

Again, we were supposed to draw fast, look at the subject instead of the sketch, and this time, use all the colors in the box within a set amount of time - 64 pastels within 30 minutes. Fun! And a funky mess. But there's something conveyed, somewhere in the mix.

An intensive sketch of Chloe, day 3

One evening a few days in the students modelled for each other. I was exhausted, but hung out and tried to draw with a pencil. I followed Tom's instructions to look at the subject, not the drawing. Maybe the exhaustion helped, in some way. In any case, I was very surprised when i eventually looked down.

Final sketch of Tom, leisurely

My last drawing on the last day. I've only drawn a little bit since, but just for want of time, not desire. I learned to do something at least a little, something that's extremely engaging and provocative.

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