Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Searching form and line...

As you can see, search for form and line continues... A number of study sketches on (mostly) A3 size paper, using a variety of tools - compressed charcoal, dry pastel, hard compressed leads etc.

Many thanks to the reference sources for helping me with my studies. Some of the sources I've mentioned below, about the others I have no idea... wish I could credit them as well. But I'm sincerely indebted to all.






   

   

 

     

    

   



Refs by kind courtesy of Croquis Cafe, New Masters Academy youtube channels, and unknown others. Fourth from below is courtesy of Cinnomanangel in Deviantart (model) / Eric Boutilier-Brown (photographer). Thank  you!


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

charcoal bust etc

A couple of charcoal studies added...


A3, compressed charcoal on paper.
Ref image by kind courtesy of Cinnamonangel (model) in Deviantart, and Bruce Dienes (photographer).


A4 (approx), compressed charcoal on paper
Unknown ref image source - many thanks for helping me with my volume studies.

And a couple more pastels...


A3, pastel on paper.
Ref image by kind courtesy of Croquis Cafe

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Lady with flute 2

Lady with Flute 2 - 30" x 22", Oil Pastel on  paper. The other one (Lady with flute 1) was in dry pastel.



Close up




Ref image by kind courtesy of Marion Skydancer in Deviantart. 

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Figure Studies in Oil Pastel

Two figure studies in Oil Pastel

30" x 22", assorted Oil Pastel on paper.



Close up 1



Close up 2



Ref image by kind courtesy of Marie (marystk in Deviantart).

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Study of 'Nature Revealed'

(I intend to add more studies to this thread... )
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Study of 'Nature Revealed', a 19th C sculpture by the French master L. E. Barrias.
30" x 22", pastels and conte on paper.






Study of 'The First Funeral'

30" x 22", pastel on paper. This is a study sketch of L. E. Barrias' 'The First Funeral' (1878). I was in total admiration of the complexity of different forces - gravitational and muscular, which are interacting with each other to make this beautiful composition possible. I'm sincerely thankful to the unknown ref sources which helped make this study.

Notice how the central male figure is tilting back (please click to access the full size), while supporting himself from falling forwards (due to the drag of the deceased's weight) with his left leg. His abdominal muscles are taut, to counteract the action of his back muscles (responsible for the backwards tilt). The deceased is completely under the influence of gravity, as is evident from the curvature of his spine, the slight inward bend of the left foot, the position of the wrist/fingers on his lap, and the posture of his head/neck. The female figure is slightly bent forwards, kissing the deceased on the side of his head. Therefore, her weight is mainly on the right leg, which is straight and taut, while the left leg is comparatively relaxed. Also, the male figure's head is erect, the neck muscles stiff - showing the strain of the weight he's carrying. He has a melancholy look on his face, as he glances down at the departed person.












Friday, March 13, 2015

Nymph and Satyr - conte study

One large (30" x 22"), in-camera conte drawing of an Old Master sculpture. This is Claude Miguel's (18th Century, French) sculpture 'The Nymph and Satyr'. I was trying to record my process, and had that irritating video cam peering over my shoulder most of the time.



Including one grayscale image for value comparisons:



Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Sigh! (EDITED)

EDIT (above the dotted line) - Well, I've received a new email... apparently Blogger WONT be making the previously mentioned changes. FigureStack, which is about learning figurative drawing and painting, will not have to 'hide' its contents behind a privacy screen. The usual Blogger warning screen will suffice, it seems. I'm thankful that reason has prevailed - thank you Blogger!

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Google says it'll start censoring blogs that contain sexually explicit or graphic nude images, and that my blog i.e. Figurestack may be affected. Even though I can't be accused of the former kind, the figure studies here could be interpreted as graphic - since they include nudes :( Well, how am I to study the human figure if not in the nude! However, Google also says that it'll "still allow nudity presented in artistic, educational... contexts", but I wonder if someone will actually go through these blogs to determine which is which. The very reason I post these is to share with fellow artists (apart from general figure-art lovers), like they do with their own work - so that we may learn from each other. Its not that anyone can access this without a fair warning - blogger has a warning page for that. Additionally, I've put up a warning statement in the blog header. There are loads of teaching material here which could be of use to someone, and if google decides to make these private, the exchange of learning will stop. I hope they will be more discerning, and leave Figurestack unaffected. Otherwise, from Mar 23 onwards, goodbye to Figurestack as you have known it.