Structure Class

Here's the conclusion of my 4-week (12-hour) structure drawing. I hope next time I can get the proportions down a little quicker--approaching setting the proportions a different way has been a bit of a learning curve.

From last night's critique--my shadow value wasn't reading well, so we flattened that out with a brush (which also made the colerase pencil warmer--so weird, and it's also a learning curve working in a new medium). That softened out the whole drawing, and I went around trying to reestablish shadow boundaries, and look for and emphasize "points of rest," or where the outer forms connect with the inner skeletal structure. At those points there is a transition that helps define the sub-structure. 

It's so interesting to see the differences in the approaches of the two different schools. And it's not so much that we don't touch on the same things both places, but that the emphasis is on different facets. The CAS is much more visually-based (accurately representing what you see), whereas the BAA is more concept-based (drawing not what you see, but what you know). For example, in defining the edges of the contour at the CAS, we look for the actual visual gradation along the line, whereas at the BAA there is an emphasis on accentuating the moments of bone under the surface, even if they aren't that noticeable in the actual visual scene. Either way you get a beautiful contour, but the intent is somewhat different. Also, at the CAS we would draw the local relative values of things, whereas at the BAA there is more focus on getting the values to read how they should read for the pose, under ideal circumstances. Not sure if that makes sense, but it kind of reminds me of  those physics experiments in college where they teach you this equation that would theoretically work under ideal circumstances (and, of course, never works out in your actual experiment ;). You're approaching it from a conceptual knowledge of the form, and then making allowances for individual variation.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this class. I love all the accuracy and eye training I get at the CAS, and I  also love the freedom and movement of drawing I'm getting from the BAA approach.