Anatomy of the Torso {a workshop taught by Robert Liberace}

Hello,

This weekend I attended a workshop at the Art League taught by Robert Liberace. The focus was on the anatomy of the torso, and we covered a lot of ground over the three days. Looking at all the major muscles that make up the torso and their points of origin and insertion.

The workshop was organized with both lecture periods and time to draw. Each day we would focus on specific muscles and the pose we drew would include these muscles.

Here are the drawings Rob drew as demonstrations, totally amazing...

.first drawing of the workshop, where he was emphasizing the basic forms and structure of the torso. Drawn on newsprint with charcoal.


.a breakdown of the significant bony points to be on the look out when drawing the human figure. Drawn on newsprint with charcoal.


.drawing from the second day focusing on the external obliques, the muscles of the scapula, specifically the infraspinatus and teres major. Drawn on newsprint with charcoal and conte crayon.


.With this drawing Rob began by focusing on the chest and abdomen muscles first and then laid in the rib cage and clavicle on top of the drawing.


.Drawn on canson paper with charcoal pencils and white pastel pencil for highlights.


.On the last day we focused on the big back muscles and how they interact with the shoulder muscles. This is the first of three demonstration drawings (though I only got photos of the first two...)



Here are some of my drawings from the workshop {more are posted on flickr}.


.first drawing of the workshop, a quick analysis of the chest and abdomen with the clavicle and sternum drawn in and the massing for the rib cage outlined. The point where the ninth rib meets the rectus abdominis muscle is an important point when drawing this view of the torso as it helps reinforce the direction of the rib cage. Drawn on white drawing paper and charcoal.


.Another drawing of the front torso, this time leaving out the bone outlines. Drawn on white drawing paper and charcoal.


.This is the last drawing completed during the workshop. Drawn on white drawing paper and charcoal.

Working for three days straight was really a wonderful opportunity to learn and apply Rob's recommendations from previous times he had come around critiquing everyone's drawing.

Another Anatomy Sketch

Hello,

Here is another anatomy sketch completed on canson paper with charcoal pencil and a white pastel pencil. These two sketches focus on the cervical vertebrae of the spine and how they connect with the skull.




Tomorrow I am headed out of town for about a week and I am not sure if I will have internet access to post while away. I am bringing the Bridgman and Vanderpoelbooks with me so during down times I will hopefully be able to keep copying and stay on track with learning about anatomy.

Have a wonderful week, and see you soon, Liz

Anatomy Drawings: the skull and its muscles

Today I spent time learning about the skull and the muscles of the face and neck. These drawings were copied from Joseph Sheppard's book Anatomy: A Complete Guide for Artists. This book has some clear drawings of the bone structure and the muscles, and it easy to learn from because of how developed the drawings are. A few days ago I was copying from George Bridgeman's book and found that the sketchy nature of his drawings to be too loose for what I initially need. I figure I will return to that book after copying from other books.

Also in the desire to share this experience with other artists I opened a flickr group dedicated to Human Anatomy. Being that I am unable to travel and study at an atelier, I figured the next best thing would be to learn from books and devise a self guided program while using the wonderful artist community found on the internet and on flickr for inspiration and motivation.

If you are on flickr please join in and add your drawings also!

Thanks and have a great evening, Liz

Beginning a new study project...

{setup to start copying from Bridgman}

With the start of winter break at the Art League, this week I am beginning a new learning project to take advantage of the multiple days of uninterrupted time to focus on human anatomy. My goal is to intensively study anatomy and how it functions during this time to kick start a specific focus area to grow for the next year.

The plan it so copy from several resources and to share the process with you as the project progresses.

The books I am using as references are:

1. Anatomy and Drawing by Victor Perard
2. Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life
3. The Human Figure by Joseph Vanderpoel
4. Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Beverly Hale
5. Anatomy: A Complete Guide for Artists by Joseph Sheppard
6. The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing by Anthony Ryder
7. Drawing Course by Charles Bargue and Jean-Leon Gerome

When planning this project I decided to use the order presented in the Vanderpoel book as my guide in how to sequence the study. So beginning with the head and its features, I will read and copy from each of these books, sharing with you the progress. The reason to work from so many different books is to learn from the various viewpoints, thus becoming familiar and comfortable with the different ways each artist presents the subject matter.

{layouts from the Perard book}

So I began with copying from Bridgman'sbook, and during that time Slim insisted in sharing my lap with the drawing board, it made the drawing a little difficult, however it was particularly special having her purr and cuddle in my lap...

Update from my sculpture class...

{week 4 - end of day}

{week 4 - beginning of day}

Hello,

Here is the current work from the sculpture class I am taking from Rick Weaver. We are working on a seated figure and so far it has been a great learning experience. It is a lot more difficult than the bust we completed earlier this term, in that it requires so much more attention to proportions and the interconnections of the various forms and features.

Previously I had focused on really establishing the base and lower portion of the body, her legs mainly, and yesterday's class was mainly focused on getting the torso and arms correct in proportion to everything else. The sculpture's head had to be enlarged some because it was a little too small and this was affecting how the torso was being built up. So after getting the head size correct, I had a benchmark to then work on getting the heft that is in the chest, shoulder, and arms.

In doing this, it then became apparent that the back and waist needed to be altered, that had to wait because class ended before getting to that area.

There still seems to be a lot more to do and there is only one more class this term. Next week will be busy!

Thanks for stopping by and reading,

Liz

{week 4 - end of day}



{week 4 - end of day}



{week 4 - end of day}

Figurative Sculpture {a work in progress}

{status at the end of the first day}

Hello,

I wanted to share with you the process of working on a figurative sculpture. We have a lovely full figure model who is sitting in a nice classical pose. She is sitting pretty straight with only the most subtle contrapposto of the rib cage and pelvis, but in order to make the piece have a feeling of movement it still needs to be evident and maybe just a little emphasized.

Last week only the plinth and a basic block in of the body was built. At the end of the class we covered the sculpture with a plastic bag but did not tightly close it up so a little air would circulate so the clay would harden some. This stiffening of the clay will be helpful as the time goes on because it will be the foundation for all future additions that are more specific.

{at the end of the second day}

I am drawn to the way the model is somewhat leaning on her right arm, and how the straightness of the right arm is countered by the forward thrust of the left leg, where the right leg is relaxed in a skewed manner.
In order to keep the gesture in mind while I am working on various parts, I use a pointed tool to draw into the surface to remind me of critical parts and and directional lines. In the top photo you can see how I drew a box for the direction of the rib cage and a corresponding line for the top of the pelvis that is counter to that of the chest. There are similar marks on the back of the sculpture also.

{a side view at the end of day two}

I used the drawn lines also in the rounded form of the head, making sure I do not lose the sense of direction the model is looking, even if in real life the model adjusts some as she settles into the pose. And as you can tell with some of the rough edges, I try to only use tools to create the surface, this ensures a more defined contour and helps minimize the tendency that when working only with the hands a soft and somewhat muddled surface appearance.
We have a few more classes on this piece and I look forward to developing it further and then sharing with you.
Until then, thanks for stopping by, Liz

Recent Figurative Work

A few items from Rob Liberace's class...

{Graphite on Paper}

{9x12 oil sketch}

Thanks for stopping by and reading :)

and have a great weekend!

Liz

Class Work

{detail of Leslie ~ 24 x 18 inches}

Here is a portrait work in progress from Thursday's class. It is a five session portrait sitting and this is as far as I got during the first class. The arms are pretty psychodelic because I have been experimenting more with bright underpaintings. This really helps the skin glow from a distance, the face also started out this bright, with an orange on the light side and a deep pink/red on the shadow side. I then worked wet in wet to develop the actual fleshtones. Leslie's eyelid got a little too blue, something I will tackle later in the process, today's goal with this painting is to get the other parts to an equal footing.

Below is a 1-1/2 hour color study sketch from Tuesday's class. It also started out with the bright underpainting, and some of it continues to shine through because of it being a quick exercise.

{Figure Sketch - 8x10 inches - Oil on Canvas Panel}

New Portrait & a Drawing

{portrait study}

Phillip – 24" x 18" (61 x 45.7 cm) – Oil on Canvas

The above painting was completed in Danni’s portrait class over three periods. On Thursday I totally re-worked the face to get the color and facial structure more accurate. There was a point where I thought it was just not going to work out and that I should wipe it out, then all the sudden it came together. Funny how things work out…

Below is a drawing completed last month in Robert Liberace’s drawing class. This technique uses sanguine and black verithin colored pencils and a white pastel pencil and it is drawn on prepared paper that has been coated with shellac thinned in alcohol. In class it is called trois crayon, however I have come to feel that is a bit pretentious as it does not use the traditional chalks historically used for drawings labeled “trois crayon”. When describing its medium in juried show applications I tend to call it mixed media as it requires three very specific and different mediums. This drawing was accepted into the Art League's May show

Marie – 12” x 19” – Mixed Media

Another Portrait Sketch

{3 hour sketch}

Here is a quick portrait sketch completed last Friday

in Robert Liberace's class.

Monday was summer term registration and

luckily I got into his drawing and painting class,

so I will have more to show starting in the summer.

Have a great day! Liz

New Figure Study and Link

{one houre figure study}

Hello,

How are you? I am stopping by for a short bit to share the most recent figure study and to share a great link that covers the National Portrait Society conference in great detail. I am still trying to figure out how to absorb all that was shown and discussed over the weekend...

Today I will be attending Robert Liberace's drawing and painting class {this term I am not signed up for him} because a friend will not be able to attend and gave me her slot! So I need to hurry and get ready.

Have a great weekend! Liz

New Figure Studies

Hello and thanks for stopping by to visit.

Lately I have been letting the days slide by without posting current sketches and paintings. I have been busy with creating art, and similar to February a lot has been scraped down because of the various experiments not really working out. One of the new things I am experimenting with is really thick burlap-like canvas. The canvas grain is really heavy, it uses a lot of paint and wears brushes down some, but I believe it has amazing potential for being very expressive once it is mastered. Recently while at the National Gallery of Art I noticed that a Velasquez portrait was painted on this rough type of canvas and as expected it was wonderful. This and analyzing some paintings by Claudio Bravo (who also uses this type of canvas at times) inspired me to jump in and only use this canvas during my figure painting class this term. I figure nine weeks of classes and completing the homework on this stuff will provide sufficent time to get a hang of it.

{detail of the canvas and the wonderful "holes" it leaves}

Also in the spirit of branching out and trying new things, tomorrow is the first day of the National Portrait Society Conference and I will be attending all four days! I am so excited to see all the demonstrations and learn as much as possible. A good friend is coming to town to attend it as well. If you are planning on attending I hope to see you there! Please let me know by leaving a comment.

Below are two 1-1/2 hours figure studies completed on the rough canvas. It is really fun experimenting with it, and I find right now that geometric shapes look really interesting on it.

{completed 13 April 2010}

{completed 20 April 2010}

Good night, Liz