Final Reflection and Work

Final Self Portrait

These three photos show how my self portrait evolved.  I had a first draft, a pre-final copy, and then the final with more contrast added.  

Finalized Muscle Model:

Final Reflection:

Over the course of this semester I have gained a huge amount of knowledge regarding the human body.  The most substantial experiences in this class were being able to study each muscle grouping, build them, and draw them. I have also improved in many areas of paying attention to detail.  Seeing actual lines, shadows and proportions from the live model improved my ability to understand and draw together. In my drawings, I have utilized value and line. I feel that my gesture drawings are strong because of the line quality and composition.  

Skull:

Being able to see an actual representation of the skull to draw from was very beneficial, rather than drawing from a live model right away.  I was able to see the proportion between the various parts of the skull.  By using convex lines around the areas that were holes allowed for the bone to come forward.  The eyes, nose and jaw line all show examples of this.  Contour lines around the top and near the brow line gave a three dimensional look to the skull. I found the most challenging part of the drawing a skull to be adding all of the extra features and skin on a live model. By starting with the bone base of the skull, this allows for the addition of the cartilage, skin and other features. 

Gesture Drawings:

In the past few months my fast gesture drawing skill has greatly improved. The direction and proportions of each pose has become much more accurate. There is line variation between thick and thin. Value change is also important to recognize foreground and background. By drawing so fast, you have to let you hand flow while seeing the model's pose.  The landmarks of the ribcage, pelvis, shoulders, and legs connect the gesture lines in each area. Being able to imagine the pose also allows you to visualize and physically feel what you are drawing. 

Long Poses:

I found that having extra time in my drawings allowed for me to pay closer attention to creating accurate proportions, placement of muscles, and line value variation. By adding the surroundings on the second drawing, the model seems to be in a space and not just placed in the middle of the page.  This composition is strong and the emphasis on the model stands out. The first drawing focusses on the arms, shoulders and torso. The proportions and value change are the strengths in this drawing.