This morning I’ve taken a life drawing class from the randomised poses at line of action’s website.
It came after first thing this morning when I drew a couple of poses in an untimed setting.
It made me realise I needed to loosen up, and anyone who’s ever taken a life class knows that there’s nothing better for your eye than the frantic pace of a proper class.
I was comforted when I was in this stage by remembering the fear and pain of all the students in my life groups who have to draw this fast. The panicked muttering is something very special.
I sort of hate this one the most, because if I’ve started a pose badly, I have to stare at it for longer. I will admit that it’s probably the awkward teen phase of the class for me because if I’m really struggling, it usually means my eye and brain are slowly clicking into gear.
You can tell I’m starting to settle into my element here. I will admit I skipped a pose I didn’t like the look of at this stage, and maybe if I was being a purist I would have gotten stuck in. But I stand by my choice… the offending pose was a woman bending over backwards and one look at it told me that even if I’d drawn it PERFECTLY, it still would have looked super off and weird.
Because the whole class was only 30 minutes, my longest pose was only ten. I have to say I was dealt a very good pose here, and with very hard contrast lighting (my favourite!).
It was only with this pose that I felt my mind’s eye really step back and look at the pose as a whole when my hand moved to create the initial shapes. It’s funny, because having taken so many life classes before, I know what mindset I need to be looking for. But of course, finding brain-hand harmony is a subconscious skill that needs almost constant practice and sharpening.
If I really wanted to take advantage of this zone, I should keep drawing 10 or 15 minute poses. But I feel just doing the class is enough!
SEASIDE ILLUSTRATION 