Live Class recording:
Here are some of the rhythms of the face I kept in mind while structuring this portrait.
Some of the important ideas we touched upon throughout the demo:
- shadow is atmosphere and light is form – don’t over-sculpt your shadows
- as humans we are only able to focus on one eye when looking at a person due to human optics, I like to reflect it in my work.
- when drawing from live, having a structural framework is crucial because the model moves. I find comparative measurement way more practical then sight-size in a live drawing environment.
- lastly, we raised a super interesting topic during the demo. Someone asked me “why would you work from a live model”? Frankly, I’ve never been asked this question before.
I am used to answering this question in reverse. I draw from photos because most of my clients don’t have time to sit that long (and I do take very very long), my kids move too much, and models are expensive to invite to my studio every time I draw… you get the idea.
But why would I choose a live model over a photo … that’s a great question. I guess, the goal of my work is always to capture the character of my subject. I strive to express that enigmatic core, the soul, the feeling of the person I draw. It goes beyond the photo and the visual likeness. There is an element of magic to this … (I speak about it in my artist statement … So with this goal in mind, it is somewhat helpful to have the person actually present in front of you, even tho it makes the actual process harder. Live people move 🙂
What do you think? Do you prefer drawing from photos or live models or maybe you prefer plein-air? I would love to hear what you think.
Please leave me you honest review whether you joined live or watched the recording:
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