Week One

This past week we started to study the skeletal system of the human body. This is something I have studied numerous times before but was never able to apply it to art. I am already starting to see how understanding the human skeleton will make my work more accurate.

We started off the week with being assigned a sea shell and making our first attempts at drawing it. The first exercise was a blind contour drawing. For those of you who are unaware a blind contour drawing is where we study the shell by holding it in one hand and connecting our hand movement with what our eyes see to draw the item without looking at the paper. I have posted what I feel to be my best blind contour drawing of my shell below. After a few attempts at blind contour drawings we got into groups to critique our work. My group gave me some good tips on how to improve such as trying to improve my composition on the paper (which is hard to do when I can’t see what I’m drawing but at the same time a valid point), and also to emphasize arched lines even more. My critics felt that I had demonstrated a good use of line thickness, good use of time, and that I had observed my shell well. We also got a chance to draw cross contour shell drawings, this time we could look at the paper. I have included a picture of this below.

The second day of class this week was focusing on learning the five sections of the spinal column and how each section moves. There are primary curves which consist of the thoracic and sacral vertebra. Primary curves will always curve the same direction. Then come the secondary curves. These curves consist of the cervical and lumbar vertebra. The direction of these is flexible as opposed to the primary curves that will always curve the same way.

Overall I feel that I already learned a lot for the first week. I am excited to continue learning about the human body and get to live models next week.

Blind Contour

Cross Contour