Spines and Lines

So this week we focused more on bone/muscle structure than we did on actually drawing. Which is good because I definitely need to learn those things. I found the lesson on spines really interesting because I enjoy breaking things down. I like that approach because it makes things easier to tackle and less overwhelming. Drawing lines based on the neck, back and hip angles was exciting, almost like I felt that the simple line I was drawing had a lot more to say than a regular line would (if that makes any sense!).

I’m starting to miss shading already though. I know this class is going to be based a lot on gesture drawings and quick things that might not look completed. This kind of bums me out because I love details. I thrive on the tiny things that people have to get up close to the drawing to examine. So, needless to say I will miss that this semester. In a way though, it’s good for me to learn about new styles/approaches. I’m a pretty stubborn person and when it comes to my art I’m even less willing to budge. Because of this I think I miss out on exploring new techniques. I had a really defined style in high school and I kind of miss that because I was great at what I did. But I have to realize that being great at one thing definitely isn’t everything. 

In class on Friday we practiced drawing the spinal column again. Then we went on to a detailed spinal contour lines drawing, which is the picture I added in this week’s blog. I originally drew an outline of the figure, but erased it so it wasn’t as prominent as my intentional lines, but still slightly visible to help guide your eyes. I think for the most part, my proportions are pretty close to accurate this time. I’m sure some of my lines don’t describe the figure as well as I’d like, but hopefully the more I practice contour lines I’ll get a better hold on how to do it.