Human Anatomy And The Friendly Neighborhood Skull Model

I am currently in tech for Stuart Little at Adventure Theatre, so have not had much time to have a pencil or brush in my hand this week. But I did spend a little time this morning with my sketchbook in the company of my friendly neighborhood human skull model.

Friendly Neighborhood Skull Model

Graphite on paper.

I have done a couple of sketches of my friend here, and I have discovered that whenever I devote significant time to contemplate it* I spend the rest of the day examining people's faces and trying to see the underlying structure. Of course you can't say to your friends "I am not looking at your face, I am seeing your skull."

I am currently reading Michelangelo: A Life In Six Masterpieces by Miles J. Unger. Early in the book he writes about the dissections of human cadavers that both Michelangelo and Leonardo performed. That exposure to human anatomy profoundly informed their drawings of the human form, allowing them both to produce figures of startling expressiveness. My experiences in studying the human figure over the past nine months or so have given me a whole new appreciation for the need to have that grounding, although I think I will use secondary sources and avoid the charnel houses.

The other thing I am focused on is lots of drawings of spheres, cones, cylinders, cubes, boxes and pyramids, all on different valued backgrounds in varying lighting conditions. And while it may sound tedious (and it sometimes is), it is challenging and will ultimately be useful. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

Than there is the painting I cannot seem to finish, but that is a tale for another time.

Peace in yer crease.

* I have so far managed to avoid doing this dressed all in black. And I have not named my skull Yorick. Yet.

Unintended Hiatus

I have not been on the blog in a bit. Things have been busy with finishing drawings, elevations and models for a couple of shows. Also with a bit of Production Management for Georgetown's Health Services department and their new student orientation program.

I also have not been blogging lately because I have been much less than productive in the studio over the past month. Partly for the reasons mentioned above, partly because my classes at Corcoran ended, partly because for the past two weeks I was cat sitting and thus not able to paint (oil paint + cat fur = ugly mess on the canvas (and the cat)). But mostly because I have been caught in a cycle of depression and anxiety.

I am still looking for a job, which is becoming more and more stressful as we roll into fall and the last of my theatrical projects, and thus the last of my projected income, are within shouting distance. I was also unduly impacted by the news of Robin Williams' suicide. I spent far more time reading about it online than was good for my own mental health.

But the past month has not been all gloom and doom. The project at Georgetown meant working again with some great, fun people whom I adore. I actually managed to get to the Building Museum and go through the giant maze before it closed. And although the artistic output has been slowed, it hasn't stopped altogether. I have managed to get a little graphite on paper here and there and the results have seemed to show some improvement.

Reclining Nude

Pencil on paper.

This was a twenty minute drawing done a couple of weeks ago. I was at an odd angle to the model which had the advantage of being slightly behind her face, and thus didn't have to stress about drawing it (something I am still struggling with). The downside was the left arm was strangely foreshortened and doesn't look quite natural on the page.

The cat has gone home to my dad, so I am free to paint again, so hopefully I will have more to show soon. Although I am going into tech this weekend, so the posting may be a bit light over the next week or so.

Peace in yer crease.