2010 - Page 4 of 6 - Joan Vienot

Posted on 05/18/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — 3 Comments

Figure Sculpture Workshop at Studio b.

Figure Sculpture Class — Fellow students Renee McCalmont, Nancy Nichols Williams, Didon Comer, and Instructor Karen Cope

Karen Cope continued her Sculpt Across America presentation at Studio b. in Alys Beach, Florida, May 15 and 16, with two 5-hour days of a figure sculpting workshop. Since my preferred mode of expression is drawing, I had to look at the subject in completely new ways. I gained a much greater understanding of form.

As with every class at Studio b., the energy was intense. The instructor’s extraordinary skills were evident both in her teaching and the samples she had brought with her. Everyone experienced a fair degree of success.

I was fairly pleased with many aspects of my end result, despite my only previous figure sculpting experience being the 3-hour session two days prior.

My attempt, full figure at left

My attempt, from behind

For me, though, the true pleasure was in the process. Karen taught us to add small “notes” of clay to build out the form.

I am right-handed, but I caught myself using my left hand a lot of the time. I wonder what that was about.

At left is the creation of a fellow student, Nancy Nichols Williams, who also regularly attends the weekly figure drawing sessions at Studio b.

Nancy Nichols Williams

Posted on 05/13/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — Leave a comment

Guest Artist at Studio b.: Karen Cope, Sculpt Across America

I know very little about sculpture. When I was studying art in college, I took only the one required sculpture class. My area of emphasis was drawing and I also studied painting, but the three-dimensional arts intimidated me. So when I learned that Colleen Duffley had invited a sculptor to give workshops at Studio b. the 2nd week of May, I was thrilled for the exposure to the community, but not so excited about participating. That is, until I found out she would be doing figure and portrait sculpture workshops. I knew there would be an immediate application to my figure drawing efforts, so as soon as I found out the workshop dates and times, I signed up for all available.
The instructor is Karen Cope. Karen is doing a Sculpt Across America tour, offering workshops as she goes. She is an extraordinarily gifted sculptor and a great teacher.
The night before last we had an introduction to her language and approach, “The Speed At Which Form Turns,” and last night we had our first clay-in-our-hands session with 3 hours of figure sculpting. 10 people participated.
My effort was passable, given that my only other effort at sculpting, in college, was carving a rock out of plaster of paris, which found its home in the recycle bin as soon as it was graded. The bearded model was infinitely patient with us, sitting for 3 hours in 20 minute stretches. I made his legs about 3/4 as long as they really are — proportions were obviously a challenge for me. But I think I captured the general lean and weight of the various masses.

Posted on 05/01/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — Leave a comment

Figure Drawing from Warm-Up to Extended Pose

I arrived at the Figure Drawing session fairly exhausted this week, being in the middle of teaching a 2½ day crash course for one of my businesses (a certification course for operators of public swimming pools). Counting me, only 3 artists were there at Studio b., plus the instructor, Heather Clements, and the owner, Colleen Duffley. The model was unable to make it, so Heather modeled for us without disrobing.

It takes me a while to “learn” a new figure’s shape and proportions. I focused on contours the whole night. In this post I have decided to show examples of my work throughout the whole session, from initial 1-minute and 2-minute gestures to the final 20-minute line drawings. Clicking on the picture will give an enlarged view.

As usual, though I arrived exhausted, I left energized by the thrill of expression.

2010-0428 Warm-up Gesture 1 — Collection of Briana Sanderson

2010-0428 Warm-up Gesture 2 — Collection of Briana Sanderson

Posted on 04/25/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — 1 Comment

Framing My Art

Today I took some of my drawings to June Holm Art and Frame Atelier to be matted and framed. June is a talented and accomplished pastel artist and instructor, as well as a framer, in my home area of Santa Rosa Beach, FL. I will choose three of the framed drawings to put in the Cultural Arts Association Member Tent at the nationally-recognized annual ArtsQuest Fine Arts Festival which this year will be in Seaside, FL, on May 8 and 9. All but one of the drawings I’m framing have been posted in previous blogs.

The application fee to have work shown in the Member Tent includes a commitment to volunteer 5 hours at the festival. I have volunteered at the festival a few times before, the first couple of years back in the ’80’s when it was called the Grayton Beach Fine Arts Festival, and also when it was held at Eden State Gardens, and one year I had the privilege of serving as one of the jurors for the submitted art.

It was after seeing some of my art on the Figure Drawing Wall at Studio b. that I decided to put some drawings in the Member Tent. I had a hard time choosing the three that I will show, so I took several extra drawings to June to be framed. I think it will be easier to choose 3 when I see them professionally presented. I find assessing my own work much more difficult than assessing someone else’s, because my judgment of my own work is colored by how much I value the process and the learning that happened in the production of the piece. Since Heather Clements, our figure drawing instructor at Studio b., has offered so many interesting exercises taking us “outside of our comfort zone,” I have produced a number of drawings that I find very interesting and very different, but I’m not sure how other people will see them. So I’ll choose between those and the other pieces drawn from a more classical approach, being conflicted about whether to show some pieces I find more interesting, or to show work that might get compliments.

Posted on 04/17/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — Leave a comment

The Figure’s Weight and Center of Gravity

This week Heather reviewed what to look for in the model’s pose, how the angles of the hips, knees, and shoulders help indicate the model’s balance and center of gravity. She pointed out how the knee and hip of the weight-bearing leg will be higher in the picture plane than the knee and hip of the other leg, in ordinary perspective. And usually the shoulders are contrapposto to the hips. We had an excellent model for this exercise.

The drawing at the right is an extreme example, with the angle of the hips and knees contrapposto to the angle of the shoulders, helping to indicate the vertical center of gravity on the inside of the weight-bearing left leg.

And at left, the model’s right knee is higher in the picture plane than the left, and her right breast is lower than the left, indicating the weight is on the model’s right leg, with the vertical center of gravity toward her right leg.

Heather Clements is the regular instructor for our figure drawing sessions at Collen Duffley’s Studio b. in Alys Beach, Florida.

Posted on 04/08/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — Leave a comment

Blind Contour Figure Drawing

Multiple Blind Contour Female — Multiple Blind Contours, Same Pose

A common mistake made by accomplished figure artists as well as novices, is thinking they know how a line or shape should go and failing to look at the subject to see that indeed it might not go that way at all. Heather Clements, the instructor for Studio b’s figure drawing sessions, is always saying, “Draw what you see, not what you know!” The artist may know that an arm is a fairly long part of the human anatomy, but when the arm is receding away or coming towards the viewer, it has to be drawn much shorter, because that is how we see it.

Blind Contour Female Reclining on Elbows — Female Reclining on Elbows

Blind Contour Underlay, Female Facing Left

Blind Contour Underlay, Female Gesture Reclining — Female Gesture Reclining

This week we practiced drawing the contours of the model without looking at our paper, an exercise called blind contour drawing. The purpose is to improve hand-eye coordination and also to help us become better at really seeing the subject, instead of just looking at our paper and drawing how we think the subject looks. Blind contour drawings usually turn out pretty weird. Because there is so much detail in hands, feet, and the face, those parts of the drawing often become huge and distorted, like the face I drew in Female Reclining on Elbows.

Later in the session we first drew a blind contour, and then drew another line drawing over it, the second drawing not “blind”. We repeated the angles and shapes from the blind contour that worked well, and corrected the ones that didn’t. I drew with a different color in the overlay, so I could see the two different drawings. It was fun.

040710 Blind Contour Underlay, Female Seated 1824 — Female Seated

Foreshortening forces me to draw what I see, and not what I know. In Female Seated, the model’s elbow came straight towards me so I had to draw the arm almost straight even though I knew it was bent. Similarly, in Female Gesture Reclining, the model’s right knee came directly towards me, foreshortened — the thigh could not be drawn the length that I knew it actually was. Blind contour drawing helped me to see how I needed to draw it, unhampered by “what I knew.” Female Gesture Reclining was probably my favorite piece for the session.

Posted on 04/02/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — Leave a comment

Figure Drawing: Here-And-Now

Click for Detail of Face — CLICK FOR DETAIL OF FACE

Figure drawing with a live model requires me to be in the moment. There is an immediacy, an urgency, a compulsion. Nothing else exists but the model, my paper, and expression. Time stops. I lose awareness of tired feet or hunger. Sometimes feelings remain, but it goes better if I empty my mind. That is when I am most likely to turn out a piece that interests me, one that I might even be surprised by. The final result may not be beautiful in the classic sense, it may not be polished, it may not follow the rules, whatever the rules are, but I will have a joy afterward. And if I show the piece to others, then my hope is that it will at least be interesting to them.

It is such a luxury to work from a live model. I enjoy drawing, and a live model forces me to draw quickly, trusting my judgment. Poses are usually short, and the model, even the best of models, might move during the pose, adding to the challenge and the sense of urgency. Sometimes it takes most of the length of the pose just to get the angles and proportions drawn, and the last few minutes are spent rushing to develop the drawing. Hurried shading is coarse and textured.

Usually Studio b’s instructor, Heather Clements, directs us toward a particular emphasis, but this week we just drew. We drew very quickly — our longest poses were only 15 minutes.

Posted on 03/25/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — 1 Comment

Studio b. Is Showing Our Drawings!

Way before I ever imagined it happening, some of my figure drawings are hanging in a gallery. Colleen Duffley has covered one of the walls in Studio b with drawings by the participants in the weekly figure drawing sessions. The fact that our drawings are being shown at all is pretty exciting, not to mention the good fortune to be shown at Studio b, the premier fine art gallery and venue for creativity. Italian artist Sergio Poddighe will be showing his work in the main gallery starting with his opening reception on Saturday, 3/27/2010, from 6 to 8 PM. Our figure work will be in the back gallery. Our prices will be nominal, because our drawings are not matted or framed.

This week instructor Heather Clements had us draw the folds and gathers of fabric partially covering the model. A plain light-colored sheet gave us plenty to work with. The drawing sessions have been well-attended the last few weeks, with 10 or 12 artists there. As always, the energy was very high this week.

Each session becomes an experience: the scratching sound of chalk and charcoal on paper, the instructor’s soft encouragement and tutoring of the individual artists; one of the artists singing a parody of a mournful selection in the background music, with everyone laughing afterwards. And spoken aloud, the questions all artists struggle with (but usually don’t verbalize)… “How do you make a foot look like a foot? Why does mine look like a flipper?” And the groans of protest when the timer goes off, ending a particularly good pose. And then the hurried removal of drawings from drawing boards and the setting up for a new drawing, quick, hurry, we’re starting another 8-minute pose…

None of my drawings were “keepers”, but I’m posting a few anyway. I experimented, even using some color. I rarely use color for color’s sake, preferring instead to draw monotone value studies using only one color or a neutral. I may not turn out any masterpieces when I experiment, but I learn a lot, so I never count the effort a waste.

Posted on 03/19/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — 2 Comments

Drawing at the Visual Art Center in Panama City, Florida

It’s a long haul to downtown Panama City from my home in Santa Rosa Beach, and it’s even longer during spring break, with all the vacationers on the road. But I was determined to make it to the Visual Arts Center of Northwest Florida. Heather Clements teaches a figure drawing session there on the third Thursday of every month, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. I got there about 20 minutes late because I forgot to plan for the heavier traffic.

So I missed the usual series of 30-second and 1-minute and 2-minute warm-up drawings. The other artists were already well into the 4-minute poses by the time I got set up. I was a little tense from all the traffic. I’m sure that contributed to some struggles I had with proportions. On one pose, I tried for a long time to draw hands that were way too small for the size of the face, and somehow missed seeing what was wrong with my picture the whole way through. Heather pointed it out to me, and then it was a Duh-moment, of course, then I could easily see it.

The model worked hard for us. She wasn’t feeling 100%, but she held her poses for as long as she could. It means a lot to the artists when the model is so professional. Our poses increased to 15, 30, and 45 minutes.

The trip home went much more quickly, but I was tired. I work during the day — I own and manage a swimming pool service business, which gets busier whenever tourism increases, so it was a pretty long day. My bonus on the drive home was that I saw the Air Force’s flares for about 15 minutes over the Choctawhatchee Bay, the ones that look like a UFO. (Maybe it was!)

Posted on 03/18/201004/03/2024 by Joan Vienot — Leave a comment

Guest Artist at Studio b: David Orme-Johnson

David Orme-Johnson has been regularly attending the weekly figure drawing sessions at Studio b. Colleen invited him to be our guest artist this week. David showed us a number of drawings in which he had done most of the drawing using both hands simultaneously. In the later stages of each drawing, he executes the details just using one hand. His website contains other examples along with galleries of his other work. He talked about the process and the fun he has had since discovering that although he is right-handed, he can draw ambidextrously, and can even write script backwards.

Our model was unable to make it, so the artists took turns sitting as model for 5 or 10 minute poses (clothed). I think all artists who work from models should be made to model now and then, to maintain their appreciation. Modeling can be excruciating if you are not balanced well or if you are holding a slightly unusual position. For my first seated pose, I looked up towards the ceiling. My neck was starting to spasm after only 2½ minutes. (I see why our experienced models never look at the ceiling.)

I tried drawing with both hands like David, but I confused myself before I even started. I wanted to draw the model and draw the mirror image at the same time, which would have created a symmetrical drawing of two women seated, facing away from each other. The model was facing left. If I had been watching my left hand, and making my right hand just do the same thing but backwards, I think I might have had some success. Instead, I was trying to translate the model’s pose into its reverse in my mind, and draw that reverse pose with my right hand, while my left hand tried to copy my right hand. Pretty soon I didn’t know which direction either hand should go. I wasn’t very happy with my drawing, but I think I could practice and become better at it. (Click on picture at right for larger view.)

Ellen the Artist For the remainder of the class I enjoyed quickly sketching each artist as they took their turn posing. Weekly figure drawing has helped me to be able to get the basic body position drawn in a hurry. The problem is that some artists don’t just wear T-shirts and shorts like normal people. Instead they wear funky clothes and accessories that are a visual feast, so each pose ended way too soon, before I could start playing with the fabrics and textures. Following are a couple of my sketches from that session. I worked with either graphite or tinted graphite on 18″ x 24″ manilla. I sketched the gesture with white conte first.