You would think that when you go to the same activity, week in and week out, that it would become predictable, and perhaps even boring.
Not so with figure drawing, especially at Studio b. We had the same exceptional model for the 2nd week, who clearly was invested in our work, being aware of how her poses might come across, and considering the mood they might evoke. Studio b. owner Colleen Duffley said the model was even practicing a few poses before we got there, and during breaks, she asked the artists what sort of pose they would like next. Of course for me, every pose is a challenge, so I am just happy to be there and almost any pose is good! Generally, if a pose is not well-lit or is uninteresting from one vantage point, there is enough room to move to another location where I can see better or the composition is better.
For our final pose of the evening, the model got into the water of the pool. Lit by the underwater lights, the portion of her figure beneath the water was a chalky blue-green, and extremely distorted. The part of the figure above the water was almost a silhouette, it was so dark. This is the first time I have drawn a figure in water, so I really had to study it. The water’s distortion greatly shortened and widened the part of the figure closest to the surface of the water from my vantage. Each artist had a different distortion. What struck me the most were the amazing colors, so although I rarely draw in color, this pose begged for it.
Heather Clements produced an amazing pencil drawing from the 50 minute pose — hopefully she will include it in her blog. Also it can be seen on Studio b.’s facebook page.
Below are two other poses from this model this week, which I drew with graphite and Nupastel on Stonehenge paper, one paper gray and the other faun.
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Most of my images are available for purchase. Contact me if you are interested. — Joan Vienot