Final Portfolio Summary

Self Portrait (5/11/10) - drawn by looking at a mirror, pencil

I believe over the time of the course I have achieved the objectives. I worked hard to learn how to draw the body, and how it is formed by its underlying structure. Repeatedly practicing drawing, the spine first, then the rib cage, then the pelvis, etc, helped to learn why the body is shaped the way it is at different angles. And this has helped me to be able to draw and sketch much more quickly the human body in varying positions, because I understand so much more about how the body moves. Learning how to draw effective contour lines taught me a lot about the undulating curves and dimensionality of the human form as well. It was difficult at first to be able to look more critically at what I was drawing and translate it to a 2D surface in only line work.

What I needed to work on the most since midterm was my shell drawings. I feel like they have definitely improved, because I have had more practice drawing my shell, and it was a very unfamiliar form for me at first. The angles and perspective of the shell are more dynamic, and more accurate in especially my last shell drawing. The last two shell drawings were more difficult because ink was added, but I like my last shell drawing the best, since I knew better how to work the ink, I think it is much more effective as a medium in the fourth drawing.

As a Graphic Design major, I will use what I have learned in life drawing in the future because I learned some valuable skills. I have learned so much about the human body, and how to draw the body anatomically accurately. Since I have always liked to draw, this helped me to learn new ways to approach the medium. Especially new to me was drawing with contour lines so much, because it taught me how to see dimensionality with a much more critical eye than value shading. Anytime I need to do any sketching, or incorporate drawing a 3D form into my work, I can use some of the knowledge and skills I learned. Aside from my major, though, I really enjoyed the class, and I will implement things I have learned in my future work, whether specifically Graphic Design or not.

Links to my Final Portfolio:
Maniken

Gesture Drawings

Homework

Long Drawings

Anatomy Sketches

Skull Studies

These skull drawings show three different angles: profile, 3/4 back, and 3/4 front. The skull is a tricky part of the body to draw, because its shape is deceiving. The back of the skull extends much farther than it would at first appear, and the eyes are lower on the skull than might seem. It is very interesting drawing the skull, because it is the underlying structure for the face and head, and it is interesting to see what is the bases for our outer features.

#2 Ink Shell Drawing

This shell drawing I feel was more successful than my first shell drawing. I did not wash out the entire surface as I did on my last one, and this helped maintain lighter areas and more contrast overall. I really liked the brown ink with reddish-brown conte on my last ink wash shell drawing, and so I kept the combination for this one. What I really enjoy about the brown ink is the way it reveals other colors when saturated with water, such as the fuscia tone seen on the bottom of the shell here.

Contour Drawings

These are contour drawings from this past week. We have now begun to add form to line drawings by adding more contour lines to create a 3D look. I started shading and darkening parts of the line, and keeping other parts light to create a more dimensional appearance of the form. The contour lines must be very sinuous to make the body forms appear to have some shape.

Spinal Contours

This image is a contour drawing focusing on the positioning of the spine. I looked at how the curvature of the spine effected the entire body positioning. It is interesting to see what absolutely essential role the spine plays in the movement of the body, and drawing that accurately sets up the entire drawing. The spine is not stiff and straight like a ruler, but it is sinuous and flexible, even when people are standing straight up. By really concentrating on this flowing, curving line, my drawings took on a more natural look in capturing positioning. I am really interested in learning more about the anatomy of the human body, because it is already making me look more critically at the human form in my drawing. It will continue to help me understand the underlying structure to see the little juts and curves as muscle and bone shaping the body. With my contour lines around the torso, I was trying to figure out the 3D roundness of the body. I am also just excited to be drawing again, and I think the human form is a very interesting subject to study.