A longer study

After exploring a more relaxed pose with a series of quick studies I was ready to branch out and look at producing a longer study. I talked previously of combining wet and dry mediums and I decided I wanted to try this in this exercise. I started with a quick pencil sketch, and took the time to get the shapes and proportions right. I decided on a sitting position for my composition that allowed my model to show off more of their body (legs) which I didn’t get to explore as much with the previous reclining position I looked at.

I used watercolour to add a layer of colour that could help emphasise and support the coloured pencils I planned to draw over it with. This way, I hoped the white paper from underneath wouldn’t show up as much and help to create a more vibrant layer of colour on top of the drawing. I used peachy skin tones, as well as blue and crimson to show off the cooler colours that were present with my model that day. The overcast sky outside made for a more cooler toned room which reflected into the models skin. Using a little green mixed into some of my colours helped create a much more natural skin colour in some areas, while in others I wanted the bold blues and pinks to be dramatic with my use of colour.

I think the pencil on top added a lot more clarity and defined detail and I really like how it came out. I think my favourite part of the drawing is his hand and how I captured the range of shadows cast by his knuckles and front lighting. I think I definitely improved at capturing a face but I feel I need to work on it a bit more to get a real, 3D face that really fits into the environment.
I think I did well capturing the body and the pose, it was something a little different to my previous quick sketches, and I think it’s interesting and works well, I just wish I picked a pose with more of the chest showing, as I love the curves and shapes of the torso with drawing. I feel the body does look to hold weight in the drawing, the orange pillows help emphasise his presence within the image. You can see them curve and crease as he leans on them, showing his presence, his body has an effect on his surroundings which I do like. However with all the cool tones, I feel the orange pillows may be out of place in terms of colour, although that is true to the composition and view I had, the colours just don’t seem right. Maybe I should have exaggerated the surrounding colours of the white bed sheets or picked different coloured pillows. I should experiment with lighting, by using a lamp I could bring out warmer colours which would match better than the cooler colours brought out by the natural lighting.
I feel for the most part my proportions are accurate, one area that does stand out to me though is the models left arm. It looks a bit off, but I feel that’s down more to my use of colour than the proportions being incorrect. With how I approached the shaded fore arm I think I affected its place in the body and how it fits into the rest of the arms and body. I should have been more careful and watched how I depict and area of the body that is more shaded and contains more shadow than the rest of the body, as it can alienate it from the body rather than work realistically within the drawing.

In terms of my choice of medium, I did like exploring the layering of dry over wet mediums but feel this idea needs refining with my skill. It can be improved upon. I would like to explore an alternative but similar medium with some of my future drawings, using watercolour pencils to sketch, and blending the sketch with water for a more refined and well blended finished drawing. I could also try looking at perhaps oil pastel for a larger scale piece or experimenting more with ink, layering it to produce an effecting drawing of the human form. Again larger scale would be ideal for this.
This exercise has given me a lot of ideas about to create a composition with my models, I should look at capturing the broader aspect of the body, as I did keep a focus on the waist up for the past few exercises.
I could also look at taking a different route to realism and maybe look at more stylised ways of capturing the body, like the work of Egon Schiele or Picasso’s cubist approaches.