Final Skeletons - Final Class

Over this semester I have learned a harsh lesson in spreading out my time on projects. There were several things this semester that got severely neglected in favor of other projects or got way too much time devoted to them based purely on the fact that I really didn't know when to call it quits. This skeleton was one of them. I think because of a cold at the very end of the semester, and other end-of-semester projects, I didn't quite evenly distribute my time enough, and ended up taking way too much time on the core of the skeleton which left the legs and feet a little neglected. I do feel proud that I actually finished the drawing and I would like to someday return to it and add the shading and extra line work that it most definitely deserves. Now my only puzzle is to find a place that's large enough for me to actually lay out this monstrosity.

As for the end of the year reflections, I am very proud of the things I have accomplished in this class. I can definitely see the difference in my work from even the beginning to the end of the semester. And no matter what I learn in these classes I always feel like I'm taking valuable, irreplaceable knowledge away from the class. I already have started applying the things I've learned about 3D space of the body and the way a human form is proportioned in other drawing projects. Which I find extremely exciting. I hope that I can keep practicing these rules and use them to improve on other drawings. I know it will definitely come in handy in Drawing 3 next semester. I want to do more with form and body gestures to try and get an even better handle on character development.

For our final portfolio we were asked to  upload our final skeleton drawing, three portraits and the skull drawings to our flickr account. I have posted a link to the portfolio in the links section of this page.
Here is the link just in case: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjbohac/sets/72157625520675753/

Final Project.

For our final project, we will be returning to the rest of the skeleton, in the form of a life sized drawing. I really don't know how to feel about this project. I feel excited that I get the opportunity to possibly try and attempt such a large drawing, but on the other hand I feel very nervous because I sometimes have a hard time trying to get myself to work large. It's sometimes just a little too much for me to work with.

I think I will try and go for the life-sized drawing. I think that it would be a good addition to my portfolio and I think I can do a good enough job on it that I can make it a piece I'd really be proud of. Good thing we really don't have to worry about starting this project until after Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving, don't indulge in too much tryptophan!

PORTRAITS

So for the last couple weeks we have been working in class on portraits of each other. This has been a really good connection between the cranium stuff that we learned this year and the information about the face that we learned in LD1. We were supposed to be working on these portraits of people in class, but due to a cold and my modeling one day, I ran out of time and asked my boyfriend to model for me. A pretty willing subject considering he can sit pretty still with a videogame in front of him! I am really pleased with these drawings. I think I achieved a very lifelike quality in the two of Jake. I did however mess up some of the proportions, which I see now after we've had critiques.

In other news! I got a new baby kitten for christmas! She's so adorable. Her name is Kiki. She has quite the split personality. She is either a cuddle-baby or psycho-crazy active. I also discovered that it's hard to draw with a new kitten in the house. Because apparently whatever you're drawing with becomes her new favorite target/play-toy. I don't think I can count how many times she's come charging in out of nowhere and taken the conte out of my hand. She's definitely a little hunter. Luckily the random kitty marks across your paper are pretty easy to get rid of.

Drawings:

Week 7

This week we started to dabble in more obscure views of the skull and we are inching our way towards actual portraits. I had a really fun time this week trying to figure out the different angles and foreshortening of the skull.

I also spent this week modeling one day as we are practicing for our portrait assignments that we are going to start soon. It's hard to sit there for that long doing not very much. What's even harder? Staying perfectly still!!

Sarah L. also modeled this week. I didn't get very far on the portrait so I cannot tell if there was much likeness, but I do feel like I saw and understood the structure of the forms that was there.

Cranium Drawing Compilation

Finally this series is finished. I am very happy with the critique I received on them. I need to work a little bit on my cross-contour line and be careful of making my planes a little flat. Some misplaced, overtly vertical lines were mainly what contributed to this. I think as a whole this series is very strong and I think it's a good measure of how much I've learned about the cranium in the last few weeks.


Drawing Series:

Week 5

This week our final drawings were due. Because of my slow drawing speed and how carefully I try to work. I had to spend quite a few hours outside of class in order to make the drawing deadline. I really enjoyed working by myself out in the Micheels lobby on 2nd floor. It's interesting to eavesdrop on people when their walking by your work. It seemed to be pretty black and white though. There are 2 kinds of people. People who think "Oh! I wish I could do that!" and "I'm so glad that I never have to do that."

Out of all the drawings in this series I think my two favorites are the front view and the profile view of the skull. I think my line quality on those had a little bit of a different feel and I was more interested when there was a face attached which is something that I am extremely interested in.

Week 4

This week, we continued work on our drawing assignments. We are getting plenty of in class time to study the form and make sure that we are checking our work. I have found that I spend a lot of time trying and trying to get (what I feel) is the correct shape of the form that it eats up a lot of my time. This is the second week that I have spent trying to get the back view of my cranium correct. It still feels kind of flat even though I have started defining planes with shading. The next drawing that I have started working on is the side view. I really enjoy trying to figure out the relationship of the eyes and brows to the front of the cranium. So far I think that my line-work on this drawing is the best work I have done so far. I always tend to see a major improvement from the first drawing in a series.

Week 3

This week we are starting in-depth studies of the cranium. We started looking more in depth at the planes of the cranium. I find it very interesting all of the different angles and planes that the skull actually possesses. We will be embarking on a series of drawings that cover this specific sections from several angles. The criteria for this assignment is that we have to have one top view, two detailed drawings of the side and back view of the cranium and a weighted line drawing of the back and front 3/4 view.

For this assignment I have started off with the back view. This is the view that I think will give me the most problems. It's not a very visually interesting surface at first glance, and it is hard to figure out how the planes of each different part of the skull overlap and take precedence in space. I have also found out while doing this drawing that I have a harder time trying to combine line drawing and shading. It doesn't feel natural to me to cover up very careful line work with heavy or detailed shading. We will see how the rest of the drawings progress as I get more into the form.

Week 2

So this week was the first actual week of class and I am getting back into the swing of drawing. We will be spending a lot of time on the skull for the next couple months which I am extremely excited about. I really want to learn more about drawing heads and faces. I think that it will further my understanding of how to draw characters and it will be a key component if I ever want to get into animating. Getting back into actually drawing was a little difficult at first. After not doing large sized drawings or working on this kind of subject it is very easy to get a little rusty. Another thing that I am having issues grasping is the size of the cranium.  You never really think that the actual face part of your head takes up such little space in perspective to the rest of the head/body. Here's hoping that everything will come a little more naturally in the weeks to come.

Introduction Time

So starts another year at UW-Stout. The purpose of this blog is to reflect and journal my time while taking Life Drawing so I guess I better get to the good stuff. I am a "fourth" year Multimedia Design major, hopefully working my way toward a career working with some kind of animation. The reason I chose this major is because I am an "animation junkie". I love cartoons, graphic novels and have an affinity for disney and japanese anime. I tend to like to try and draw in that style and I have discovered that the large eyes and rather lanky body structure has become a "comfort zone" of sorts. When I'm not sure how to draw something or I can't think of what to draw, I draw cartoons. Which brings me to the purpose of taking this class. I want to learn more about anatomy and being able to understand drawing the human form. I also discovered during Life Drawing I that I love the challenge and knowledge present in this class. It is information that I have found that I try to apply the techniques that I have learned whenever I sit down to draw. Sadly though I have found that a lot, not all, but a lot of the information I have learned didn't stick as well as I would like it to and I have grown a little rusty. That is why I am super excited about all the information I'll hopefully learn this semester. It's one of the few academic subjects that I actually feel can really be applied later.... not just being learned for an intangible credit.

So what have I done over the last seven months while I have been anticipating this class? Not a whole lot I'm sorry to say. Some family issues and the perpetual hunt for any type of a job ate up most of my summer so I really didn't do much in terms of drawing. The most art I have made this calendar year was in my Ceramics and Graphic Design 2 class that I took in spring. I am hoping that this school year will bring a new wave of creativity and some pieces that I can hopefully add to strengthen my portfolio. So before I get too wordy, I am going to end this initial post and try my best to make this a fun and productive semester!

Below I have posted some examples of work that I have done in the last year, and a piece from Life Drawing I 

Life Drawing I
 








In-Progress Attempts at Digital Painting