Blog Index
The journal that this archive was targeting has been deleted. Please update your configuration.
Navigation

Entries in figure drawing (54)

Sunday
Jun082014

Vanitas drawing day 9

I finished rendering the hair today. It is kind of embarrassing to say this, but I am really learning for the first time how to use my graphite pencils effectively. Graphite has never been my go-to medium and I haven't had a chance to spend enough time exploring its potentials until now. I am truly amazed by the difference of the leads, how they behave differently to the paper surface. Even only one step move from 2B to 3B gives surprisingly different results. I am using wide range of leads working on this piece from 3H to 6B and every lead in between. I am also using powdered graphite, blending it with a stump to lay down a "wash". Powdered graphite gives my drawing a slightly different tone from the tones you get from pencils which is also exciting.

Friday
Jun062014

Vanitas drawing day 7

I have been working on this drawing for a week now. Today is day 7. The figure part is pretty much done except for the hair. The paper I am using is heavy-weight Strathmore Mixed Media. It has a subtle surface texture and allows me to make this paper mimic the texture of the human skin which is very nice. But the trade-off is that this texture also magnifies any slight manufacturing imperfections. In order to eliminate any surface blemishes, you have to work with the grain of the paper so that you can blend them seamlessly into the surface, which requires an extra care.

While I was working on this piece today, I started wondering why I love drawing so much. I am attracted to the fact that the act of working a drawing medium itself is so simple (the movement of the arm, hand and fingers, with controlled pressure to the drawing tool), and yet it allows so much freedom and flexibility that help you achieve your own unique style of expressions. The physical aspect of the process gives you a strong sense of direct connection between what you see, what you use and what you get as a result. The major part of this craft is still deeply rooted in the good-old tradition of discipline which often times gives you a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. But above all, what really fascinates me is that drawing to me is so much about clarity of vision, mental processing and execution. It demonstrates eloquently how you see the world, how you understand it, and how you interpret it. It doesn't matter how realistic or how loose your drawing is, every single line or mark you make counts in the course of communicating your ideas and affects the outcome. This precision is somewhat akin to that of photography although the way in which precision manifests itself is very different between the two. Maybe that's why I am drawn to these 2 expressions.

Monday
Jun022014

Vanitas Drawing started

I have been wanting to do a large scale drawing for a very long time mixing watercolor and graphite together. I have prepared reference photos and experimented with the mixed media part of the process. And I feel I am finally ready to do this. Below is the under drawing I worked on for the past 2 days. This drawing is 24" x 27" and it is bigger than any drawing I have ever done before. So when I sit down in front of this big paper and think about filling this from edge to edge, it is a little bit daunting. But I am excited about this challenge. I am going to post the progress on this blog as I work my way through this.

Tuesday
Dec242013

Drawing portfolio

I uploaded my drawing portfolio to this web site. My main mediums have been photography and sculpture, but I do have strong love for drawing and I have been producing drawings ever since I started studying art back in the early 1990s. Many of them I uploaded were done for the purpose of classroom demonstrations. Some were done on my own to keep my skills up. Recently I decided to go back to do more drawing. I am going to keep adding more whenever I get the ones I like.

Page 1 ... 7 8 9 10 11