Getting the Basics!

I am studying in Annapolis. Being basically self taught, I feel that I have a lot of gaps in my art education. I decided to fill them in! Here are a few examples of what my studies look like.

This block study is from drawing class. My teacher, Andree Tullier is great at teaching the tools needed to draw freehand. We measure angles and distances with a straight thin stick or paintbrush handle. With these blocks we also studied tones using a six tone scale that we placed on the edge of our drawings.

In figure drawing, we are learning to look "inside" the body for the rib cage and pelvis. We try to find the "long lines" and we observe the slant of the shoulders, mid-section and hips. We learn to look at the flow of the human body because it truly is amazing the way the muscles flow together.

In Pastel Portraiture we are learning about the planes of the head and how to describe these in pastel. This class is very difficult for me because I have very little experience with pastels. They are very messy and wonderful in the way that their colors just jump out. I think once I learn how to handle the medium, I will love creating pastel portraits. This portrait is about half way done. I hope that the model can sit for me again.