Fra, Pastel on Paper. Inspired by Su Menzies-Runciman
pastel artist www.sumelville.com/
Su has been coming along to the Life Drawing sessions. It wonderful to have such a lovely artist coming along, Su provides workshops in Pastel Art mostly of Animals like this one of an adorable squirrel-
www.trybooking.com/uk/book/event?eid=13234&

I'm so glad I've got my pastels out, its been a long time.

To find out more about the session please visit-
https://www.peneloperosecowley.com/life-drawing.html

Last Thursday we focus on Hands and Feet inspired by George Bridgeman's books for 'drawing from life'
which can be purchased online from here- Abebooks

Life Model - Andrew - Acrylic Painting, from our Sunday Session 13th Sept 2020
NEXT SESSION- 18th October 2020 1pm – 5.30pm
Host: Penelope Rose Cowley Model: Fra

Limited Colour Palette Acrylic - Yellow, Orange, Pink, Purple, White, Grey and Black.
Using Shuttle Art Paints

Last Thursday we explored cross contour drawing.
First we took a look DÜRER, Albrecht (b. 1471, Nürnberg, d. 1528, Nürnberg) focusing on 2 studies. I believed both of these studies where formed into etchings for printing however, I was wrong they both drawings using pen, ink and brush work. That said he is famous for his engraving and for more information I recommend on these I recommend viewing this website www.albrechtdurer.org/engravings/

Cross contour drawing is not easy, often the curves are drawn in a horizontally, diagonally and in single or cross hatched fashion depending of the depth of shade and contour required. It takes longer to achieve and requires careful observation and sensitivity to sense how the skin folds, muscles contracted/relaxed and how the bones are structured. Every line and curve describes the complex structure of the form and once achieved makes for a wonderful study/reference that can be used for paintings.

It is fun to practice cross contour drawing abstractedly on paper with pen and ink, drawing lines close together and further apart and changing the curve and structure with each varying stroke in order to discover the affect each line achieves as a collectives.

Study of Hands
'1506
Pen and ink heightened with white on paper, 206 x 185 mm
Blasius Collection, Braunschweig

Dürer's painting Christ among the Doctors (1506, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid) was based on a number of careful studies, including this one of Christ's gesticulating fingers.'

Female Nude from Behind
'1495
Brush drawing on paper, 32 x 21 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

This female nude seen from behind records Dürer's interest in human proportions during his first Italian journey. The attributes, staff and cloth, suggest that this freely drawn nude study was created from a model. The firmly sketched shape of her body forms a charming contrast with the glazed, freely swinging cloth. The head and cloth are executed with gentle brushstrokes and clearly show a spatially plastic relationship between the figure and pictorial space.'

My studies from the 3rd Sept 2020.
The Thursday Night Life Drawing Group runs month to month to book on for October, November or December please visit the Art Classes page - ART CLASSES
Or click a option below.

If you would still like to join for September please email me directly [email protected] and I will set up away for you to book on for the sessions left for this month.

Thursday 27th August: This week we look at 2- and 3-point perspective for our online life drawing session with Fra. At the beginning of the session I gave a quick demo about the perspective. The images below are a reminder for those who participated.

The first drawing I actually did this morning to show the base rectangle around the figure split 1/2 and then into 1/4s for an approximate area to mark mid-way through the chest, the hip joint and the knees. It is only an approximation. The diagonal lines are used to find these 1/2 and 1/4 points and are especially useful when the lines of rectangle are converging to a vanishing point.  

For 3-point perspective - The vanishing points are named V1, V2 and V3. V1 is somewhere in the air disappearing far away above you, you should start with these lines first (the sides of the rectangle if up right). V2 and V3 are place on an imaginary horizon in the distance normally drawn 1/3 from the bottom of the page or 2/3 in a straight line from one side to the other. This is good for extreme perspective drawing that can be achieve by our models place their camera on the floor tilted up towards them.

In theory the V1 vanishing point could be somewhere below the horizon line, this good if you imagine you are bird flying overlooking down towards humans from above.  

Btw Bookings are open for 'The Long Pose', 13th September 1pm-5.30pm and block bookings for the Thursday Night Life Drawing Group ready for to book up on to December. 

I now facilate regular online life drawing sessions. Full information can be found here-
www.peneloperosecowley.com/life-drawing.html

Each session has a focus either on a theme or an artist/s. I have begun this journal to keep a record of themes, artists and thoughts that arise from life drawing. This is the first and it is over month ago we began.

The New ‘Thursday Night Life Drawing Group’ began on the 16th July 2020 during lockdown.



Making the decision to adapt to online sessions was not easy however with the help and expertise of our main life models Fra and Andrew it was made possible.
 
Our Main Life Models are Fra and Andrew. Andrew has extensive experience and is an adventurous model he has introduced himself on the webpage-
https://www.peneloperosecowley.com/life-drawing.html

Fra, our excellent life model is also a photographer, artist, and writer. Fra’s article with regards to her experiences transmuting to online, provides a wonderful insight into the Life Drawing from a Model's perspective.
https://theeverydaymagazine.co.uk/opinion/working-from-home-perspectives-of-a-life-model?fbclid=IwAR1SZYRoJXXLrszjjQh_lKluNuJkAZYKfY8DoyhuFv2jF3EMhyHWVUfJo8Y
 
After a wonderful start to our regular Thursday Night Life Drawing Group, I am incredibly pleased to announce that these sessions will be continuing through till next year. It has been truly brilliant to meet new people and see familiar faces coming to the sessions from beginners to people who are also Art Tutors themselves. It is also very lovely to note we are international with three of our members joining in from Florida! All made possible by adapting online.
 
The Thursday Night Life Drawing Group is based over 2 hours with 90mins life drawing. For the first 15 minutes we ‘Meet and Greet’ and talk about the sessions ahead and the poses will we be looking at for inspiration. In these first 15 minutes I occasionally provide quick demonstrations. We then proceed to the poses; beginning with short poses gradually building up to a longer poses. The long pose is often based on a painting or a drawing by an artist we have been looking at, here are some examples-

Caravaggio's - Saint John the Baptist
Seung Ah paika -  Various artworks inspired from here 
Laura Knight - Self Portrait with a Nude 1913
Syliva Guillot – Everything with a twist
Tamara de Lempicka - Rhythm 1924 (link is written in French)
John Singer Sargent - Drawing of Nicola D'Inverno who lived with Sargent as a household servant and was often a Model for Sargent too for 25 years.

Following the drawing session we have a 15 mintue 'Chat and Review' where by we show our work to each other and we informally offer feedback.

Other sessions for longer poses will be taking place on weekends once a month the first of the long pose sessions will be Sunday 13th 1pm - 4.30pm. For more information click the link-