Phases of Vision

 The process of representing what is seen involves recognizing the phases of visual interpretation. Although at first glance one can clearly recognize an image of a face as a portrait, the task of describing the visual information that makes up a portrait is much more difficult to do in an instant.  Even though we are presented with one unified visual image it can be described as consisting of individual parts, a subject that Brendan Johnston has described to us first year students at Grand Central Atelier.  In the simplest sense, what one sees consists of shapes, values and colors.  In the block-in those shapes undergo rounds of investigations to arrive at an understanding of the qualities of shapes.

As a first year student at Grand Central Atelier I have been practicing figure block-ins with the aid of my teachers, Brendan Johnston, Patrick Byrnes and Josh LaRock.  They have shared advice with me on an efficient approach to the block-in process that has been passed down through the teaching of Jacob Collins and other instructors.

The visual shapes one sees are inevitably tied to the structures that they are made of, such as the shape of an eye in shadow.  But this symbolic association of an eye in general can distract one's interpretations from observing the particular qualities of each shape.  Learning to see shapes in their purest and actual sense can be at first approached by breaking its line segments into the most clearly observed pattern.  Although the simplicity of the drawing in this stage may seem overly basic, the lines at this stage represent what I know about the shapes from initial investigation, a subject that Brendan Johnston has discussed with us first year students often.

 By the next phase of shape investigation I am  continuing to search for the specific qualities of shapes.  Although it is often tempting for me to declare that shape investigations are over early in the drawing process and launch into refining those shapes, this has often led me to represent symbolic generalizations of the structures that the shapes describe and has led to drawings that look less like the visual images that I see. In order to remain aware of the particular qualities of shapes requires an active openness to searching out the subtleties of each shape in the block in.

I had a discussion with Patrick Byrnes about what can help to retain an open awareness to the specific qualities of shapes and learned about the importance of searching for the exact shapes through constant questioning of all the shapes together.  Through continuing to question the particular qualities of shapes on the visual image the block-in becomes more clearly revealed.  The more the shapes are questioned through investigations the more truth is revealed in the answers found.

 After thorough investigation into the shapes, the block-in progresses by evaluating how the shapes correspond to the three dimensional structures they represent.  I  heard Josh LaRock comment on the importance of realizing when to switch to evaluation of  structures to develop a block-in past the shape phase.  Through interpreting each tilt of a shape as a segment of a plane as it corresponds to perspective and light effects, such as terminator and cast shadow edges, I could arrive at a more clear representation of the visual information that at first glance I actually was so unfamiliar with.

Below is an image of another portrait block-in drawn at Grand Central Atelier made using the same process.  Images of this process on figure drawings can be seen here.

Taking Time

Looking at the point of my pencil, it never ceases to captivate me, the idea of how refined form can possibly become if represented to the precision of that fine tip.  Such wonder lead me through creating this eye cast drawing to investigate the subtleties of form at Grand Central Atelier.  My drawing proceeded by taking time to carefully construct gradations that represented specific curvatures of form one section of form at a time.

While  making deliberately constructed sections of form allowed me to closely study each forms specific surface, I also had to consider those smaller aspects in relation to the larger forms on the cast.  With this drawing I noticed I was able to develop more of an ability to retain a sense of the structure of larger forms while making smaller changes to them.  Since I put careful thought into the structure of each form as I constructed them, as I refined the form I could gain a better sense of where I wanted the form to develop and which areas that needed to conform to the specific curve of form I intended to make.  However I often lost sense of the larger forms while working on smaller aspects, such as sub-forms like the folds in the eye brow.  A critique from Scott Waddell showed me how to evaluate the form in the simplest possible way in order to regain a sense of the hierarchy of larger forms to the smaller forms that sit on top of them.

While progressing with this drawing I developed more of an appreciation for the idea that the smaller forms only gain significance when in their proper relation to the larger forms that they depend upon.  Working in a slow form by form method can sometime cause loss of awareness to the integrated nature of form.  But I found that the more time I spend practicing to retain a sense of where I am modeling in relation to the hierarchy of the overall form of the cast I can develop a better sense and ability to properly place smaller forms and larger forms.  I will continue taking time to carefully study form with my upcoming cast projects.

Thanks so much to the great help from all of my teachers for cast drawing, Devin Cecil-Wishing, Patrick Byrnes, Scott Waddell and the teachers who sometimes came by to help and encourage me with my drawing, Josh LaRock, Jacob Collins and Colleen Barry.  I couldn't ask for better instructors.

Thanks again to all who supported my art material fundraiser for school (The Arthur Haywood Education Initiative).  I am very fortunate to be learning so much with the supplies.

A week at the Grand Central Atelier

To offer some insight into my daily experiences at the Grand Central Atelier I am sharing a post that describes a recent week at school that was very helpful for me.

Classes for the core program are in session from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.  As a first year student I draw from the cast in the morning until 12:30 before having lunch in the school's kitchen through 1 pm when I return to the cast hall to practice block-ins until 5 pm.

Near the beginning of the week I received valuable advice one of my cast drawing instructors, Patrick Byrnes.  In my drawing the light indentation on the eye initially suggested more of a scoop than was actually apparent on the cast.  Patrick informed me of how to more accurately describe that area by slightly lightening the darker part of the form to turn the form more towards the light. While I draw my cast during the weekday mornings I also usually can overhear the advice from instructors, Jacob Collins, Ted Minoff, Will St. John, Josh LaRock and Scott Waddell as they teach the 2nd through 4th year students in the figure room,  and from Tony Curanaj in the still-life room on some afternoons.

One day a week in the afternoons, first year students sculpt copies of casts in clay.  My sculpture teacher Zoe Dufour has been helping us with sculpting. I am sculpting from the same eye that I draw from in the mornings. A picture of us working on cast sculpture can be seen on the GCA instagram page here. This practice has helped me to gain more of an understanding of the three-dimensional nature of form and encourages me to apply sculptural considerations to assist me in modeling form more specifically while drawing in graphite.  Since drawing at GCA is approached through the concept of turning forms darker in relation to how much form turns away from the position of the light source, drawing is essentially sculpting with pencil.

When Devin Cecil-Wishing, one of my cast drawing instructors, came by the cast hall I was about to begin modeling a new form.  I was initially planning to model the lower form underneath the eye, (and a strip of form can be seen where I started working in that area) but after Devin's recommendation to model the lower brow I decided to model that form.  Since the form of the lower brow is connected to a shadow edge it is easier to make a gradation out of that shadow.  Also, it was helpful advice from Devin to move to the forms above the eyelid since they are more curved than the forms below the eye, which allows for an easier task of modeling form where the curvature of form is easier to see.  Since the cast hall is lit by light coming through a large window some of the forms on the cast that are not as round appear even more subtle under the natural light.

Later in the afternoon I took a break from practicing block-ins to see the work in progress from Colleen Barry's stucture drawing class.  It was very informative to see the work 3rd and 4th year students were making in that class and to learn about how they were approaching figure drawing through discussions with them.  The information I have been learning about the figure and form has been beneficial to me while I work on a portrait commission painting after school during the week nights.  One night one of the cast drawing instructors, Justin Wood, was able to stop by the studio in the school that I was working in and offered some very helpful advice on how I can reference master paintings to assist with painting my portrait commission.

Later in the week while I was drawing my eye cast in the cast hall, I could hear the echoes of Scott Waddell's advice in the morning coming from figure studio.  I decided to take a break from my drawing to see how the 2nd year students were progressing with their figure drawings.  I was amazed to see how refined their drawings were turning out during the second week of their month long pose and gained insight into how they pace themselves on their drawings.

During my lunch breaks I have been working on master copies while I eat.  Anthony Baus has an incredible library that he left the school in his Perspective Lab.  I have been utilizing some of his books to make master copies, such as the Carracci copy shown above.  These studies from 17th century artists has given me insight into how I can develop my own compositions, such as the one shown above on the right.  On my way back from lunch I walked past the gallery within GCA, Eleventh Street Arts, and was very inspired by the still-life show on view.  With a greater sense of how my studies are leading to more expressive works of art, off to the cast hall I returned to practice block-ins for the afternoon.

A 4-hour "tippy cast" block-in completed during an afternoon.

My cast block-in instructors, Brendan Johnston and Scott Waddell, come by during the week to give us 1st year students very helpful advice on how to approach making proportional drawings, called block-ins.  Now we are working on the practice of "tippy casts".  With this exercise we tip the casts at various angles that make the object less recognizable.  Through representing the shapes students can develop the ability to accurately copy shapes that are seen, without being influenced by the idea of trying to make a drawing that leans towards the symbolic idea of what one expects a face to look like.  While Scott Waddell and Brendan Johnston are in the cast hall I am also able to benefit from hearing the painting advice they give to the 2nd year students who are working on cast painting and I can watch as they demonstrate painting techniques on student's cast paintings to clarify how to model form.

One afternoon Josh LaRock was nice to stop by the cast hall to help us out after he finished teaching the 3rd and 4th year students in the figure room. While giving me advice on how to adjust my block-in, shown above, he suggested that I would benefit from approaching setting up my cast differently the next time.  The cast that I was blocking in did not have large unified light and dark shapes due to how I positioned it to the light and the angle that I was viewing it at.  Practicing tippy cast block-ins with a cast under a stronger lighting effect would make it easier to draw.  Josh's advice made sense to me that the practice of comparing shapes is easier to manage when the shapes are split into large and obvious light and dark shapes.  Later that afternoon I could hear some excitement from the figure room that the 3rd and 4th year students were painting in and stopped by to find that they were remarking on a figure painting that Josh LaRock brought to the studio.  Viewing the amazing figure grisaille painting of "Sheena"  that he made while he was a 2nd year student at GCA left me feeling so inspired and lucky to study at GCA.

By 5 pm  the ringing of the timer from the figure studio sounded and I could hear the 3rd and 4th year students thank the model for posing.  With that, the weekend has just begun, with more tales from the Grand Central Atelier to come when this cast drawing is done.

In progress...

Thanks again to all who supported my art material fundraiser for school (The Arthur Haywood Education Initiative).  I am very fortunate to be learning so much with the supplies.

Benefits of Master Copies

Practicing master copies has been extremely beneficial to developing my artistic voice.  Not only do these studies offer in-depth research into the effects of light, but they also clarify ways of portraying reality from the greatest masters of translating nature.  Each of these drawings, shown below, has fostered an awareness of aesthetic concerns that I am interested in.

After Ingres

After Bouguereau

Drawing of a sculpture from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

After a Carpeaux sculpture (quicker studies such as this and the one above offer a lot too)

Drawing Copy of a terracotta sculpture by Benedetto da Maiano

After Scott Waddell

     Furthermore, no matter how realistic each master's technique that I studied was, investigating the unique decisions they made revealed their representation of each subject's character and beauty.  Studying nature has been able to teach me much, but there is also great opportunity to discover what beauty is and the choices needed to be made to portray it and each subject's character by studying from the masters.

Drawing on Toned Paper

"Inspiration" Graphite, White Charcoal and Watercolor on paper

While working on my drawing "Inspiration" I utilized a process that helped for modeling on toned paper.

This sphere study that I made before starting my drawing shows how I went about using my materials while modeling. 

 I used the tone of the paper to represent the similar value of a plane on the sphere turned away from the light source.  All areas on the form that turned down from that plane became darker in value, while all areas that turned up (towards the light source) from that plane became lighter in value. Essentially for my portrait drawing, any part of the portrait that was darker than the tone of the paper became darker with graphite and any part of the portrait that was lighter than the tone of the paper became lighter with white charcoal.  

Scott Waddell wrote a very helpful article about modeling on toned paper, which can be purchased at ArtistsNetwork.com and Anthony Ryder has some very helpful advice for drawing on toned paper in his book, The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing.

Also, I used photographic references for this drawing and found it useful to take many images of the portrait from various angles to help with a three-dimensional understanding of the form while working from the photographs.