Examining Highlights On A Portrait

There are many highlights on a portrait and examining how they occur can be very helpful in representing highlights in one's drawing or painting.  Highlights are caused by specular reflection.  In this post I will use the term highlight to refer to the concentrated area of specular reflection on a form.  Specular reflection is the mirror-like reflection of light rays on a smooth glossy surface and is visible where the angle of incidence of the light rays equals the angle of reflection into a viewer's eye.  This concept is explained in more detail in a previous blog post that I wrote here.

The shape of a highlight is determined by the shape of objects in the environment surrounding the form that a highlight is seen upon and by a viewer's spatial relation to those factors. Since specular reflection is a mirror-like reflection of light, the light that is diffusely reflected off of the objects in the environment has an impact on the shape of highlights seen on a form.

For example, the mirror above shows a reflection of the environment that surrounds it because of the light that each object in the environment is first reflecting diffusely and then reflecting specularly on the surface of the mirror.  Diffuse reflection occurs by light from a light source striking an object and then reflecting in various directions.  In the instance of the above mirror, the light rays that are diffusely reflected from the book strike the mirror and are visible at the halfway point between the angle of incidence of the light rays and their angle of reflection into a viewer's eye.  The diagram above shows the extremities of light rays that are diffusely reflected from the book's corners and where they are visible on the mirror.  The shape of a form determines just how much of the environment will be specularly reflected on it.  The form of the convex mirror, in the diagram shown above, only reflects the parts of the environment that it faces.

Examining Highlights on Eyes

Taking a closer look at the eye in the portrait drawing above, one can see that I was trying to represent the specular reflection of the environment in the model's eye.  Although the human eye is not as large as the convex mirror, shown above, it certainly exhibits specular reflection in a similar way that a convex mirror does.  One difference between the two is that the human eye is colored.  The color of different parts of the eye influences how visible the specular reflection will appear on it.  For example, the table is actually brighter in the environment than it appears on the model's eye, but its brightness is diminshed in intesity on the iris of the eye due to the dark color of the model's iris.

Examining the Shape and Size of Highlights

The shape and size of the objects reflected in the eye are determined by the shape of the form that is exhibiting specular reflection, the shape of the objects in the environment and a viewer's spatial relation to each of those factors.

The shape of the form determines the distortion of the objects that are speculary reflected on it.  The diagram above shows how the shape of the light source conforms to the shape of the form that it is specularly reflected upon.

The diagram on the left shows a large light source that is close to a form displaying a large highlight.
The diagram on the right shows a small light source that is far from a form displaying a small highlight.

Since highlights only occur at the halfway point between the angle of incidence of light rays and their angle of reflection into a viewer's eye, the spatial relation of a viewer to the form that exhibits specular reflection and thier spatial relation to the objects in the environment also has an impact on the shape of perceived highlights.  Scott Waddell made a very useful diagram that illustrates how a viewer's position in relation to a form and a light source influences how a highlight is seen on a form on his blog here.  I have found it very useful to evaluate the shapes of highlights by examining highlights in this way.

Examining Highlights on Skin

A microscopic view of the texture of skin.  Note, pores are not actually shaped like squares.
But it was easier to draw squares for this diagram.

The shape of highlights occurs the same way on human skin, although it is not as clearly visible as in the human eye because of how human skin is composed.  Human skin is made up of a semi-matte and semi-glossy surface of flesh and pores.  Flesh is more matte and primarily reflects light diffusely.  Pores are more glossy and primarily exhibit specular reflection.  So although there is specular reflection occuring all over the surface of human skin, the areas where flesh is visible breaks up the mirror-like specular reflection that the glossy pores show.  Nevertheless, highlights on flesh can be thought of as reflecting the objects in an environment in a similar way to the human eye.

The brightness of the highlight on each of the pores is a result of  how directly the light source is striking them.  For example, the pores, at the bottom of the form, that are furthest away from the largest angle of incidence and reflection are the darkest.  This is due to the small amount of surface area on those pores that the light rays from the light source can reach.

Taking a closer look at the nose on the drawing shown above, one can see that I was trying to represent the shape of the highlight on the model's nose.  Since highlights on human skin are broken up by areas of flesh, the shape of the highlight on her nose is not as crisp as it would be on a smoother surface such as the human eye.  Also, the color of the form that exhibits specular reflection influences how visible a highlight is seen on it much in the same way that the color of the model's iris influenced how visible the parts of the environment could be seen on the eye.  Even though the entire environment is specularly reflected by the nose, the only object that the nose is obviously reflecting specularly is the light source because it is so bright.

Although this type of analysis of highlights may seem to be over extensive, many of the factors that highlights adhere to often appear so subtle that they can be overlooked and represented out of place.  But when highlights are accurately represented an incredible illusion can be conveyed.  I hope to reach that quality one day, but so far the thought processes discussed in this post have been my most useful tools for examining highlights while working on my drawings.  Although the drawings, shown below, are unfinished I am including them in this post to show how I have been trying to incorporate these thought processes into my drawings.

 

Hand Cast Drawing Process

This is one of the final posts describing what I learned during my time studying at The Cambridge Street Studios.  Things just didn't work out for me there and I will no longer be studying at The Cambridge Street Studios. I will be continuing the classical curriculum elsewhere and I will continue making blog posts about what I am learning.

Click here to view a higher resolution image (the drawing is 15" x 7" inches)

While I was working on my drawing of the hand cast, shown above, there were many discussions of ideas between the instructors at The Cambridge Street Studios and me and this post is a summary of the ideas and processes that have guided me through that drawing.  Footnotes are included in this post to indicate which sentences in this post are summarizations of ideas that the instructors at The Cambridge Street Studios have explained to me.

The modeling process that I have been using is focused on trying to understand the three-dimensional structure of a form and its relation to a light source.  That understanding is then translated onto my paper by first outlining the shapes of the planes on a form, so that I may sculpt the planes by using value to represent areas of a form that are turning towards or away from the light.¹  I used a few different approaches for sculpting the form on my drawing of the hand cast that offered different advantages for each stage of this drawing.

3-Day Modeling Process
 At first it was taking me a long time to move on from the areas above the wrist because I kept going back to rework my modeling in those areas.  Once I began using a 3-day modeling process (that Jeremy Deck was taught by Angela Cunningham and that he taught to me¹) the drawing began to progress much more quickly and pushed me to make more confident decisions while modeling.  The 3-day modeling process that I used is as follows.

For each daily 4 hour drawing session I would focus on modeling about a square inch of form.¹  The process of modeling each form  began with selecting the simplest path on a form that contained the most value range for that form.¹  (Paths like this that describe the three-dimensional arc of the surface on a form are known as a strips of form.)  Then I would outline 3 or 4 distinct planes on that strip of form, while trying to make sure that the strip of form on my drawing appeared to diminish or advance accurately in perspective.¹

Then I would turn each of those planes darker or lighter in value based on how much each of those planes were turned towards or away from the light source.¹  While working on this strip I had to do much comparing of the planes that I had previously modeled in the wrist to try to ensure that the value hierarchy would be consistent across the entire drawing.  I would start modeling a strip by first placing the value for the down-most plane or the the plane that was most faced towards the light.¹  Then I would bend the remaining planes down in value as they turned away from the plane that faced most towards the light, or if I started by first placing the value for the down-most plane I would bend the remaining planes up in value as they turned towards the light from that point. I would often have to adjust the shape and value of each plane once all the planes on strip of form were drawn in order to more accurately represent the shape and value of each plane in relation to each other.¹
      This stage of the modeling process offers one the ability to resolve many of the important aspects of accurately representing a form.  Focusing on the shape and value of each plane in relation to each other can ensure that the large planes on a strip of form are accurately shaped and positioned towards or away from the light source.

After I did my best to organize the large planes in a strip of form I would proceed to model a form by trying to be more specific about how subtly each section of the form was positioned towards or away from the light source.  I first focused on modeling a representation of the form without details.  There were many bumps, scratches and small subtle plane breaks on the cast that were distracting from the overall volume of a strip of form.  I would ignore those details in order to focus on representing the more obvious form.¹  After I attempted to model the more simple version of a form I would include the details that I saw on the cast on top of the simple version of the form that I had modeled.¹

I would continue to model adjacent strips of form by using the same process described above.  After an adjacent strip had been focused on individually I would try to be specific about modeling the transitions between the two adjacent strips on a form.  Once all of the strips on form were modeled on my drawing I could evaluate the entire mass of a form in relation to the other forms previously modeled and could make needed adjustments.  This process continued form by form for the drawing below the wrist.  Below is a diagram of the 3-day modeling process that further illustrates how I would progress through modeling a form by focusing on a square inch of form each day.

Day 1- I would focus on modeling a square inch of form.

Day 2- I would focus on a new strip of form but would allow myself sometime to rework areas in the strip of form from day one.¹

Day 3- I would focus on a new strip of form but would allow myself sometime to rework areas in the strip of form from day two and even less time to rework areas in the strip of form from day one.¹
 Although I primarily focused on completing a square inch of form each day with this process, I did break from that habit somewhat by only completing half of a square-inch of form on some days. 

 This process was helpful for developing more confidence in my decisions as I modeled a form.  Developing confidence in one's decisions while modeling is an important skill to develop because the direct painting process with oil paint that I will use allows for little to no reworking of painted areas once they have dried.

Some progress photos of my drawing of the hand cast are shown below to illustrate what I mean by the drawing progressing form by form.  Many of the photos show multiple forms that have been modeled, but each form that was drawn in the process was first focused on individually.

 
 

A Reworking Process
I tried my best to accurately represent each form as I progressed through the front of the hand but made many severe mistakes that were made obvious once the entire front of the hand was in my drawing.  The reworking process that I used was intended to better organize the planes on my drawing to make my drawing more accurately represent the structures that I saw on the cast.

Before reworking                            After reworking
Note, I only reworked areas below the wrist in these photos.

Due to not enough consideration of the value hierarchy of each form in relation to each other I was presented with a drawing that did not accurately represent the value organization of the large planes on the cast. A reason for why I did not consider the value hierarchy enough was because I was too focused on only determining the values on each form by only trying to understand each plane's position in relation to the light source.  This resulted in a drawing that lacked the organized specificity of the values of the planes that I saw on the cast.  During the reworking process I had to embrace the fact that the values of the planes that I saw on the cast were a result of each plane's specific orientation to the light source.   Before the reworking process, I could compare the position of one plane to another to see that one plane would be slightly more facing the light than another.  But the specificity of exactly how much each plane was facing the light source was so difficult to determine by only evaluating and trying to retain an idea of where each plane is facing that it was more useful to check what I understood by comparing how light or dark the values of the planes on the cast appeared in relation to each other before I decided on the value for a plane on my drawing.¹

The reworking process that I used to try to organize the planes on the front of the hand was made easier with the use of a few thought processes.  In order to stay focused while reworking the front of the hand I would only work on trying to correct one area of a form at at time.  I started reworking on the left side of the hand and reworked form by form until I made it over to the right side of the hand.  During this process I had to be extremely careful to make sure I was making decisions that were well investigated in order to prevent myself from making more mistakes.

Outlined areas of planes that appear to group together into similar values because the planes within the shapes face in similar directions.

During this reworking process I would first consider how the values of the shapes of the planes on a form grouped together with the values of the shapes of the planes on the forms surrounding it.   While I was trying to group the values of the large planes on my drawing I also made sure to be specific about the gradations, made by micro-planes turning towards or away from the light source, within those large planes in order to represent the subtle three-dimensional structure within each of the large planes.

   

A useful evaluation tool is to compare how the cast looks with one's eyes out of focus to how one's drawing looks with one's eyes in focus.¹  Looking at the cast with one's eyes slightly out of focus reduces the amount of contrast that one sees on the cast so one can better see the cast in a compressed value range that is more similar to the compressed value range on one's drawing.¹  This is helpful for  determining if the compressed value relationships that one sees on the cast , with eyes slightly out of focus, are similar to the value relationships that one sees on one's drawing with their eyes in focus.¹  Once the values of the planes on a form were better relating with the values of the planes on the surrounding forms I would focus on larger areas of connecting forms.

Two clear areas of connecting forms, outlined in brown, with a directional path across, outlined in red.

Of course all of the forms on a cast are connected but some forms clearly flow into each other along a distinct directional path; like waves following a directional current to flow into one another.  An area of connecting forms is evaluated by rolling over the forms in a directional path while looking back and forth from one's drawing to the cast at the same pace that one is pointing their pencil at the same place on their drawing that they are looking at on the cast.  This type of evaluation is as if one was a surfer riding a tide, evaluating if the waves of form on one's drawing feel like the waves of form that one sees on the cast.

These thought processes were very helpful for organizing areas of form on the front of the hand and I included these thought processes into my process to better evaluate a form before I moved on.  After I reworked the front of the hand I continued through the drawing until I finally reworked the drawing after all the forms on my drawing were included.  

Preparatory Studies
I received far less instruction while working on this cast drawing, as compared to my drawing of the ear cast and found that working through issues myself was very beneficial to the understanding that I gained.  A useful exercise that was helpful to me in trying to understand how I would approach modeling forms was to make preparatory studies in my sketchbook.

Preparatory study from my sketchbook

Before I approached modeling the finger and pole on my drawing I made a preparatory study of it in my sketchbook during time that I was away from school.  I did much thinking about the area of form that I would model each day and how I would approach modeling each form.  I included numbers on each of the strips for a form so that I could plan out how I would approach modeling each form.  Working on preparatory studies such as the one shown above felt very much like doing homework before taking a test.  I learned a lot from drawing the hand cast that should help me on the projects that I work on in the future.


Footnotes
¹ Jeremy Deck, personal communication, 2013-2014.

Comparing The Values Of Planes

Although the values of planes on a form are caused by a logical relation of how much each plane is facing a light source(s), the differences in the values of those planes appear so subtly that it can be very beneficial to utilize thought processes that make comparing the values of planes easier.  Two of those thought processes are described in this post.

 For each form that I have to model I investigate the location of the point on each form that is most facing the light, also known as the high form light.  To identify the location and value of the high form light it is helpful to evaluate the difference in the position of each of the planes on a form as they relate to a center, which is the light source.

I used concentric circles to illustrate the shape of a magnetic field in this diagram because they are simpler to evaluate than the actual shape of a magnetic field.  Although the shape of magnetic fields are not technically shaped in concentric circles, the shape of a magnetic field has the same geometry as concentric circles. 

 A useful analogy in identifying the high form light is to imagine dragging a magnet on top of each form.  If I imagined the light source as projecting a magnetic field outwards from the center of the light, that is strongest at the center of the light, the magnet on a form would be most attracted to the area of the magnetic field that is closest to the center of the light source.  The magnet on the plane that is most facing the light shows where the high form light is located on a form.

The diagram above shows how magnet A is striking the magnetic field closer to the center than magnet C, because magnet A is facing the light source more than magnet C.  One can imagine the directional path that one would drag a magnet across a form in any direction, whether horizontal, vertical or tilted sideways in order to investigate the position of the high form light on a form.

I used the idea of the magnet and the magnetic field to determine which plane was most facing the light source and then could compare how much the other planes on a form darkened in value away from the high form light plane.  This thought process was also very helpful in managing the hierarchy of value for each of the forms that I tried to represent in my drawing.

Simplifying Forms

The forms and transitions on a cast are made up of planes. A plane is a flat surface of any size that faces the light in a specific direction.

An example of three large planes that are lighter or darker based on how much they are facing the light.

 The planes on a cast can be examined down to the point where the planes can be viewed as tiny microscopic planes, known as micro-planes, each facing the light in specific direction.  But this type of evaluation can become so overwhelmingly complex that it can be useful to identify a larger value hierarchy by simplifying the cast into large planes.

A painted study of the planes on a cast.

By simplifying the planes that generally face in the same direction into larger planes one can more easily get a sense of the effect of light over the entire cast.  Because it can be difficult to pin-point which of the many planes on a cast are generally facing in the same direction it is useful to examine the cast by squinting and looking at it slightly out of focus.  By simply evaluating the large value relationships one can more easily determine which planes are grouping together in value because they are facing in a similar direction.  I referred to the study shown above throughout the process of modeling my cast drawing when I was concerned with the large relationships on my drawing.

Dissecting A Cast

When presented with the amazing complexities of a cast one can be overwhelmed at first glance.  But by becoming familiar with the components that make up the complex structure that one sees on a cast one can more easily approach the task of representing such a fascinating cast.  As far as I know, the structure of a cast is made up of two simple components, forms and the transitions between forms.
   
Identifying Forms

     When looking at the hand cast shown above one can see many bulges.  These bulges are called forms.  A form is most often a bulge, known as a convexity,  but sometimes a form is a dent, known as a concavity, seen on the surface of a three dimensional structure.

     Often many of the bulges on a cast appear so subtle that it can be difficult to distinguish the boundaries of individual forms.  One can consider a form's boundary to continue through the transition into another form, but in order to simplify my thought process I define a form's boundary as the ending points of a form's convexity.

This illustration used the background image taken by Snowdonia

A form's boundary is just like the edge of a valley between mountains.  The edge of the valley that defines a form's boundary may be more distinct between some forms more than others, but between the bulges of any forms there is always a boundary.  

     

     Depending on how opposed forms are and how much the forms are facing the light these boundaries can be very difficult to distinguish on a cast.  To see these boundaries on a cast one just has to search for where the convexity of each form tapers off to transition into a new form to determine the boundaries of a form.  To better see these boundaries it is useful to look at a form from many angles.  Another thought process that I have found helpful in determining a form's boundary is to imagine spreading my fingers down in all directions from the point on a form that is most facing the light until they meet the bottom of a form's convexity.

Outlined boundaries of the large forms on the hand cast.

     I used the logic of investigating the boundaries of a form to map out the boundaries of each of the larger forms on the hand cast.  I avoided trying to identify the smaller forms, known as sub-forms, that sit on top of the larger forms in order to more easily get a sense of the larger forms that made up the majority of what I saw on the cast.

Evaluating Transitions

 The areas of transition between the forms on a cast connect the forms together.  

A section of a transition area in red that connects two forms together.

Specific points along a transition that are important to take note of are the ending point of convexity on a form, the middle of a transition between two forms and the beginning of the convexity of a new form.  A useful analogy for evaluating the transition areas between forms is to imagine how it feels to transition from one hill on a roller coaster to another.

This illustration used the background image taken by Karyn Christner

The diagram above shows how it feels to be at different points in the transition from one hill to another on a roller coaster that is moving from the hill on the right to the hill on the left.  The point where one is most scared after plummeting down the steep hill of a roller coaster would be comparable to the ending of convexity on a form.  The point where one is most calm would be comparable to the end of the transition from the form that one just came down and the beginning of the transition upwards into a new hill.  The point where one is beginning to feel anxious again is comparable to the bottom of the convexity on a new form before it begins to turn upwards towards the highest point on the hill.  This roller coaster analogy was helpful to me while I evaluated the transitions between forms on the hand cast. 

By focusing on the aspects of the forms and transitions on the hand cast I was better able to represent the cast in my drawing that will be described in an upcoming blog post.

Sculpture As A Drawing Supplement

This is one of the final posts describing what I learned during my time studying at The Cambridge Street Studios.  Things just didn't work out for me there and I will no longer be studying at The Cambridge Street Studios.  I will be continuing the classical curriculum elsewhere and I will continue making blog posts about what I am learning.

The process of modeling form while drawing is so similar to sculpting form in clay that it is beneficial to sculpt in order to enhance one's understanding of modeling form.  I only have experience working on one sculpture copy (which cracked into pieces before I finished it because I was not watering it consistently) but I will explain the process that I used for that sculpture copy in this post.  This post also describes how sculpting enhanced my understanding of modeling form while drawing.  Footnotes are included in this post to indicate which sentences in this post are summarizations of ideas that the instructors at The Cambridge Street Studios explained to me.

Sculpting Tools
I used a variety of tools while working on my sculpture.  Although I don't know the appropriate names for all of those tools, a description of the use that I made of each tool is described below.

- Used early in the modeling process to sculpt the general curvature of forms.  The pointy end on the bottom was used for drawing the shapes of planes and forms into the clay.¹

 Rake- This tool comes in a variety of sizes to generally smooth out large or small planes of forms.¹ 

Knife- This tool comes in a variety of sizes to cut large or small chunks of clay from one's sculpture.¹  I used this tool mostly during the block-in stage of my sculpture copy.

 - Used to flatten out planes of forms.  The pointy end on the bottom was used to draw the shapes of planes into the clay.¹

 - Used to more specifically sculpt the curvature of a form.  The top pointy end was used to draw the shapes of planes into the clay.
This tool was also used for measuring the depths, heights and widths of parts on the cast.¹

- Used to more specifically sculpt the curvature of forms.¹

Wire- Used to measure depths, heights and widths on the cast.¹

Massing in Forms

I began sculpting by quickly placing the large masses of the cast.¹  This stage of the sculpting process is very similar to the block-in process used while drawing.  The masses of clay were quickly placed much in the same way that shapes are quickly placed at the beginning of the block-in process.
   
The cast and my copy were placed at the same height and placed on rotating tables so that I could angle the cast and my copy to view both in the same perspective while I turned my head back and forth from my the cast to my copy.¹  This was done to make it easier for me to copy the shapes of the planes that I saw on the cast.
   
I continued to evaluate the shapes that I saw on the cast in terms of animal shapes while sculpting too.¹   I would look at the cast and my copy from as many angles as possible to compare how opposed the planes were in relation to each other.¹  While making these evaluations I found it most helpful to view the forms in profile to get a clear view of how opposed the planes on a form were to each other.¹  Evaluating the opposition of planes in profile has been a great help in understanding the structure of forms while I am drawing as well.

Planarization Of Forms

I then used the rake tool to flatten out the large planes on the cast.¹  This stage of the sculpture process is very similar to the stage of drawing when I draw a few planes in strip of form before more subtly modeling a strip of form.  During this stage it was very important for me to make the large planes very flat and clearly delineated in order to easily evaluate the relations of the large planes to each other.  This made me further appreciate the importance of making the planes in a strip of form very flat and specifically shaped in order to more easily evaluate the relation of planes to each other in my drawings.

This stage of the sculpture process made it very clear to me that specificity in the relation of planes to each other makes the final stage of subtly refining the forms much easier.  With sculpture it is very difficult to adjust masses of clay during the final stage of refining forms so I had to focus on the importance of the large planes as the foundation for the subtly modeled form even more.  I began seeing how specificity in the relation of the planes to each other while I am drawing makes the next stage of subtly modeling form so much easier.

During this stage I had to do much problem solving of how to bend or add to the clay on my copy to more faithfully represent the forms on the cast.  I usually would resort to taking depth measurements of the most projecting point on a form and the deepest point on a form so that I could check the accuracy of those points on my copy to get a better sense of the points that I would have to bend down or up from to make my copy more faithful to the forms on the cast.  This process very much informs the drawing process.  In drawing instead of taking depth measurements I would determine the value of the point on a form most facing the light and the value of the point on a form least facing the light to decide how I have to bend the form in my drawing to better represent the forms that I see.

Refining Forms

My sculpture cracked shortly after I started the refining stage, so I only got to attempt to refine the forms of the eye and upper eyelid.

After the large planes on my copy were positioned and shaped, to the best of my current abilities, to represent the planes on the cast I began to more specifically sculpt my copy by subtly bending the planes away from the point that projected the most.  I modeled each form individually so that I could more easily focus on each form.  

Bending away from the most projecting point on a form is similar to bending a form down in value away from the high form light, plane that is most facing the light on a form, while drawing.  Drawing form is just as sculptural as sculpting form with clay. But with drawing the form can only be sculpted by bending the form down in value as it turns away from the high form light.

In order to more specifically sculpt the subtle curvature of form in this stage I would have to remove small planes that were protruding too much and add small pieces of clay to make areas of a form protrude as much as they should.¹  These small pieces of clay that had to be added to or removed from a form are essentially micro-planes and the process of adding and removing these micro-planes while sculpting is very similar to how one adds or removes dots of graphite in a drawing to more specifically describe the micro-planes that need to face more towards or away from the light on a form.

Through sculpting at this stage it became very apparent how much the shape of the planes are a result of the specific three-dimensional structure of a form seen in perspective.  I became more aware of how specific the character of the shapes in my drawings had to be in order to faithfully represent the structure of each plane.  Much in the same way, while drawing I became more aware of the fact that even the slightest improvement in the accuracy of a shape has much more of an impact in making a form more illusionistic than much improvement in the subtlety of a gradation.  The reason being that the gradation, that is the result of a form's shape and structure in relation to a light source, must specifically correspond to the exact shape of a plane in order to appear illusionistic.  By being able to compare my copy to the cast while sculpting I was able to internalize the fact that no matter how subtle of a curvature, in drawing a gradation, I made, if it did not adhere to the specific shape of a plane seen on the cast it would not appear faithfully illusionistic.

Sculpting was very beneficial to my understanding of modeling form while drawing, even though I didn't get very far on my sculpture copy.  I would often sculpt in the morning before I worked on my cast drawing in the afternoon and would become so immersed in sculptural thinking that I would initially approach my drawing by thinking of it as a clay sculpture. Of course it is not necessary for one to sculpt before approaching modeling form while drawing, but many artists find it useful to at least think of their decisions while drawing as having sculptural consequences.

Footnotes

¹Jeremy Deck, personal communication, 2013.