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Here are the drawing / paintings for this week…….My thought process for this week was to push my images and keep adding to them. To explore layering and building up the images. I didn't want to settle for just a good drawing and that basically brought me into a more painterly attitude with these images……

 Image 1: I like this image for the exploration of different sized marks or paint strokes on the page. The figure is barely emerging from within them but the variation of the marks makes for an interesting image despite the figure.

Image 2: I like this image for the thought process of painting and the adding of light to allow the figure to emerge from the page. There was an underlying abstract painting here initially. I created a line drawing of the figure on top and began painting in the volume of the body on top of that……

Image3: This image is a little on the rough side compared to some of the things that I usually do but that's what I like about it the most. I think that with the combination of colors, the primitive types of marks running throughout the figure and the composition of the page the image works. Detail could be added but I'm not sure if that would help or hurt what’s going on here……

Image 4: What I like mostly here is the way that the colors pop off of the grayed out background. Nothing seems to make colors sing more than juxtaposing them against a color that has little to no hue in it. If the background were white the colors would still sing but they'd be competing with the white background. Here the colors are left to perform on their own…

Image 5: I included this image because of it's simplicity. It amazes me how a simple wash can describe the form of the body. After that wash lays out the terrain it's always fun to come in and draw around and on top of that form.

Image 6: I like this final image for a bunch of reasons……I like the line drawing that runs throughout, the distortion of the figure to push space on the page, the way that the feet and hands came out, the abstraction in the background, and the patterning in the pillow. It's generally my taste for design and drawing that attracts me to this image. I hope you enjoyed the images for this week. More on the way soon…..

This week we drew another one of my favorite models. Her name is Lori and she's well known on the Long Island figure scene. She's a large model and just about one of the most interesting people to draw. My focus this week was to create mood in the images and to think about designing the backgrounds on the image as well. I was also looking to fill the entire page and create a more complete image rather than a solitary figure sitting on the page. I wasn't too worried about creating a representational image (one that looks just like what the model looks like). I was focused on the overall composition, design, and picture as a whole…….

Image 1: Chosen for it's overall composition and it's sense of volume. I enjoy how the figure feels like it's being chisled out of the page and the abstractions that exist in the background as well. I believe this image works as it is without adding anymore detail. I wouldn't be against adding some small bits of detail here and there but I don't think it's necessary for the image to work compositionally.

Image 2: I chose this image for it's mood and it's potential. Unlike the first image I feel this image needs more work to finish it. It's got an interesting mood to it which I like, but I will be painting back into this one to bring more weight into the figure itself. Once I do that it should create a lot of space between the figure and the background which will force the depth I'd like to see in this image..

Image 3: I chose this because of it's abstract composition. The figure's not recognizable and it's not supposed to be but the shapes that reside on the page have been created by using the figure as a point of departure. This is mainly a study in composition, color and space. I feel this image is complete. I think it's interesing to solve compositions on a page just as a musical composer solves compositions. When the songs complete you move on and create another one…..

This week I have two images to show. These were drawn live from one of my favorite models. I was trying to use mood and design in these images. The mood I accomplisehd in one of them by creating a backlit situation where the figure is slightly shadowed causing a strong sense of light. In both images I was able to incorporate patterns into the backgrounds to add a sense of design to them. Whenever I'm creating patterns my focus is mainly on letting the pattern have a life of it's own and not controlling it too much. I generally want to patterns to seem random which always helps them to feel more natural…….

Image 1:

Image 2: