Amanda Williams - Portfolio

A friend mentioned this ages ago. I promptly forgot about until it popped up out of the grey matter, as it does, for no good reason other than needing a blog post in order to procrastinate on the painting I’m supposed to be getting on with. (I will, I will. In a minute…) Thus, I am not speaking first hand (yet…)

Created by New Yorker Molly Crabapple Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School is a life drawing session with a distinctly burlesque flavour. Molly draws saucy Victoriana for magazines and used to work as a life model during art school. She thought they were boring and decided to take a stab at the medium. Thus, Dr Sketchy’s was born. Molly has been running Dr Sketchy’s in New York since 2005.

How different?

In normal life classes, silent students sit in a silent room and draw a bored, oft-uninteresting model. In Dr. Sketchy’s we’ve got scandalous performers as models. We’ve got ridiculous art contests (best incorporation of a woodland animal? Best imagined costume?), comedic skits good music and flashy prizes. We’ve got a selection of posh beverages - alcoholic and not - available to buy. At Dr Sketchy’s we don’t care if you picked up a pad yesterday or 50 years ago. Come to drink or to draw. We’re happy to have you.

Clearly popular, as a quick Google will attest, Dr Sketchy has spread as far as San Francisco, London, Phoenix, Melbourne, Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Scotland, Tokyo, Austin and even, Perth.

Curious:

Dr Sketchy’s takes place once a month on a Wednesday at The Burlesque Lounge which is upstairs at 267 William Street, Northbridge (the old Ginger’s Garage). The next one:

When: 7pm, Wednesday 26th August
Model: Clara Cupcakes
Cost: $15 on the door

Sounds like fun,
Amanda

There have been changes to the Midland life drawing groups. Yes that was plural - there are now two - and if these are well supported more sessions will be added at the newly established Midland Junction Arts Centre. In fact, we need to support the whole venture with enthusiasm - ideas for other art groups, workshops and exhibitions in the new space will be welcomed. Contact: Swan Community Arts Officer Rachel Birighitti on 0424 023 871.

Monday mornings
Organised by the Centre for the Celebration of the Human Figure
9.30am - 12.30pm at the
Midland Junction Arts Centre
Cale St & Gt Eastern Highway, Midland
Cost $12 - BYO Materials
Easels are available
Contact: Peter on 9293 2363

Wednesday evenings
Organised by the Midland Artists Group
7.00pm - 9.30pm at the
Mechanics Institute Hall
Meadow Street, Guildford
Cost $12 - BYO easels & materials
Contact: Ben on 0403 319 562

Been meaning to do this for a while - show a couple of recent drawings and compare them with some from a year or more ago. Also want to talk a bit about why I still think life drawing is important.

Drawing from life is, for me, an exercise in getting better at drawing. Accuracy isn’t everything of course - expressiveness matters too - but in this case I believe correct comes before creative. Back at the cliff face I can always adapt or abandon when the absolute doesn’t suit my purposes. It’s about having that choice. The improvement filters through to all my drawing but the figure is good exercise because the human eye is so attuned to the human body that we can see inaccuracies immediately. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean we know how to fix them…

Getting a drawing right and knowing how to patch it up when it’s not, are skills that are learned like any other: from study and practice. Sorry, there’s no other way. On the study side I’ve paid a lot of attention to both anatomy and perspective, considering them the basic tools. These I gathered from classes, video and books, all of which have their place. Video and books suit me better than classes because I can go back over the material as often as I need to in order to retain what I’m learning. Or go back to when practice has me seeing better and asking different questions - things I probably glossed over as too difficult or too subtle on earlier readings.

The practice side of the equation is simply a matter of turning up and trying my best. I’ll admit that just getting there is hard to do, especially in the midst of winter. It’s amazing how small the gathering is when it’s cold or rainy. Noticeable that it’s always the same faces then, week after week…

Equally difficult is staying the course of the evening. Those last poses are tough when my feet are sore from standing, my lower back aches (don’t know why with that one) and I’m tired from the concentration. Even then, however, I’ll resist the urge to grab a chair because I know I really need to be able to step back from the easel to be able to see what I’m doing. Strangely enough, my best drawing is usually that last one. Even if I am physically a bit miserable my brain seems to have warmed up. Or maybe my left brain is so tuned into the discomfort, my right brain can get at the task without interruption!

So what improvement has there been? Take a look back at these from 2007: August isn’t that flash, but even worse are earlier ones from June. Difficult to resist the urge to delete them… but just goes to show what a bit of study and practice can do.

Still got a way to go, of course, but that’s why I’ll be there on Wednesday night. If you’re up for it we meet at the old Mechanics Hall in Guildford, chipping in $10 to pay the model and the wine. We start at 6.30pm. See you there.

Amanda

If you’re quick you can still get an entry or three into the life drawing exhibition being organised by the City of Swan. Entries close 15 May 2008.

Download an entry form now!

No commissions on sales and some great awards…
First Prize: $1000
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $150
Local Artist Award: $150
People’s Choice Award $100

A sucker for punishment I am. Last week saw me tackling two life drawing sessions at different venues in the one day - and that after a drawing class in the morning. All up I drew for nine hours. Many drawings later, here are just a couple.

In charcoal…

And graphite…

And yes, I can see a difference. I’m more comfortable and the drawings are getting better. I can’t say for whether it’s the persistent practice or the anatomy study that’s making it happen. Whatever. I’ll keep up with both.

Amanda

Life Drawing at the Midland Art Group was looking a bit unpromising last night. We usually start at around 7pm but the model was late and it was a smaller turnout too. Probably due to school holidays and the particularly horrible ‘flu that’s going around. Not to worry, it just meant there would be plenty of room - some weeks it’s so busy we work two deep with some artists with sketchbooks and drawing boards sitting in front of those standing with easels. Waiting, waiting.

Anyway, come 7.10pm and still no model. Ben, who runs the group is on the phone and finally makes contact only to find that she too has taken ill. Oh no. He was looking really worried. You see around Perth there’s another life group somewhere, run by someone called Gary. Now I don’t know who Gary is, but rumour has it that in that group a no show model has Gary taking on the role himself. Ben is on the phone, armed with a list of numbers trying very, very hard to find another model. “Motivated” would be a good description…

Persistence paid off when a he managed to contact a girl, via a referral, who just happened to be at the video store, a mere three minutes away… A sigh of relief from a very grateful group of artists, led by an even more grateful co-ordinator.

Meanwhile, everyone else had been sitting around sipping wine and coffee, relaxing and actually enjoying getting to know one another rather than sweating over hot charcoal as we usually do. Life drawing is serious work for most of us. Does one ever get good enough to have fun rather than just tense concentration? It’s exhausting work.

So after a late start, and in a lighter mood than usual, a fairly productive evening followed. Three four minute poses, a couple of ten minutes and then finishing with two of twenty minutes each.

This drawing was probably the better of my efforts for the night, even with fairly difficult foreshortening on the arm and foot. I can see the difference that this week’s anatomy study has made to my efforts. It doesn’t hold my pencil for me but it makes a huge difference to what I see.

This week’s effort at life drawing group showed little improvement in my figures but yet again an acceptable portrait sketch. I even managed a likeness. Obviously I have no photo to show to prove that since cameras are a no-no. You’ll have to take my word for it.

I have to wonder about this, why faces are fine but I still struggle with everything else. I’ve drawn more faces. Maybe. I’ve certainly seen more faces than unclothed bodies. Absolutely. Measuring. Anatomy study - or the lack thereof. I really do think that is where the problem lies.

I’ve read and copied the drawings in Bridgman’s Life Drawing. I started working through Loomis’ Figure Drawing for all it’s Worth during the last holiday break. I should finish that. I also have Stephen Peck’s Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist on the shelf. Maybe I need to read it again? The truth is the books don’t seem to be helping that much.

Thinking about it, I realise that I’ve never actually had any instruction in anatomy or drawing for that matter. Yes I’ve been in art college for two years. Drawing though isn’t actually taught. We have a class called Formal Drawing which entails a still life, or on three occasions per semester a model, and we just draw. No instruction.

We were encouraged to buy a book on anatomy. With no suggested title, I (in my utter ignorance) looking over the offerings at Borders chose Dynamic Anatomy by Burne Hogarth. Big mistake. It has inspiring drawings but no instruction. It’s much too stylised for a beginner. The teacher wasn’t offering any praise for my choice, but still no indication as to what would be better. How would I know? I wasn’t even sure how to use it. Copy the drawings?

Under guidance from internet friends who really can draw (Hi Rich ) I did eventually end up with the Stephen Peck book, which is the one to get. Plus during this past year I have bought or borrowed Bridgman, Loomis, Vanderpoel and absolutely everything from the library on the topic. And for the most part read them carefully. And copied the drawings. Something is still not sinking in. What to do? More books isn’t the answer.

Maybe I need to find a teacher. When? I’m already studying full time, spending 16 hours a week commuting, caring for a couple of kids and a small farm. What do I do?

Amanda

I thought on this post I’d show most of the life drawings I did last night- not that they’re particularly great - but to show the progression of the evening. From the first quick warm up drawings to the last longer ones, when I get tired and struggle to concentrate but generally get my best one anyway.

I well imagine that most life drawing groups work on a similar basis.

First up as I said we have the warm ups. Usually four poses of just four minutes each. There’s no time to get fancy with shading or modeling. Just gesture drawings followed by a bit of correction. Lots of measuring. This is about warming up. I put all four of my drawings on one sheet of paper - I know from experience that I won’t get much good in this lot - so why waste a full sheet on each drawing. I’m working on brown paper.

The next few poses are 10 minutes each. There’s time for a bit of shading to try to show the form. Not much, just a suggestion. The measuring gets a bit better because there’s time to repeat it where necessary. They’re not that much better than a four minute just a bit more accurate. Again I put the two one one sheet of paper.

Then the twenty minute ones. Usually two. Again I’m working on brown paper. More time for measuring - but I get bored with that and start to play with the charcoal on it’s side looking for the form.

There’s then usually a break of about 15 minutes. A glass of wine or a cup of tea. Whatever. Time to chat. Relax a bit. Time for the model to do likewise. Time to look at other people’s drawings too. No one is shy about their work. Not after the first week anyway, when you realise that (almost) everyone is struggling. Some people are up ahead on the path but they’ll hold the flashlight if you ask.

Then it’s back to work for what we call the long poses. At only half an hour each they’re not long by many life drawing standards where the pose is kept for hours. For us, though, these are the long ones. Sometimes the same pose is kept for the two half hours and those who want a change can move when the five minute break is called to allow the model to stretch.

I thought I’d stay with my brown paper even though I had a few sheets of cartridge paper in my folio. I like the brown - I’m the only one in this group who uses it but it has a fine history among artmakers and little bit of tooth for the charcoal or Conte I often use. For this drawing I decided to break out the new Faber Castell Polychromos pastels that I was talking about a few days ago. The ones with the muted colours. They don’t look very muted against the brown paper… but they are. Never mind. I got bored part way into this and sketched the artists working on the other side of the room instead…

Then it’s time for the last pose of the night. The second of the half hours, tonight everyone voted for a change of pose rather than extending the previous one. More play with the pastels on brown paper for me. Trying a warm colour and a cool one to see if I could turn the form with the change in colour and temperature.

So that’s it. It’s late and I’m tired after three hours of intense concentration.
There’s always next week.

Amanda

I’m hoping for a little fun at life drawing this week.

I work mostly in pencil sometimes charcoal. I quite like the woodless graphite pencils too - except I dropped my new one. Oops. Warning: those things are really brittle and once broken into small pieces are useless.

This week I’ll be trying some Faber Castell Polychromos pastels. They’re harder than a normal pastel but not really hard like I had imagined. More like a Conte crayon with colour. Lots of colour. A whole rack of colour. I didn’t buy a box but rather went through the rack and selected ten more muted colours: ochres, pinks and grey blues and green. The sort of colours I imagined I would use for a life drawing. Then bought a cheap little plastic box to keep them organised and voila - a beginning. I’m striking out here.

Why so good you ask? Alright you didn’t ask but this is my blog so I’m going to tell you anyway. Most sane people don’t get so excited over a few fairly dull pastels.

One of the problems I have with colour is that I love the bright colours but don’t actually use them. I mean I have a veritable box full of lovely media like Pitt pens, pastel pencils, watercolour pencils and even a small box of soft pastels. Some I chose myself, others were gifts. All collected up over time. Mostly untouched. I really love the colours but when it comes down to it I don’t use them.

Time and again I take something different along to Life Drawing but reach for the charcoal or the stumps of my Conte pencils instead. Dull colours like black, grey or sanguine. What gives? It’s happened too many times to be forgetfulness. I think. I can’t remember.

I don’t think I’m afraid of colour. Not with sculpture or paint anyway. Just drawing. I thought about it and figured that maybe everything I have is just too bright. Too unlife-life. So on the recommendation of a friend I headed off to the art shop (any excuse) to look at Polychromos. This time, I showed great restraint and chose only the more muted colours. Just ten. Enough to experiment, not too many to get scary.

I can hardly wait until Life Drawing this week. I think I’m on to something.

Amanda