Over the past couple of months (holidays, yay!) I’ve been tackling the Bargue-Gerome Drawing Course using the sight-size method of drawing. The drawing course, to quote amazon.com, “is a complete reprint of a famous, late nineteenth century drawing course. It contains a set of almost two hundred masterful lithographs of subjects for copying by drawing students before they attempt drawing from life or nature.”
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve done quite a bit of “drawing from life or nature” but sheesh! it’s never too late to learn how…
The plates are a great exercise in understanding classical taste and are conveniently graded from easy starting ones through to arrgghhhh…
The impact though has come from using the sight-size method – my drawing has improved remarkably in many facets: patience, accuracy and the ability to spot mistakes – all of which transfers very well to all kind of drawing.
Sight-size drawing is done from a position about six feet or so back from the easel continuously looking from the object to the drawing, side-by-side, comparing point to point. A measuring devise is used – traditionally a piece of thread held between the thumb and fore-finger of each hand. Other implements that work are a knitting needle, skewer or dividers. I prefer the dividers. Measuring the object, then the drawing, always comparing. Walking forward to make a mark. Back to check, then foward to fix. Back and forward, back and forward – always to the same spot – marked with a piece of tape on the floor.
The whole point of sight-size is nit-picking accuracy. It trains the eye like no other practice. It also drives one stark raving mad! It can take upward of ten hours to copy one of the simple plates from the Bargue book. And the end drawing – is so ruined with erasing and correcting – it’s not worth squat! However, if you stick with it and can see it through the results will never leave you. Quite simply, one learns to see.
I have many, many plates to go and doubt that it’s necessary to do them all but when I decide I’m done: I’ll never, ever do another sight-size drawing again. Well, not for a while anyway…
Amanda