FF ii g

g uu rr e es s
Patr ick J. Jones

from Finding your Style

L i f e

S t e p b y s t e p F i g u r e D r a w i n g
Foreword by Julie Bell
All art, Photography, and text in this book are the copyrighted “Drawing is not the same as form; it
intellectual property of Patrick J. Jones and may not be is a way of seeing form.”
reproduced without his permission.
To commission Patrick or to download his award
Edgar Degas (1834-1917). 
winning movies on drawing and painting visit:
www.pjartworks.com
 FF ii g
g uu rr e es s
Patr ick J. Jones

from
L i f e
Finding your Style

F i g u r e s “An artist must have his measuring tools not

in the hand, but in the eye.” 
Michelangelo (1475 – 1564)

Model: Katy Woods

 FF ii g
g uu rr e es s
Patr ick J. Jones

C o n t e n t
F i g u r e s F r o m L i f e
o n t e n t s
Foreword: Julie Bell ...... Page 8 from
L i f e
Introduction ...... Page 10 Finding your Style
The Lifedrawing Studio ...... Page 12

Part one: Gesture

Chasing Rhythms ...... Page 14

C o n t e n t s
The Persistence of Vision ...Page 16
Big to Small ...Page 18
Part Four: The Artist’s Studio:
Gestudy: The Three Hells ...... Page 20
An Oasis from Which to Draw .............. Page 74
Study Sheets: Gesture ..... Page 22
Photo Reference: The Frozen Image .... Page 76
The Female Torso ..... Page 26
Studio Drawing: The Arm ...................... Page 78
Study Sheets: The Arm ..... Page 84
Part two: Timed poses: The Ticking Clock ...... Page 28
Study Sheets: The Hand ..... Page 88
Getting Acquainted ...... Page 30
When Slow is Fast ...... Page 34 Studio Drawing: The Back ..................... Page 90
Study Sheets: Compressed and Overlapping Forms ..... Page 40 Study Sheets: Scapula and the Arm ..... Page 96
Always be Drawing ...... Page 44 Study Sheets: Male Gluetus and Back ..... Page 98
Male Structure in Motion ..... Page 50
Part five: The rhythm of Life ...Page 100
Part Three: Long Pose: Sustained Emotion... Page 52 Embrace the Fear ............... Page 102

L i f e
Ritual Freedom ...... Page 54 The Power of Silence ............... Page 108
Study Sheets: Structure of the Female Figure ... Page 60 Study Sheets: Foreshortening ..... Page 114
The Artist Barber ...... Page 62
Study Sheets: Female Gluteus and Back ..... Page 68 Part six: Love Devotion Surrender ...Page 120
The Greatest Gift ...... Page 122
Study Sheets: The Head ..... Page 126
Study Sheets: The Male Torso ..... Page 128
Study Sheets: The Legs ..... Page 130
Contrapposto: Drawing on Emotion ............... Page 132
Study Sheets: Contrapposto ..... Page 138

Part seven : Selected drawings ...Page 140

Shadows and dust ...... Page 158

Acknowledgments ...... Page 160
“Drawing is like the first kiss. It carries within
it the deepest emotion and the challenge of
the first step. It is the first cry after birth.”  
C

Ala Bashir  (1939—)

 F o r e w o r d
J u l i e B e l l

I
f you are meeting Patrick Jones for the first time, you will immediately notice a man whose command
of his own self -discipline is working well for him. He is as fit as a bodybuilder, yet with the more ag-

I
ile and graceful
f you athleticism
are meeting of a Patrick
gymnast.Jones
And when
for theyou first
see someone with this
time, you willmuch
imme- ability to ride
through the physical discomfort that it surely takes to achieve Patrick’s high degree of fitness, it comes as
diately
no surprise that notice
he would applya that
mansamewhose command
degree of his
of passion and own self
dedication -discipline
to his heart’s vocation: Art.
is working
He makes it all wellhisfor
look easy with him. He
welcoming is as fit not
friendliness, as atobodybuilder, yet sense
mention his clever withofthe
humor and
moreSeeing
storytelling. agilethe
and graceful
drawings athleticism
in this book give usofa aglimpse
gymnast.
into the endless number of hours that
Patrick has devoted to studying expressions of the human form. Graceful, powerful, and still expressed
with the seemingly effortless sweep of a piece of charcoal or graphite--They come to life with ease!
And when you see someone with this much ability to ride through the
physical discomfort that it surely takes to achieve Patrick’s high degree
of fitness, it comes as no surprise that he would apply that same degree
of passion and dedication to his heart’s vocation: Art.

He makes it all look easy with his welcoming friendliness, not to men-
tion his clever sense of humor and storytelling. Seeing the drawings in
this book give us a glimpse into the endless number of hours that Pat-
rick has devoted to studying expressions of the human form.

F o r e w o r d
Graceful, powerful, and still expressed with the seemingly effortless
sweep of a piece of charcoal or graphite--They come to life with ease!

Julie Bell,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 2018

“Great things are done by a series of

small things brought together.” 
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

8
 I n t r o d u c t i o n

L
ove, devotion, surrender. These three disciplines have guided me through my life and
art. To begin with I was unaware of their hidden power or their nature– but I could feel
them; the emotional discipline of love, the devotion of practice, and the sacrificial sur-
render to the long plateaus when progress seemed beyond reach. As sure as the delicate balance
of gesture and structure create style, these disciplines inform my art on a deeper level.

In my previous book, ‘The Anatomy of Style’, we simplified anatomy into an essential note
book on the structure of the figure in search of style, here we enter the life drawing workshop
and delve into the more challenging aspects of figure drawing such as measuring with rhythm
and drawing with feeling.

My live workshops are filled with students seeking a firm grip on foundation skills, while the
advanced classes include professional artists and anatomists advancing their drawing skills with
probing questions on art, philosophy, and inner motivation. What they all have in common is
a desire to draw with freedom, style, and ease.

The illusion of ease comes from thousands of drawing hours, but it’s more than time that
makes drawing easier, it’s a million micro learning curves discovered within those solitary
hours. I fight for every drawing in my quest for better technique and emotional depth. ‘It
never gets easy, just easier’, I tell myself, but my fight is a fearless one as I have learned to love
the challenges, treating every ‘fail’ as higher learning. For an artist, drawing unencumbered by
doubt or fear – safe in the knowledge that something beautiful might be conjured; something
that did not exist until we scratched marks on a surface – is more than a brief joy: it’s life-
affirming.

This book is a re-creation of my live drawing workshops. Within its pages you will find a

I n t r o d u c t i o n
wealth of step-by-step drawings – accompanied by detailed explanations of each step – plus
insightful questions and answers, study sheets and style tips: all of which will enable you to
advance your life drawing skills. In the first part of the book, we will explore the disciplines of
drawing, before progressing in the second part to the motivations and philosophy of style. And
so I invite you to take a seat as we share drawing hours: every stroke moving us towards greater
artist freedom.

Patrick J. Jones  
Brisbane, Australia

“The most fruitful and worthwhile thing I

have ever done has been to teach.”
Harvey Dunn (1884 - 1952)
Model: Alana Brekelmans
L i f e D r a w i n g
T h e L i f e
D r a w i n g
S t u d i o

M
any years ago I stood in the rain outside the Elephant and Castle tube station staring
across at the cold, grey, London College of Printing. Filled with anxiety, dread, and
an unholy amount of Irish-catholic guilt I contemplated my first life drawing class. I
walked toward the grim monolith. Inside the artists seemed oddly uninvolved but I was inspired
by the model’s naked bravery, and promised myself to reverse my inward nature and face the world
head-on as she did. The world felt strange and changed as I ventured back into the cold night, but
the experience was tainted when a student didn’t care to hold the door open for the model and it
almost hit her in the face. I was appalled, and have never forgotten her expression and the shame I
felt for not taking the fellow to task.

Decades later I drew at ‘The Association of Illustrators’ in New York City and recall the confidence
of the models as they were introduced by name and applauded at the end. This became the bench-
mark for my own workshops. If you decide to create your own life draw group, as many artists do,
remember the model brings with them the ability to elevate your drawing to a higher level. En-
courage them as fellow artists and collaborators and the best will step forward to accept the chal-
lenge. To this end I have the privilege of working with some of the finest life models in Australia,
and the world.

It’s obvious to me how important life drawing is, yet some artists still ask the question: ‘Why draw
from life when we can draw from photos?’. The answer is in the question— Life! A photo is a flat
image from a mechanical, monocular eye, it is warped and misleading compared to our human
binocular eyes. Our eyes see depth, without distortion. Yet it’s not always possible to draw from
life and I will discuss drawing from photos as we progress, and the pitfalls to avoid. Another thing
rarely discussed when working from photos is the damaging effect of unlimited time.

In life drawing poses are timed, with the shortest poses being gesture drawings, typically two
minutes in length or shorter. With time so fleeting we benefit from quickly falling into a rhythm
of capturing the life of the pose rather than get muddled in dead detail, which is common when
working with a frozen photographic image. And so let us begin as most sessions do, with the spirit
of life, the gesture drawing...

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” 

Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)

Patrick demonstrating Gesture.

 L I F E D R AW I N G
F
ig.1 G e s t u r e
C h a s i n g R h y t h m s F ig.3

1.

F
ig.5 F ig.1
ST Style Tip* ST

T W T
he first thing you may notice if you are start- atch for this symbol ST wo minutes is not enough
ing out is my drawing grip. The pastel is throughout this book to time to draw everything and
2.
held flat to the surface between my fingers and get a better insight into how I it is this very shortness of time
thumb. This awkward looking ‘monkey style’ is think beyond basic anatomy and that brings energy and freshness to
known as ‘the gestural hand’. When you first use structure and more toward the gesture drawing. The omission of
3. the gestural hand it will feel unnatural as we are beauty of line, tone, rhythm and lines and detail is one of the most
used to our ‘writing grip’ or in artist terms, ‘the gesture. effective elements of style.
detail hand’.

The problem with the detail hand is its limited

Materials: range of motion. Grab the wrist of your drawing ST
Sanguine Pastel
Newsprint
hand, hold it firm, and see how far you can rotate
it. Not much, right? With the gestural hand we G esture is usually
thought of as a series
draw from the arm, up to the shoulder, with the
wrist a free-flowing pivot. Try drawing the big-
gest curves you can in the detail grip, then switch
N ote the dip of the hips
at the top of the femur
bone. A knowledge of anato-
of curved lines but I often
add a straight line here
and there to add solidity
to the gestural grip to feel the smooth, liberating my lends ease to drawing the to the figure. Remember
effect. figure’s gestural lines and is there are no rules, only
the very essence of my draw- method.
I begin, as I do with all my drawings, by ‘chas- ing techniques, and the reason
ing rhythms’. The arrows show the rhythmic se- my workshops bear the title,
quence of the first gestural marks. Note also my ‘The Anatomy of Style’.

F
ig.2 two strips of sandpaper stapled to the top right
of my board for quick pastel and charcoal stick
sharpening.

F ig.2
ST

H ere we are 30 seconds into the pose. As a

gesture drawing we could call it finished as
the essence of ‘life’ has been laid down. In other
A lthough gesture drawings
rarely show tone I like to turn
the pastel stick on its flat to show
words, the drawing reads as a figure executed in describe volume. As long as we
simple line. Show this to anyone on earth and don’t linger it will be in keeping
they will know what it is regardless of the missing with the gestural freshness.
details.

F ig.3

T he ‘finished’ 2 minute drawing. Gesture

drawings are fast, usually 10 seconds to 2
minutes long, and therein lies the secret to their
freshness and joy.
 L I F E D R AW I N G F ig.3

F
ig.1 G e s t u r e
F
ig.3

A
T h e P e r s i s t e n c e nother mantra I use is: Analyse, Understand,
o f V i s i o n
Draw, abbreviated to the acronym: AUD for
my Australian students. For instance I will ‘Anal-
F ig.1
F
ig.5
yse’ the form from the ribcage down to the shin,
then once I ‘Understand’ it as a long ‘C’ curve

I usually start my classes with five two minute

gesture drawings. This limbers up the drawing
hand and eye, which shakes off the rust between
with a quick outward curve at the end, then I
‘Draw’ it. Simple.

sessions, but it also does something else—it

If you ever watch a great artist at work they may
teaches us to see more clearly what is important.
seem to be drawing incredibly fast, but mostly
With so little time we learn to draw lines that tell
they are just making less errors and therefore fin-
the story of the figure in the most simplistic way.
ishing their drawings faster. You may also notice
micro pauses before each stroke, what you are
Note the energy in the longest unbroken line seeing is their though process in action: AUD.
Materials: from the chest down to the foot. In animation
Sanguine Pastel Once again this gesture drawing could be con-
Newsprint
this is known as ‘the line of action’. You can see sidered finished at any of these four stages as each
here how ‘animated’ this appears, almost cartoon- stage portrays the ‘spirit of the pose’.
ish. Gesture drawing is the main reason The Walt
Disney Company sent its animators and artists to
life drawing classes.

F ig.4

F ig.2 W ith the two minutes up I will sometimes

continue drawing using ‘The Persistence
of Vision’, which is another animation term used

F
ig.2 H ere we are once again 30 seconds into the
pose. The main thing I want to impart at
this point is that I am not rushing to ‘beat the F ig.4
to explain the illusion of moving images on film.
What we are really seeing is 24 still images rac-
ing past every second of screen time. Each image
clock’. The drawing is finished at whatever stage leaves an after image in our mind and at such a
the pose is finished, with that in mind I draw speed they appear to move, hence the term: ‘The
as fluidly as the time allows ‘at my own pace’. Movies’. The same idea can be used for life draw-
My advice is to relax and enjoy the process with ing but in a different way. The memory is more
disregard for time constraints. If you go faster vague after a few seconds but still fresh enough
than your natural pace you will make errors and to add some extra lines with confidence. Here I
lose confidence. Don’t worry about speed or how have added some tone with the broad edge of the
fast others around you may appear to be draw- pastel stick.
ing. Remember drawing is a personal experience,
not a competition. If you want to draw naturally
You can work with the pastel stick as it comes,
and fluidly, which will look like speed to other
store bought, but I usually break them into small-
less experienced artists, then draw slow enough
er bits and sharpen some into chisel edges to suit
to think about the lines you are drawing. Natu-
my needs. Most store bought sticks are a little
ral speed will come as you gain experience and
warped and not flush with the page, this tends
confidence.
to leave two strokes with a gap in the middle. If
this is the case I sharpen the warped edge on my
Think of this mantra as you draw: Long, Light, sandpaper block until it is straight.
Loose. I find if my drawing looses its freshness
it is due to one of these three disciplines being
broken.
F ig.1
L I F E D R AW I N G F
ig.3

F ig.3
Materials: G e s t u r e

W
Sanguine Pastel B i g t o S m a l l ith the two minute gesture pose finished
Newsprint
at fig.2 I continue to draw using the per-
F ig.1
F
ig.5 sistence of vision. The memory of the pose is still
fresh enough for me to elaborate on the drawing

H ere we are with our third gesture drawing.

As usual each drawing becomes more fluid
in sequence as our hand becomes more fluid with
with some light line and tone. I use a bigger piece
of pastel and turn it on its broad side to get big-
ger strokes, but am very wary that I need to use a
the constant rhythm of the gestural lines. light touch to avoid a clunky mess.

Learn to dance with the drawing by drawing

from one side of the figure to the other. As I draw
the left side of the rib cage my next line is the
right side of the ribcage then back over to the
opposing hip then back to the other side of the
hip. The death of gesture is drawing the figure
as an outline as you would a map of an island.
Note also that I don’t stop for the hinge aspect F ig.4

of bones, such as the connection of the elbow,

instead I draw a continuous line. To stop for con-
necting points would ‘stiffen’ the drawing. We
H ere, the addition of a few broad strokes of
tone has created a more substantial form,
closer to the heft of a study without the work
can add connecting points as the drawing pro- and additional time. This means I can fill a sketch
gresses into longer poses. book with more tonal ideas for bigger works than
would normally be possible in a life drawing ses-
sion.

F ig.2
Gesture drawings are also the secret ingredient
F ig.2
Triceps Bulge A t this stage you can see my use of rhythm ap-
plid all over but also in smaller areas. Study F ig.4
to successful longer drawings. Although gesture
drawings exist as separate entities I continue the
the arm to see the see-saw rhythm of line once rhythms gained with my gestural arm to go for-
again. After I drew the tricep bulge of the upper ward into my longer poses with the same fluid
arm my next stroke was the opposite bicep then movements.
the outer bulge of the forearm, then the lower
longer line of the inner forearm, and on and on.
I know many artists that forego gesture drawing
and head straight into the structural rendered
This takes us onto another method I employ in drawings. I find this way of thinking to be a grave
all drawings: ‘Big to Small’. I draw the big shapes error when it comes to drawing with style. Ges-
first then tumble down to the smallest shapes, ture is my first call with every life draw session,
then add my side-to-side rhythms over those and the ghostly foundation of every structural
shapes, big to small. drawing.

What I am describing of course is my technique. On the following pages I will take this idea of
Technique is viewed by some as restrictive in that working on a drawing after the gesture pose has
it might hinder free expression. I agree to a point finished to a further tonal level. I may spend up
but I think technique is the opposite of restric- to ten minutes adding further tone to gesture
tive, I find it to be the gateway to liberation, the drawings. As these drawings are an amalgamation of
means to draw freely with confidence and style. gesture and study I have termed these drawings,“Ges-
tudies”.
 L I F E D R AW I N G F ig.3

F
ig.1
T h e
G e s t u d y
T h r e e H e l l s F
ig.3
S o what can we do to sway the balance and
live in art heaven? I have found starting ges-
turally with structure on top works best. Here

F
ig.5 F ig.1
F
ig.5 I am five minutes in and things are going fairly
well, but there was a time when this was beyond

T he Male figure by its very nature is less ges-

tural than the female figure. This is most-
ly due to the larger rib cage and narrower hips
me, and that time was before I studied anatomy
and learned to see muscles as structural shapes.
In those bad old days I would have needed to
which create a block like series of forms, unlike trace this image from a light box in order to draw
the hourglass curves of the female form. This this within five minutes. Thankfully those days
doesn’t mean it can’t be gestural, it certainly can are gone.
by using fluid lines, but rather than fight the
block shapes I prefer to embrace and push them
You could add ‘Lightbox Hell’ to the hells. A
to my advantage, bringing solidness and rugged
Lightbox, or Camera Lucida, allows you to light
power to a drawing. This ethos harkens back to
photos underneath your drawing for tracing.
my love of pulp adventures and the heroic draw-
Materials: This is the most shameful hell usually discovered
ings of Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson. In this
Willow Charcoal working in professional illustration. It is some-
Gestudy I am still drawing long light and loose
Newsprint times a necessary evil due to deadlines and I have
lines but also incorporating the powerful struc-
been there as a professional illustrator, but I al-
ture of the male form.
ways drew freely as much as possible, aware the
Lightbox would become my master. I was listen-

F ig.2 ing to the great Steve Huston recently who said

that his years as an illustrator were detrimental to

A t this point I am out of the gestural zone and his skills and I identified strongly with what he
into the structural zone, meaning I am draw- said. Lightboxing will severely erode your draw-
ing the connecting joints of muscles and bones as ing skills if relied on too much.
forms rather than loose gestural lines. Things are

F
ig.2 less vague in the structural world and therefore
it is more obvious if something is wrong with F ig.4

our drawings. For this reason some artists avoid

structure and draw gesturally all the time as ges-
tural drawings are somewhat outside the realms F ig.4

of critique. I call this ‘Gestural Hell’ because if

you live there too long it means you will never be
able to draw a structural drawing that isn’t wonky.
H ere we are eight minutes in with enough
tone in the right places to imply much
more work than there really is in this simple, yet
Of the three hells gestural hell is the best place complex, drawing. Complex in the sense that
to live as your drawings will always have some what little detail there is based on thousands of
style and grace. The second hell is ‘Structural drawing hours gained distilling complex anato-
Hell’ and it’s a bad place to live and the hardest my into simple shapes.
to leave. In Structural Hell you are always trying
to get things ‘right’ and soon your gestural skill
The following study sheets break down the key
are abandoned to die while your drawings grow
elements we just discussed for quick reference.
stiff and laboured. The third hell is ‘Render Hell’
Understanding anatomy and translating it into
and it is the worst of all. In Render hell the artist
simple structure on top of gesture is the key to
has had enough of trying to get structure right
drawing the figure with style and ease, the idea of
and starts polishing the drawing with pointless
which I will spend the rest of this book exploring
detail in order to bedazzle the viewer and cover
in depth.
up the weak structure, resulting in the most pain-
ful drawings to look at.
 Gesture ST Style Tip*
S t u d y S h e e t s

N ote we can find fluid gestural lines even within a solid ST

G
structure such as the hips, especially in the rear view. Re- estural drawing by
member using the gestural hand and chasing rhythms is the key its very nature is
to gestural lines. a joyful affair as we are
not wedded to recording
every detail or to get pro-
portion ‘correct’.

Oddly though I find pro-

portions come out pretty
Gesture equals: well with constant prac-
1. Spirit tice. I recommend draw-
ing lots more gestural
2. Life Force
drawings rather than lots
3. Beauty of long poses in order to
4. Fluidity accelerate your learning
as the short time span
Structure equals:
forces us to draw what is
1. Strength most important, not only
2. Foundation what is important regard-
ing form but what is im-
3. Solidity portant to our individual
Gesture + Structure equals: tastes as this will define
Beauty and Strength our personal style.

N ote the spirt that is

born from gesture.
We can feel the life in a
gestural drawing more
than a tight realistic
drawing. This figure for
instance, appears to be
reading these style tips
with great curiosity, even
without the details of the
ST Style Tip* face to show expression.

ST
S ee how loose gestural lines
create joyful energy when
applied with anatomical
knowledge.
ST Style Tip*

I n this forty minute pose I

have used the basic ideas of
gesture and gestudy to keep
the drawing fresh.

ST

D rawing with the

gestural hand grip
will keep the lines more
fluid throughout the
W hen the idea of gesture is
maintained throughout a
structural drawing it adds a life
drawing process. Try to
resist the detail hand for
force and feeling of animation. The as long as possible.
challenge with this drawing was to
maintain the fluid gesture through-
out, which becomes more difficult
with added time as we tend to stiffen
longer drawings during that relaxed
time period by worrying too much
about getting the structure precise.
 T h e F e m a l e To r s o
S t u d y S h e e t s

ST Style Tip*

ST
W ith the female figure it is not a crime to draw with more
male styled boxed forms as I have done here. I encourage
my students to take what I teach as a starting point from which
to branch off and find their own style. Draw with curves, draw
with straights, it doesn’t matter as long as the figure makes sense.
As an interesting experiment you might try drawing every curve
as a straight line and every straight line as a curve. You might be
surprised to discover the drawing still looks fine, as long as the
anatomy is solid.

O pposite is a live demo from a session with my model, Fiona, on drawing the breasts. It’s important to always draw
the connecting anatomy when studying an area, as an example you can see I’ve defined the breasts as the main
study while the adjoining body areas are more ghosted in. If I were just to draw the breasts in isolation as a study, then
a head as an isolated study, I would soon lose the flow of drawing the body as a whole and end up drawing disjointed
Frankenstein figures.
 T i m e d
P o s e s
T h e T i c k i n g C l o c k

T
ime is constantly ticking away in the life drawing studio, and sessions always seem to
end too soon, so it’s good advice to be well prepared. Sharpen your pencils and char-
coal sticks beforehand and get to the studio early to set up. Give yourself plenty of time
before the model begins posing, as there is nothing more distracting and spell-breaking for
the model, teacher, and fellow artist than someone banging around in the background during
a pose. Everyone’s concentration and artistic abilities immediately drop a level as a result, but
the one most affected will be the banging-a rounder as it will take its toll as either embarrass-
ment, or flustered drawing when they finally sit down.

I feel sympathy for the banging-arounder because we have all been one at some point. Al-
though it is not a crime for which we can be arrested, it is a crime nonetheless – an art crime.
For during the calamity we are all robbed of something that’s hard to retrieve: the emotional
attachment to our art.

Excellence in drawing requires great concentration and a willingness to surrender to abstract

concepts such as ‘gesture’ and ‘feeling’ while at the same time holding onto the reality of
solid structure. This mental balancing can be exhausting as time ticks by. When exhausted we
become less capable of our best work, so logically we end up with a less capable version of
ourselves finishing the artwork the more capable version of ourselves started. This leads to an
artwork that deteriorates rather than improves, and the culprit is time and a fatigued, unfocused
mind.

L i f e D r a w i n g
Regarding time I say to my students: ‘Always be drawing, always be in this moment.’ This
simple statement can startle the clock watchers and those thinking of better grades, or those
mindlessly rendering while thoughts drift toward other things. Some artists I know work to-
ward future awards and glory, treating art as a means to an end, instead of an end in itself. This
emotionally empty and fragmented use of time creates toil, but time devoted to the love of
drawing is a constant reward.

“Learn diligence before speedy execution..” 

Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
Model: Lorena cappellone
 LIFE
F ig.1
D R AW I N G
S t e p - B y - S t e p
F
ig.3
F ig.3

Materials:
G e t t i n g A c q u a i n t e d
Willow Charcoal
Newsprint
Kneadable Eraser F
ig.5
F
ig.5
I n Fig.2 I have gone over the drawing with
darker lines, tweaking and further strengthen-
ing the structure as I go. I draw multiple faint
Electric Eraser

F
Tissue ig.1 strokes in my search for the best lines rather than
reach for the eraser. Faint lines will ‘visually’ dis-
appear due to the more assured lines yet to come.
A lthough this is a ten minute pose, which is
an average short pose, I will spend an extra
few minutes during the model’s break to add to
I find the eraser a negative idea and advise to only
use it for major errors. I see students use the eras-
the drawing. Any drawing from ten minute on- er as much as the pencil to find their best lines
wards is regarded as a study. This may not seem and the result is always a stiff drawing. The rea-
like a lot of time but it’s plenty of time to get the son is that every erase does two things: first it tells
essence of the pose down with more information us we have made a mistake and sows the seeds of
than a gestural or gestudy drawing. negativity, secondly it destroys our rhythmic and
gestural sweep due to its stop-start nature.

As the word ‘study’ suggests there is a longer

thought period involved which can lead us into Here in Fig.3 I have wiped the drawing back with
Structural Hell. The main thing to keep in mind tissue paper and am smudging tone around with
as we draw structural shapes is to draw with the fingers and thumb, this will also dim the confus-
gestural hand as much as possible as the drawing ing muddle of lines, making it clearer for me to
will naturally stiffen up during studies, growing draw on top.
stiffer as the poses get longer. So the quiet mantra
here is: ‘Rhythm and Gesture’.

F ig.2
F ig.2
F ig.4
F ig.4

Y ou can see in Fig.1. I have spent the major

period of time on the structure, around five A t eight minutes in it may seem like folly to
wipe the drawing back to a ghostly image
with only two minutes to go, but I am now well
minutes, as this is the foundation of the draw-
ing. Getting the foundation right is the same as acquainted with the pose and can return to the
any kind of foundation; if the foundation is weak lines I’ve explored already, drawing quickly us-
then the work on top will be wonky. Already I am ing my gestural hand. Some models will set their
struggling with holding the idea of gesture due alarm to go off two minutes before the end of the
to the structure required. The overall flow is fine pose to give the artists a heads up on the time
and you can see the underpinning gestural hand left. If not you may want to pin your watch to
still visible in the long curves of the thighs but the drawing board.
there is some stiffness in the arms where the lines
are shaggy looking. When lines get this shaggy Here I’m in an energetic dance, chasing rhythms
look I call it, ‘The Hairy Hand’ which is usually and find two minutes enough time to do this
due to flipping the pencil over to the detail hand without rushing. Remember it’s not important to
grip (our writing grip) and staying there too long. finish the drawing, what is important is to enjoy
When I see The Hairy Hand it’s a red flag for me the process and draw at your own pace. An un-
to return to my gestural grip. The detail hand is finished joyous drawing is more attractive than a
necessary for small details but it’s easy to forget to ‘finished’ laboured and stiff drawing.
switch back to the gestural hand.
F
ig.5
F ig.5
F ig.7

A t ten minutes I managed to draw a complete

figure, although that was not my priority as
ST Style Tip*

F
ig.5
some of my favorite drawings are incomplete fig-
ures. I avoid the term ‘unfinished’ as my opin-
ion is a drawing is finished when the artist stops
drawing.

That said I continue to draw after the pose has

ST
N ote how I keep the thin-
ner lines on the outer
sides of the figure, especially
ended as I would like to explore some ideas. A the sides facing the light. This
model will normally take a break after every thir- avoids a ‘cartoony’ look and
ty minutes of posing. I usually request the model keeps the drawing more in the
do three ten minute poses with a stretch in be- realms of classical drawing.
tween then a five minute break, the perfect time This way of thinking suits my
to explore some ideas. Modeling may seem like artistic leanings. You might
an easy gig, but try sitting rigid for ten minutes like a heavy outline, if so carry
in a certain pose and you will understand how on, there are no rules.
straining it is on muscles, especially if your arms
are raised.

F ig.6

I utilise the fluid nature of my hand, still fresh

from the rhythmic dance of the final two min-

F
ig.6 utes to draw the tattoo swirls on the breasts and
some extra hair and a headband. With an exotic
mood set I smudge around with my fingers and
thumb to create a more fleshy and dimensional
figure. I also use broad charcoal and tissue to
sweep in some vague background, this brings the
figure forward and sets a mood.

At this stage you can see me using an electric

eraser to pull out some highlights suggesting
golden jewelry in the hair. I use the eraser for
drawing rather than fixing mistakes as I don’t be-
lieve there are mistakes, only further learning. If
the point here was reportage I could critique this
drawing to death, such as the wobbly arms, but
if I was to eraser and start ‘fixing’ everything the
drawing will have less charm. Always remember
to enjoy the drawing process and not worry too
much. Time will take care of the idea of getting
things ‘right’.
 L I F E D R AW I N G
S t e p - B y - S t e p
W h e n S l o w i s F a s t

F ig 1.

W ith this drawing I will spend thirty minutes plus a luxurious ten minutes adding imaginative fancy on top. In
long poses the model will usually pose for a maximum of thirty minutes then take a break. After the break
the model will assume the pose for another thirty minutes if necessary and so on. The problem is there will always
be micro shifts even if we mark points where the model had there limbs to reassume the pose, therefore I prefer a flat
thirty minute pose generally. When I say shift I am referring to the natural movement that happens if anyone tries
to stay perfectly still for any period of time and for that reason I leave detail until last.

With thirty minutes I spend a full ten minutes on the construction, once again aware of how important a solid
foundation is. Knowing I have thirty minutes on a drawing I’m happy with a ten minute investment to ensure the F
ig.1

drawing is sound. Maintaining rhythm and gesture keeps the of drawing alive. This constant balance of gesture,
structure and rhythm is the underlying alchemy found in the timeless drawings of Michelangelo. If you feel any of
these disciplines start to flag then you are better to take a break rather than to ‘soldier on’. Remember, if you draw
when tired your drawing will look tired.

F ig 2.

A s I draw I’m also working with another artistic idea, and that is ‘omission’, the act of removing details dis-
tracting or obstructing our overall artistic vision. The difference between a camera and an artist is the camera
reports what it sees through its unflinching cyclopean eye, whereas the artist draws their personal vision, omitting
or adding as they please. Take a look at the face here for instance, it has barely changed since the first strokes in
Fig.1. The difference is slight, but enough to create a thoughtful look. I decide to avoid tinkering further as this
kind of freshness is unique to the gestural energy of our first impressions.

With my structure sound I can bring in some tone. I’m not actually adding further tone, I’m simply smudging the
charcoal already laid down on the newsprint. Unlike the ghosting technique of wiping the whole drawing back
with tissue, here I’m drawing with my fingers, following the form as if it were 3-D space, therefore creating the
illusion of depth.

The great thing about newsprint is its smooth, though not slippery, surface. Nothing comes close to it for drawing
gracefully. The problem is it’s not archival, therefore our drawings will yellow and eventually perish, though I have
some that are still fine after years in a dark drawer. Newsprint drawings will also last longer behind UV glass, and
at present I am experimenting with sealing my newsprint drawings with acrylic matte medium, with promising Materials:
Willow Charcoal
results.
Newsprint

F
ig.2 Kneadable Eraser
Electric Eraser
Charcoal Pencil
Paper Stumps
Tissue
Chamois Cloth
 F
ig.1
ig.3

F ig3.

A t this stage I am twenty minutes in and the early construction time of ten minutes is paying off dividends. If I
had rushed the early stage I would no doubt be correcting errors at this stage, and errors take longer to correct
that time spent getting it right to begin with. In other words, in order to go fast, go slow. The other problem with
fixing errors is that it is soul destroying, which will reflect in our work.

The dulling effect of tracing images via projection devices such as the Camera Lucida is worth revisiting here. During
my Illustration days The Camera Lucida was used in every major studio. Norman Rockwell would hide the cursed
machine from visitors, aware of the disappointment that greets a layperson on discovering such a device. When
asked why he used it when he was already a master draftsman he answered, ‘...the other fellows are using it.’ Illustra-
tion is a business, and time is money, so his reasoning is understandable. Near the end of my advertising career I
only took on cartoon work and abstract figures to avoid the traced accuracy agencies demanded for figure work. I am
now just as fast drawing figures freehand with little noticeable difference in accuracy, and looking at the reasonably
solid figure opposite makes me wonder why I was so insecure to begin with. One thing is certain, my drawings have
natural life again due to my gestural hand which is the first casualty with tracing methods.

F ig 4.
F
ig.1

A nother element that keeps me fresh when drawing is something mostly inherent, which is a sense of wonder.
I was born lucky in this respect, and am still in awe when I watch other artists draw. The magic of an image
forming out of empty space still astounds me. If you lose your sense of wonder I recommend taking a break to look
at other artist’s work for inspiration, or to pin drawings you admire to your drawing board to aspire to. F
ig.4

My final marks are highlights pulled out with my kneadable eraser and some fine pencil lines, and with the thirty
minutes up I sit back and take a moment to evaluate the drawing. In order to get a fresh perspective I will show it to
my fellow artists during the break for some critique. If I’m working at home I will turn the drawing upside down or
look at it through a mirror. It’s amazing how many errors you see using these two simple methods.

Now for the luxurious extra ten minutes I promised myself. With the model gone I am free to drift off into the lands
of the exotic. In my illustration days I drew many adornments which allows me to draw from imagination and keeps
my gestural hand moving. If I was to stop and study reference after drawing the figure gesturally the jewelry might
look ‘stuck on’ instead of a natural addition to the flowing figure. If you are interested in drawing fantasy works such
as this then I advise you study how gold and jewelry shines, pinches, and falls on the figure. Note how the necklace
follows the curve of the chest and drops shadow in the hollow point of the breasts. Lots of study will build up your
memory bank of images.
 F
ig.5

F ig5.

T his is quite a subtle stage with very little obvious difference, but if you look closely I have softened the harsh
highlights, creating a more milky flesh tone. Note the compression of the lower breast against the unforgiving
surface of the ground. I often see students draw breasts as identical twin globes. Breasts change shape with every
turn of the body as they are soft forms pressed against a hard rib cage and are always slightly different in shape and
size to each other.

I also introduce broad gestural sweeps of charcoal as I am aware Structural Hell is a slippery footstep away if I don’t
stay alert, and worst still, Render Hell is visible on the horizon. If you feel that your drawing is in danger of growing
stiff I recommend finding a portion you can work loose strokes into, such as the hair or the background to get your
gestural hand moving again. If there is nothing on the drawing to get loose with then make some big gestural marks
on a scrap piece of paper to keep your drawing hand gestural.

Note here another benefit of the gestural hand in that I can keep the drawing tool in my hand while using my other
fingers to smudge, this would be very awkward with a writing grip which would inevitably make an unexpected
touch down mark here and there. Note also that my charcoal stick is little more than two fingers wide. I sharpen a
whole box down to this proportion as it is perfect for all the strokes I need at this size of drawing. If I was to draw
twice as big I would use a charcoal stick four fingers wide.

F ig 6.

I t’s make or break time as we enter the render zone. When I was younger I was convinced the goal in art was to
draw as realistically as possible and was in awe of photorealist art. As I developed my skills in my twenties and
thirties I was in much demand as a photorealist myself in the advertising world. This was before Photoshop made
that kind of illustration almost totally redundant. Had you told me back then I would be a photorealist for the rest F
ig.6

of my life I might have been OK with the idea, but my taste in art has shifted quite a distance since then, almost
the polar opposite in fact.

If you study the two drawings opposite you will see a lot of micro changes made to enhanced the flow of the draw-
ing. Note the rib cage and the line of the linea alba running down to the navel, both shadow shapes echoing a
flowing rhythm that also echoes the opposing hip above. Note also the deleted gestural lines below the figure. The
curved thrust of the ground is now in sync with the forward thrust of the figure. As the forward thrust of the head is
in danger of drawing our eye out of the drawing I have included a circular gestural line that tumbles backward along
the figure and draws our eye back toward the hip and into the design again.

Lastly I have added a jeweled breast plate which helps bring focus to the upper body, and have subdued some details
into lost shadow. If I were to include the same level of detail across the entire figure the drawing would lose its fresh-
ness, with our eyes wondering everywhere without relief, therefore I leave a little oasis here and there for the eye to
take a rest before its journey across our charcoal illusions of flesh and jewelry.
 Compressed and Overlaping Forms
S t u d y S h e e t s

T he study sheets in this book are designed as quick references based on the step-by-step demonstrations of each
previous chapter with added additional info not touched upon, but relevant to the demonstrations. To begin with T he combination of structure,
compression, and overlapping
forms will add depth and life to
here is a quick go-to drawing with notes on compressed and overlapping forms, and how they add weight and dimen-
sion to figures. drawings, making them believable as
living, breathing forms.
 What Lies Beneath
T he fuller figure model gives us great opportunities to ex-
plore the power of overlapping forms and compression
to create drawings with weight and depth. When drawing
fuller figures remember to find the landmarks as you would
a thinner model. For some strange reason I see students
adopt an anything-goes approach to anatomy with the fuller
figure. All the land marks are still there but softer, such as
the Great Trochanter dip and crest of the hips.

Illiac Crest

Sacrum Dimples

Great Trochanter Head

H ere is a study sheet to help you understand how the bony masses make themselves known upon the surface of the
body on both lean and fuller figure models. My go-to landmarks are always were the bones push and pinch the flesh.
I work from big to small, finding the large masses of the rib cage and hips then the smaller landmarks such as the Sacrum
Dimples and the Great Trochanter.
 L I F E D R AW I N G
S t e p - B y - S t e p
A l w a y s b e D r a w i n g

F ig 1.

N ow onto something tricker, as far as rhythms go: the chunky, clunky, male figure. In this 40 Min demo we
will delve deeper into the difficult business of structure. But first let’s cement in our minds what structure
truly is. We all know buildings stand on solid foundations in order to stay up, therefore we don’t build on a swamp.
We then need to construct the building itself using solid materials such as bricks and wood. The final stage is the
beautiful adornments such as decorative trimmings and glossy paint. In short, we apply the fancy finish on top of
solid foundation. If I said, ‘let’s build the house in reverse and start with the final gloss of paint’, you would say
it’s impossible, and yet I see students attempt do that with drawings every day. Having drawn the female figure we
enjoyed the free-flowing gift of rhythm inherent in female anatomy, but with the box structure of the male figure
we will need to work harder to maintain that rhythmic flow. Here I’m working out the foundation of the figure,
building smaller shapes inside big broad shapes. The danger of losing our gestural spirit is apparent the moment we
start thinking structurally, and so I use my gestural grip and move around the foundational structure with as much
F ig.1

sweeping rhythm as I can muster.

F ig 2.

L et’s go back to the house analogy. A house is held up with bricks and timber, these are its structural elements.
With the human figure the structural elements are the bones and muscle. Anatomy skills help draw the figure
with confidence, especially a long posed figure. Gesture can only take us so far before we are exposed for our lack of
Materials:
Willow Charcoal
Newsprint
Scapula Deltoid

knowledge. How much anatomy do we need to know? That depends on how abstract our work will be. If I was a Kneadable Eraser
cubist I could get away with just looking at the figure and breaking down what I see into basic block forms, therefore Electric Eraser
Charcoal Pencil
an understanding of anatomy need only be superficial, but to render a human figure as a representation of a living, Paper Stumps
breathing thing, requires some understanding of the lumps and bumps. Those lumps and bumps are known as the Tissue
‘landmarks’ of the figure. Chamois Cloth

Anatomy is complex, and the human figure is the most complex of all species, but that doesn’t mean we have to
learn every muscle, or to draw bones in all their gnarliness. This is where structure comes to our rescue. The deltoid
(shoulder muscle), for instance, is fibrous and has many dips, it changes shape when compressed, pulled and pushed,
by the humerous bone of the upper arm, the scapula (wing bone) at the back, and the clavicle (collar bone) at the
front. That one muscle alone is complex enough until you realise it is one of the simpler muscles to draw. Do we give
up? Michaelanglo didn’t and he had nothing even close to the resources we have in order to understand the structure
of anatomy, and yet his figure work has been admired for centuries. How did he do it? He did it with structure. He
broke the complex shapes of anatomy down to simpler structural shapes first, then used his studious eye to work the
anomalies of shadow and tone on top.

In Fig1. you can see the deltoid as a simple shape, like the shoulder guard of an American football player. Sometimes
it has a horse-shoe appearance when under pressure. By seeing the basic shapes first we can then add more complex
shapes on top. This kind of memory clue is known as a ‘Mnemonic’. Mnemonics work best the weirder they get as F ig.2

visual images and I use them all the time, such as the eye sockets resembling the shape of aviator glasses. Here in Fig
2. the shoulder has been further refined into a light-bulb shape. Now we are really getting a handle on the power of
both structural drawing and mnemonic memory.
F ig 3.

N ote how solid and realistic the figure is at this stage, and yet I have done little more than blend the structural
shapes from Fig 2. with my thumb, fingers and tissue. We have created a realistic vision based on primitive
shapes. The reason it’s convincing to the human eye is tonal blending mimics the softening effect of subcutaneous
fat and flesh on top of the structure of bone and muscle. The basic mnemonic shapes of the structure can be any-
thing you like. I see the forearm mass as a fat baseball bat or a bowling pin, the forearm extensor muscles as a set of
triangles, the thigh as a tube boxed at the knee, and the lower leg as another bowling pin.

To understand the importance of structure just imagine how difficult it would be to draw this stage without the
structural stage—we would be chasing ghosts. Yet a lot of artists begin, not with the simple structural forms under-
neath, but by drawing what they see on the surface. Their life is brutally hard as they attempt to ‘paint the house’
before the structure is built. I have watched artists do this with some success but it is a long joyless struggle with the
end result usually a lopsided, polished, mess, yet we have reached this stage in fifteen easy-going minutes, no rush,
using structural method. F
ig.3

F ig 4.

O nce the image is softened with blending it can be a daunting task to work on top again. It looked so good in
its vague stage that every mark now seems harsh and uncouth. We are frightened the drawing will get worse
F inding curves such as ‘S’
shapes like this long line of
the thigh, adds style to the draw-
rather than better. This is when the mantra ‘always be drawing’ kicks in. If we draw fearlessly, constantly improving ing and creates a feeling of move-
the lines and tones, surrendering to the fact some original lines will be sacrificed for the good of the many then we ment.
progress as artists. The worse idea is to render the original marks to a polish. By working with this mind-set we will
avoid being stuck in ‘render hell’. By always drawing and thinking our way through, our drawing skills and prob-
lem solving skills grow stronger. If you study old master paintings up close you might be surprised how ‘rough’ the
blending is, yet from afar it looks like rendering and polishing. What separates the master from the student is not
the rendering, but the drawing.

At this stage I embrace the rugged aspect of the male figure. As this is a depiction man pushed to exhaustion I am
accentuating the brutal and primitive aspect, sculpting and treating some lines as hard edges such as the hips which
I might have drawn with a more curved line approach on a female figure. In order to not fall into the trap of every-
thing being the same kind of idea I also look for graceful lines to compliment the harder edges, and usually try to
place them near each other. If you look at the lower portion of the hip where the thigh inserts you can see a graceful
‘S’ curve. Hard against soft also fits into the idea of rhythm. Here you can see me use the chamois to clean up around
the outsides, knocking back some of the darker swathes of charcoal.
F
ig.4
 F
ig.5

F ig5.

H ere I am in full flight with ‘always be drawing’ in mind. By not worrying about rendering, the work gains
vigor as I sculpt and draw using various tools. If I decide I want texture I dab the chamois into the shadows,
knocking the figure into mist as I go. For a smaller blend I use the paper stump as shown in the photo opposite. At
this point I am thinking like a painter. In my left hand you can see a chamois, charcoal stick, charcoal pencil, and
pencil eraser as I switch tools on the fly. That might give the impression I am rushing, but that is never the case, even
with energetic work like this. We can add the idea of ‘always be thinking’ along with the idea of ‘always be drawing’
to keep our work energised.

I had a student in my Anatomy of Style class say, ‘ but I don’t want to be thinking, I enjoy zoning out as I draw’. I
understood what he meant, he wanted drawing to be a pleasure, not ‘work’, but by ‘zoning out’ he is in danger of
drifting off and making errors, which leads to boredom and a drawing possibly abandoned. By always thinking as
I draw is the opposite of work, it is exhilarating, and watching the art evolve is a thrill that supersedes the comfort
of zoning out.

F ig 6.

A s I draw I use ‘massing’ and ‘omission’. ‘Massing’ is a term used to describe forms merging, usually in reference
to shadows. If two shadows are close to each other I will make them one larger shadow, such as where the chest
meets the leg here and in the hair and shadowed face. In order to judge how massing might work simply squint at
F
ig.6

the model until the shadow shapes become merged. ‘Omission’ is the act of leaving something out. Here I have left
out most of the tone of the lower leg, breaking it down to mostly gestural lines. This draws our eye up toward more
contrasting shapes.

The feeling of total exhaustion and loss permeated the graphite as I developed the drawing and brought about the
title: ‘Lost’. Having a title helps develop the drawing further. Adding elements such as the hanging, matted, hair
grew from the emotional title, and the gold adornments on the barbaric male figure suggests a primitive, brutal
world of fantasy.

There are elements in Fig.5 that are more to my taste now that I can look back in time, such as the face being less
dark, but I like the solid massing of shadows from chest to leg in the final version. This is a case of sacrificing some
elements in search of the wholistic vision and in this kind of expressionistic drawing there will be lots of sacrifice
during the fray.

Although massing and omission take us out of the realms of the representational, ‘drawing what we see’, it takes us
into a much more exciting domain, the realm of self expression, ‘drawing what we feel’. By drawing what we feel
rather than exactly what we see will define our individual style, and it is our style we will be remembered for.
 MALE STRUCTURE IN MOTION MALE STRUCTURE IN MOTION
S t u d y S h e e t s S t u d y S h e e t s

P inch of the Acromion Process

against the Deltoid when the
arm is raised.

N ote how the scapula turns outward

as the arm is lifted.

T he Great trochanter bone of the Fe-

mur always pushes inward when the
leg is abducted ( pulled away from the

D ue to the blocky nature of the body), causing a hollow shape between

male form it’s important that the Gluteus Maximus and Gluteus Me-
we make the form read as solid, yet dius.
gestural, from every angle and with
every twisting movement.

L ook for the pinch of the Iliac Crest/hip bone

against the Obliques as the hip and shoulder tilt
toward each other to balance in a classic contrapposto
stance.
LP oi s fe e D r a w i n g
T h e “A work of art which
did not begin in
L o n g emotion is not art.”
Paul Cezanne
(1839-1906).
S u s t a i n e d E m o t i o n

P
oses can last as long as the artists and model agree on, possibly hours or weeks. A long
pose doesn’t necessarily equal a better drawing than a short pose, in fact the opposite
is more often the case. Now why would that be? Surely more time will give us more
chances to get things ‘right’... and therein lies the problem. A better question is, ‘How long can
we sustain emotion?’ Ask that question and we will better understand the difficulty of the long
pose.

Having discussed the importance of conquering mental fatigue with timed poses the subject
becomes most relevant as the poses grow longer. Mental fatigue is something we are usually
aware of, but emotional fatigue can drain the life from a drawing without us even noticing.
When drawings lack life it’s because they lack emotion. This also affects our artistic compan-
ion, the model. Most life draw sessions will usually start with a series of gestures followed
by short and long poses, with long poses rarely longer than twenty minutes. The reason is the
model will eventually tire and droop, with even the most athletic types shifting to fight grav-
ity’s pull toward Earth. With long poses sustaining emotion is a challenge for both model and
artist.

The ‘vigour’ of gestural poses is obvious in an artist’s drawings as they were drawn vigorously
during the short allotted time, but even with short ten minute poses it’s an effort to sustain that
kind of energy in a drawing; with a long pose it’s almost impossible as we tend to weary in our
thoughts and actions. To stay mentally alert I keep a bottle of water at hand, as dehydration af-
fects clarity of mind. I also step back periodically, resting my eyes from the constant up-close
drawing. This freshens the eye literally and figuratively and gives me a better perspective on
the whole drawing.

It’s worth revisiting here the idea of emotional strength, or in another word, love. Constant
emotion can be draining unless we embrace the idea totally. By feeling the love of drawing and
embracing the devotion of practice we can draw without mental fatigue— keeping a connec-
tion to the drawing will sustain emotion.

Model: Lorena cappellone

 L I F E D R AW I N G
F
ig.1
S t e p - B y - S t e p
R i t u a l F r e e d o m
F
ig.3 F ig.3

F ig.1
N ow I’m taking the gestural, rhythmic side-to side
dance to the next stage of smudging the tone around.
You will find the secondary lines hold the paper better than
F
ig.5
M ost beginning artists want to get straight into the
long poses, and I can understand that, after all that’s
where all the applause and back-slapping is found, and that
F
ig.5
the first faint lines. This negates the need for an eraser as
the initial ‘searching lines’ automatically fade in the mind’s
eye even though they are still visible. Allowing the original
awe-inspiring, eye-popping, glossy, ‘finish’. I know this, be-
searching lines to remain actually enhances the art, giving
cause I was a beginning artist once too. But I also remem-
the impression of faint vibration or animation, almost as
ber many hours wasted on work that was really just a glossy
if the figure might move, or has moved. This in part is
mess of render on top of disappointing, stiff structure. So
thanks to the constant back and forth rhythm. After I have
with this 50min pose I will talk us through the dangers of
followed the form, smudging with my fingers and thumb,
render dominating structure and gesture.
I then clean up unwanted smudges and odd marks with
my chamois cloth.
Why do so many longer drawings look so stiff? First off,
gesture is an abstract idea and can live its own life free
The chamois can eraser large swathes of charcoal without
of critique due to its vagueness, but the moment we add
damaging the fragile newsprint surface. I learned this tech-
structure even an non-artist can see errors when it come to
nique from Glen Vilppu and his teachings at The New
the human figure. My advice before tackling a long pose is
Master’s Academy. This cloth is the yellow, leather cloth
to draw some gestural and short poses first, which we just
used to wash and wax your car with. I buy these cloths
did. The main thing is to start gesturally as the pose will
from the car maintenance shops as the art stores don’t stock
naturally stiffen as we go due to our human tendency to
them. Remember they must be leather, not the common
straighten and order things.
synthetic version. Once bought throw the cloth in the
wash to get rid of the oil then cut them into six hand sized
strips.

F ig.2
F ig.4

F
ig.2
F
ig.4

F
I t’s easy to forget the basics as we progress, which leads us
to believe we’re getting worse. In reality we are running
ahead, trying to reach the finish too soon. If your drawing
or a long pose such as this I am searching beyond study,
beyond merely recording what I see, I am drawing my
personal view of the subject... I am portraying my feelings.
feels clunky keep the ‘long, light and loose’ idea alive in
your hand and mind throughout, feeling that discipline as Note the lost and found lines of the thigh and chest. I
your natural pattern. have left these areas for the viewer to fill in. If I was to
join every line like a cartoon the drawing would lose most
Here I am working at the same pace as the short pose, chas- of it’s mystery and romance. I often ask myself what my
ing rhythms side-to-side to create a structure that is fluid art is about and my answer is usually an emotive theme
rather than stiff. In this photo I am drawing a stroke on such as betrayal, love or sacrifice, which add up to a larger
the upper left arm having just draw a stroke on the upper theme—heroic romance.
right arm, sew-sawing my way down the body in rhythm.
The light strokes are now darkening naturally as I explore Once you have an emotional theme your art will gain inner
better lines on top of the previous light lines underneath. strength. As I draw I’m also writing a story in my mind.
This constant rhythmic micro correction keeps the figure Who is she? What is she thinking? What is her purpose?
fluid. I want to make it clear here, though, that when I say From these questions I derive a title for the piece. This
‘better lines’ I don’t mean ‘correct lines’. When I draw from drawing I have entitled: ‘The Stolen’, which comes under
life I am drawing lines that are a more gestural version of the theme of betrayal. The viewer can then interpret their
the real thing, not an exact facsimile. own story, literally or figuratively, such as a ransomed prin-
cess or a lover’s stolen heart.
 F ig.5
F ig.7

I have laid down a lot of charcoal here by dabbing into

the charcoal dust left from sharpening my willow sticks
on sandpaper. You can buy little sandpaper blocks from
A t this point I am working
with all my tools laid out
within hands reach, rubbing the
F
ig.5 the art store which are basically thin strips of sandpaper
stapled to a wooden block which can be peeled off to reveal
tissue, smearing, drawing fresh
lines with more vigor and com-
a fresh strip underneath. I usually have a few of these with mitment, but all the time keeping
me in my art box, some for sanguine colours and some for one major thing in mind ‘always
charcoal. be drawing’, and not being overly
flashy or mindlessly rendering. As
You can add texture by pulling some charcoal off with we come to the close it’s very easy
crumpled tissue or as I am doing here, with the cham- to lose sight of the fact that we
ois cloth. The difference in texture will be softer with the are working artists, and to fall in-
chamois, it will also take more charcoal off. The tissue will stead under the seductive spell of
take less charcoal off but will leave a harder edged texture. our own genius.
You can see here how dirty my chamois is from all the wars
it has fought. I usually have a few cloths in various states. By reliving the original excite-
The dirtier the cloth, the less charcoal it will wipe back. I ment brought on by those initial
keep the cleanest version as a giant eraser. Sometimes if I’m first searching lines I continue
doing lots of gestural drawings I will wipe some away with improving the line and tone by
the chamois and draw in the fresh spot so as not to break sustaining the emotion, redraw-
the flow by reaching for another sheet of newsprint. ing what I have chosen to be the
most visually important lines
with as much final gesture as I
can muster without losing con-
trol of both my pencil and, more
importantly, my personal vision.

F ig.6

I f it seems I consider the eraser a villain it’s not the case as

I use it often in the final stages, not as a correction tool
but more like a sculptor uses a chisel. Here I am pulling out
highlights. The eraser is the kneadable type which works as
its name suggests as it can be kneaded like bread to form Materials:
Willow Charcoal
different shapes. As I sculpt I knead the eraser into bulbous Newsprint
lumps for large areas such as the thigh then squeeze and Kneadable Eraser
roll the eraser into thinner edged forms for small areas such Electric Eraser
as the nose highlight. Charcoal Pencil
Paper Stumps
Tissue
The whole time I work the eraser I am following the form Chamois Cloth
just as I did when I smudged the charcoal around, pushing
over the form as if the figure is a three dimensional, living
thing.
F ig.8
F ig.9

T he electric eraser can be very

abrasive so best to go lightly.
It can also run away as it is ef-
S o here are the final flour-
ishes. The drawing could be
considered finished at any of the
fectively a fast turning wheel, so previous three stages but I usu-
you need to have a firm grip and ally push through to see just how
control as you touch down on the much more artistic juice I can
paper. It’s great for quickly lifting squeeze out. There is the danger
off small areas of dense charcoal of course that we ruin the draw-
and the simple effect of light ac- ing by losing focus and destroy-
cents creates the illusion or a pearl ing the freshness that comes with
headdress and golden earring. total concentration and energy.

I also have enough gesture re- As I made the final stroke here I
tained to suggest areas of anato- felt the same pride and accom-
my without stiffening the artwork plishment I felt as a kid when I
unduly. Here I have blocked in created a nice drawing. I don’t be-
the broad area of the knee and lieve the vague notion of ‘talent’
the triceps and coracobrachialis brought it about, mostly passion
of the underarm. Studying anato- and devotion to study took care
my down to the smallest muscles of that, but if I have any gift it’s
can be your greatest ally when a ‘sense of wonder’ for which I’m
stumped as to what will give grateful.
something that extra punch. I
have seen many drawings of arms If you find your sense of wonder
raised showing a blank area due wane, as can happen from time to
to a gap in the artist’s anatomical time, it might be worth putting
knowledge. time aside each day or weekend
that is your drawing time and
make it a ritual. I once foolishly
thought routine and ritual were
restrictive, believing real artists
worked only when inspiration
struck. I then discovered that
having no routine mostly created
a feeling of aimlessness. Today I
view ritual as freedom, alongside
the routine of gesture, rhythm
and structure, akin to the free-
dom a bird must feel in flight;
that beautiful rhythmic move-
ment, constant and sure.
 STRUCTURE of the female FORM
S t u d y S h e e t s

I n opposition to the male form we

need to be as gestural as possible
with the female form, but at the
same time the structure underneath
must be solid, other wise there is the
danger of drawing a wobbly form.
As with all disciplines we need to
ensure the gesture and structure is
balanced and controlled.
 L I F E D R AW I N G
S t e p - B y - S t e p
F ig.1

T h e A r t i s t b A R B E R

F ig1.

H ere I’m working on toned pastel paper using a Sanguine pastel pencil. The big difference you will notice after
working on newsprint is the sudden drag of dry paper. Everything slows to a crawl. It can feel frustrating after
gliding over the beautiful smoothness of newsprint, but pastel paper has some major advantages, mainly that it is
archival and sturdy, which gains its worth as far as bringing home the artist’s bacon goes.

For this 60min drawing I will use the centuries old technique of Sanguine and white pastel pencil on toned paper.
The paper surface acts as a mid tone flesh colour and therefore it’s worth matching with your preferred tone of San-
guine pencil. Sanguine means ‘Blood Red’ in Italian but there are many sanguine tones to choose from ranging from
reddish dark brown to an almost pink tone. Here I am using a Sanguine Conté 610 on a cream sheet of sketchbook
pastel paper. This will have more drag than an expensive sheet bought from the premium rack, but premium paper
may break the bank of an experimenting student, so I will suffer along to bring you the trials and triumphs.

So what causes the drag? Basically it’s the dry, rough surface of the paper, this is known as the ‘tooth’. I once thought
I’d found the perfect solution with smooth toned paper pads, but unfortunately the smooth pads don’t behave with
newsprint smoothness, instead it tends to repel the pastel with it’s waxy surface. I have successfully worked on the
smooth stuff but the fight was brutal.

Here I lay down the basic structure drawing as light as possible in order to stay gestural on the ‘slow’ surface.

Horizon Line/Eye Level.

F ig.2

F ig 2.

W ith the surface slowing me down my major task is to remain gestural. Already I am regretting working so
small as the tooth of the paper surface makes the lines thicker than a smooth surface, but I am determined to
A s Alana is on the floor and I
am seated for this pose my eye
level is around here. Knowing where
plough on to give you the benefit of all the hurdles you might face. The second problem with pastel pencils is they your eye level is will help you place
tend to have some grit in them, so every once in a while it will feel like you are dragging a grain of sand across the objects in perspective, it will also af-
surface. You can rub the grit out on some sandpaper. When you sandpaper the lead make sure to wipe the end with fect mood. This is a dominant eye
some tissue before you make the first mark otherwise you will create a big pigment smudge. level, looking downward.

I lightly rub the drawing with tissue as I go to soften the crumbly pastel strokes which can become hard to read
in their thickness and strength of colour, especially at this size. The reason this is a 60min drawing rather than a
30min drawing, which it would be as a charcoal on newsprint drawing is solely due to the ‘slower’ tools being used,
therefore this change in tools require disciplined patience. The model for this drawing is Alana, who is an incredible
source of inspiration. I love the challenge in drawing anatomy pushed to extremes and am taking a chance with this
drawing as some might not believe the figure capable of such contortion, but I have witnessed Alana pushing her
anatomy far beyond even this pose.
F ig 3.
F
ig.3

O nce I’m happy with the structure I push the pastel tone around using a paper stump. This is where pastel on
paper shows its strength. Pastel is a richer composition than charcoal, it’s much denser in quality and can be
spread further. I push it around like a miser until I end up with a ghosted version that looks dimensional and fleshy.
At this point the surface becomes more manageable to work on top of as it is no longer as powdery and toothy, but
still has grip.

If you compare this stage to the previous stage you can see how the smudging also knocks back the construction,
some of which is still visible on the shoulder and forehead. This is a good point to sit back and look at the art with a
fresh eye. Turn the art upside down or look at the reverse image in a mirror, or ask a fellow artist for critique. Using
my mirror I see the model’s left eye is too high as the main fix to attend to.

On the subject of learning to see proportion and how your drawing is progressing overall it’s important not to draw
too close to the art, in fact I try to draw at arms length for as long as possible, this helps me to see the art as wholistic
rather than detailed parts. Drawing far to near joins my universal rhythm of drawing long, light and loose, and big
to small. Basically I orbit the art from a distance to get the big stuff in with loose strokes, then gradually get closer
with smaller shapes and closer still for detail.

F ig 4.

H ere is a big block of soft Rembrandt pastel, the same tone as my Conté pencil. If I was to use it straight on the
figure it would make a big crumbly textured statement, which can work in another style, or to add texture to
a background, but as I’m working on top of soft flesh on textured paper I need a better strategy to continue drawing
soft flesh tone. So I take my paper stump and rub the edge along the Rembrandt pastel, turning as I go until the
entire top is saturated in pastel dust. What I have now is an art tool not available in art stores, a unique, soft edged
pastel brush. Look back and forth between Fig 3 and Fig 4 to see how much extra tone and depth has been added
using this new tool. I keep the Rembrandt pastel in one hand as the stump end needs replenished constantly.
F
ig.4

At this stage I work back into the drawing with my pencil then alternate back to the stump. Pencil and stump, back
and forth, rhythm upon rhythm. You can also see little rhythmic strokes on the outside of the figure. These are creat-
ed when the stump was almost depleted of dust in between resaturating the end with fresh dust. The reason I did this
was to keep my gestural hand alive in case I fall unexpectedly into ‘structure hell’. When you work slowly on long
poses it is very easy to fall into structural hell, as the fall is not sudden, it is gradual, so you may not even notice it.

I constantly return to the importance of rhythm as I draw. I remember the humming, snip-snip, sing-song of my
barber’s scissors as a kid, it was hypnotising and sometimes lulled me off to sleep. Most of the snipping was done in
mid-air before the barber cut a single strand of hair. His name was ‘Paddy the Barber’ and he was an artist of kinds,
for in order to cut hair with confidence and flair, he needed rhythm. Growth as an artist can come from observation
of the world around us; a bird in flight, a falling leaf, a twisting figure. In this case I am paying tribute to a working
class hero of times gone by, and an early influence on me regarding craftsmanship and the power of rhythm.
 F
ig.5

F ig 5.

A n important thing to remember before reaching for the white pastel is to keep it separate from the Sanguine
pigment. The toned paper represents the mid tone of the figure (the tone in the middle), therefore there is no
reason for the pastel colours to touch. If they do touch it will not only not make sense, it will also create a horrible
pink tone which will scream ‘Amateur Hour’. It can’t be totally avoided but it should be on our radar alert. To avoid
this I use my kneaded eraser to pull back any Sanguine drift in the areas I plan to apply the white pastel in advance.
You can see I also erased some lines I felt were too thick. With a very sharp pencil I refine the line work. What I
usually do is have three or four pencils of the same grade, all in various states of sharpen, some for soft tones and
others for detail. This is also handy when I do live demos as they can unexpectedly break, and in those instances I
have another at hand.

And now for the big crowd pleasing entrance of the white pastel pencil. The white pencil pops the figure off the page
with its three dimensional quality. With only two colours we have managed to create an illusion of depth. You can
see why the sanguine technique was a favourite with the old masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, as it conveyed the
depth he needed to imagine larger oil paintings. Sanguine drawings save a lot of time and error when it comes to
tackling large scale paintings as the artist can work out all possible problems ahead of time with quick compositional
sketches, rather than discover problems at the paint stage, which would not only take longer to solve but would also
destroy the flow of the painting, as a corrected painting will never have the same confidence as a painting completed
with uninterrupted rhythm.

F ig 6.

O nce again I have added imaginary elements of jewelry, and have knocked back the white pastel highlights with
some eraser to begin with, then some tissue to soften the edges that were erased. This may surprise those who
admire the pop of the highlights, and wonder why I would diffuse this big impact move. The reason is this: the thrill
of seeing the figure pop is momentary, like a funny phrase on a tee shirt. We like this new thing, but after three or
four looks it starts to feel like a gimmick, the flesh will look metallic, and not flesh like at all. The oomph is still there
but in such a subtle form that it will last the test of time. F
ig.6

Now that the drawing is done I can put it aside and get onto the next one. I’ve fixed the eye and the various micro
adjustments and feel it’s finished. But with all art nothing is ever finished until you say so. After a week of not seeing
this drawing I look back at it with an even fresher eye than my mirror could show me at the time. This drawing was
a battle from the start and I remember the resistance of the tools and surface fighting my will to be gestural and fluid.

So what did I learn? A good question to ask after each piece of art as most of our artistic growth comes from return-
ing to the coal face with a critical eye. I will remember is to work bigger due to the crumbly nature of pastel on
textured paper, and also to turn the paper over first as one side is usually smoother than the other. (I used the smooth
side here, but it’s easy to forget to make that choice). I feel the foreshortened hand and arm could be wider, and the
lips could do with an adjustment to the left from the viewer’s point of view, and I could go on and on. I may tweak
it later but I tend to leave most drawings as a period record of my growth as I move forward as an artist.
 The Female Gluteus and Back
S t u d y S h e e t s

T he Oblique muscles attach high up on

N
ST Style Tip* ote the faint construction line from the ribs (5th to 12th ribs). The actual
one oblique muscle mass to the other.
A
hip bone (Iliacscrest)
Alanais islower.
on the floor and
Knowing thisI

T will help you see the subtle change in theis

he 12th and final rib is am seated, so my eye level
Although the obliques are not the hip bones
they are still considered the hips and I treat located under the bottom hip curves.around here. Knowing where your
eye level is will help you place ob-
A
ST lthough I could see lots of vertebrae lumps on Fiona’s the whole structure as one basic shape. of ther trapezius triangle.
spine I only included the most prominent as a light jects in perspective, it will also af-
line. It’s not important to include every detail as too much fect mood. This is a dominant eye
detail can ruin the sweep, and casual air of the drawing. level, looking downward.

B ulge of the obliques against the spine

S acrum dimples where of the hip bone (Iliac Crest).

the Iliac Spine meets
the Sacrum triangle.

C ompression.

A lways look for the quick ‘Sits Bones’

(Ischium) curve. These are the bones
we feel when we ‘sit’ down. Also know as
R emember the gluteus
is a soft mass and will
compress, but note how
the ‘Sitting Bones’ these are great land- the Sits Bone resists the
mark curves to relate other forms to. compression.

H ere are two drawing demos of one of my prized models, Fiona, created within the same session dur-
ing one of my ‘Anatomy of Style’ workshops. Although Fiona’s vegan diet keeps her remarkably lean
the gluteus and hips are still a full forms as this is where fat is stored on the female figure.
T hese two drawings show how much the gluteus can change shape due to compression and bone resistance. Note
on the opposite page how the sacrum dimples disappear when the back is curved and how much fuller the glu-
teus become when gravity takes over. The compression of the feet as seen on this page show how malleable the gluteal
shapes are.
 Female Gluteus and Back
S t u d y S h e e t s

Style Tip*
T
ST hink of the hip crest as a high waisted
swimsuit shape. The very reason they

A lthough the sacrum can appear more

rounded at the top and is more gnarly,
a basic triangle shape is easy to remember
are designed this way is to accentuate the
hips.

and is a great start for basic placement to

find the sacrum dimples.

N ote the dip created between the Gluteus

Maximus and Gluteus Medius via the
pressure of the Great Trochanter of the top of
the thigh bone (Femur). This dip will increase
as the leg pulls away from the figure (abducts).

ST
N ote the difference in this drawing
compared to the instructional draw-
T he graphic lines I have drawn here indicates the
basic trajectory or the outer leg and inner leg.
The outer leg is more angled, and the inner leg is
ings opposite. Once you learn your anato-
my you are free to use more expressive lines
that still read as solid form.
straighter.
 TT Top Tip*

T ake note of the shadows cast

by the gluteus to appreciate
how voluptuous these shapes are
C ompare this three quarter view
to the straight ahead view op-
posite to see how the gluteus over-
TT

and how much of a weighty ledge

they create over the top of the leg
muscles.
lap changes in different views. On
this page the models left gluteus
overlaps the right gluteus as ob-
W he Sacrum Dimples indicate
the spine end of the Iliac Crest,
By drawing a line through the dimples
served by the drop shadow. we can determine the tilt of the hips to
judge the hollows of the Great Trochan-
ter heads and Gluteal masses. Study
these two drawings to see that tilt idea
in action.
Sacrum Dimples

Illiac Crest T he hollow between the Gluteus

Maximus and Gluteus Medius can
create varying gestural curves depending
Illiac Crest Sacrum Bone Triangle on the fleshiness of the model and vari-
Illiac Crest ances in individual bone structure.
Great Trochanter Head
Gluteus Maximus Bulge

Gluteus Devide Hollow

Great Trochanter Head

Great Trochanter Head

S tudy how the weight bearing
leg tilts the hip upward while
tilting the opposing relaxed leg hip
N ote the bulge of the
Tensor Fasciae Latae,
usually the widest part of
structure downward. Remember the female hips.
the hips are fused, when one side Relaxed Leg
tilts up the other side tilts down.

T he weight bearing leg (the

straighter leg) will have more
compression of the Gluteus Maximus
Relaxed Leg

Weight Bearing Leg

and will form a more squared shape
as oppossed to a more curved Gluteus
on the relaxed leg.

Weight Bearing Leg

 T h e “Learning to draw, before you paint, is
like learning to walk before you run”.
A r t i s t ’ s Don Getz (1949-).

S t u d i o
An Oasis from which to Draw

A
n artist’s studio, now there’s a grand term. When I first entered Norman Rockwell’s stu-
dio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts it was everything I ever imagined an artist’s studio
could be; a split level barn, custom made plans chests and spacious pinewood floors
warmed by natural light from the picturesque woodland beyond, and central to it all, the lone
easel awaiting the artist’s imagination.

For most of us reality is slightly different. I produced my first professional artwork on the floor
of my tiny bedroom with a piece of illustration board on my knee, totally focused on the surface
in front of me, lost in my own art. In the summers of my childhood I would make a bed-sheet
tent in the garden and copy Steve Ditko drawings from my Spider-Man comics, and if my sisters
bugged me I would take my sketchbook onto the rooftops of the local shops.

Today a room in my home is devoted to the practice of art, big enought to accommodate my
paintings. Nothing on the scale of Norman Rockwell’s magnificent pine-scented splendor, yet I
have no doubt he would be happy here, as no matter what space we have, as artists we always
end up with the same view; a surface at arms length or closer, awaiting our imagination. All an
artist needs is a place to sit in peace, a little oasis, a creative space.

Find your place of peace and make it your own, go there as a ritual and lose yourself. It won’t
take long before you miss it if the ritual is broken. At that point you have entered the creative
world of yearning, a place I have been fortunate enough to live most of my life. My creative

L i f e D r a w i n g
spaces have evolved but have been mostly humble affairs; the dinner table, the floor of the liv-
ing room, rooftops, the public library... my studio. Hardships came between me and my creative
space when I worked tough, dirty and uninspiring jobs to make ends meet, but knowing my
creative space was waiting for me at the end of the day or on weekends got me through.

Make your creative space and grow it into a studio over time, or simply sit under a tree. All you
need is a quiet spot, pencil, paper, and your imagination. Once you make it so, your creative
oasis will always be there, waiting for you.

In the following chapter I will work on some studies from home. In the life draw studio it is not
always possible to study the figure in great detail due to allotted time, but at home we have all
the time in the world.

Model: Lorena cappellone

 Photo Reference T he first thing you may notice is I’ve railed
against conventional wisdom by choosing
to shorten the figure and add more weight, there-
T h e F r o z e n I m a g e
fore echoing the bountiful connection between a
woman and the Earth.

W hen it comes to drawing from photos

there are many pitfalls to look out for
such as shadows cast on the figure that may
confuse the anatomy, and camera lens distor-
B y placing light behind the face draws our
eye to the contrast. This compositional
method of light against dark can also be re-
tion. Since I’ve taken this photo myself those
versed by having the face light against dark.
two problems have been mostly eliminated.
To counter the camera lens distortion I have
used a 50mm lens, which is closest to the hu-
man eye in gauging depth. So that leaves us H ere I have chosen to eliminate one
hand to maintain the gestural curve
of the forearm.
with the final problem of having too much
time to get it wrong.

With all the time in the world our natural

instinct is to copy everything we see in the
photo, which can lead us directly to structural
U sing the gestural hand I push the
curves at every opportunity. As an
exercise see if you can spot how many
and render hell. To avoid these fiery hells we
times I have done this by glancing back
must engage and hold onto our gestural hand
and forth at the reference photo.
for the wild ride ahead. As our model, Katy,
is already gestural in her pose it seems there
is nothing left to do but copy what we see,
but if we take that road then we have brought S tudy the added curvature
of the legs compared to
the photo to see how much
nothing to the -artist’s table. By pushing the ST Style Tip*
gesture further we will train our gestural hand energy can be created by
pushing the gestural nature
V
for the next drawing and the next. ariation in line thickness, and bro-
of muscle.
ken lines, remind us this is an artist’s
During this photosession I asked Katy to shift work and not a slavish copy of a photo,
from one pose to another with as much emo- but more than anything the lines are ges-
tion as she could muster, and as she moved tural and flowing.
each pose became more gestural, dramatic
and fluid, cumulating in an incredibly mov-
ing series of photos. And that brings us to the
most difficult task when working from the

N
frozen image, and that is to capture the spirit ote the many changes I have made in order
of the living pose. to push the gesture. I am avoiding all photo-
graphic traps such as over rendered gradations and
One way to do this is to work with metaphor unnecessary detail. The more it looks like a drawing,
to maintain a constant mood while drawing. I the more life it will have. No matter how seductive
give the drawing a title, ‘Equilibrium’ to echo the beautiful photo is, in the end, we will only be left
the circle of life, and our connection to na- with the drawing, and it should stand alone. Block
ture. All that remains now is to draw. out the photo reference at every stage to check that
the drawing is working as a piece of art in itself. Do
this now and look at only this drawing. Any little
proportional deviations are no longer critical when
the photo is discarded, in fact they can be the making
of the drawing.

Model: Katy Woods

 S T U D I O D R AW I N G
S t e p - B y - S t e p
T h e A R M F ig.3

A s I draw I’m mostly studying the photo reference with

F ig.1 the odd glance at my anatomy breakdown. The photo

is vague compared to my structural drawing as the softness
F
ig.5
of flesh, even on a muscled arm, hides a lot of anatomy.
F or this drawing I will work with photo-reference from
the comfort of my home studio. When I study anat-
omy I have three go-to stages, first I study the model and
Getting this structural stage correct is key to anatomical
study, especially as I intend to spend a lot of time on the
minutiae of form at the rendering stage.
make my drawing decisions based on the anatomy I already
know. Secondly I reference anatomy books and anatomy
models for precision and accuracy should the odd lump One of the tricky parts of drawing the arm to proper scale
make me doubt my decisions, and thirdly I draw a sepa- is understanding the forearm is shorter than the upper arm,
rate structural anatomy chart, usually for my students, but yet it appears to be longer, therefore we tend to draw it too
sometimes for myself. Here is my structural breakdown long. If you measure this drawing from the wrist to the
based on the complex vagaries of the life draw photo I’m point of the elbow, then again to the top of the shoulder
working from. Having a structural breakdown helps me to you will find the upper arm is longer. Bend your own arm
understand the complexities of the photo-reference with up to the shoulder and you will see the wrist falls short of
more clarity and enables me to maintain my gestural hand the shoulder peak. The hand is part of the reason the lower
as I don’t need to stop in order to reference other sources arm seems longer, so it’s worth blocking that out when you
with as much frequency, if at all. are working out the scale.

On this occasion it is helpful as I consider the forearm the Although I don’t use the ‘sight’ method of drawing, which
most complex part of the human figure, after the hand. means measuring with a pencil or string, it may help until
The third most complex structure is the scapula (our shoul- you feel you can measure with the eye alone.
der wings on the upper back), which in effect is part of the
arm, so overall the arm and hand is an endless source of
study opportunity.

F ig.2 F ig.4

A s I’m working from a photo I’m on high alert correct-

ing lens distortions and odd shadows that are obvi-
W hen drawing the arm or any part of the body on its
own I always add the connecting point, which in
this case is the scapula. You can check the structural break-
ously not muscles as I scrutinize the lies our cyclopedic down opposite to understand the connection better.
friend tells. Studies can be done during life draw sessions,
but when drawing the smaller areas of the body it can seem At this point I have spent a good twenty minutes or so on
a waste of the model’s talent. As studies take much longer the structure, much longer than I would spend drawing
than an average pose it can also be costly considering the it as part of a figure during life draw, in fact I could have
cheaper option of photography. In some respects photog- drawn an entire figure in this time. The difference here is I
raphy has an edge here as the figure is totally frozen, allow- am studying with more exactness than usual as this type of
ing us more accuracy, aside from the lens distortion and drawing errs on the side of ‘understanding’ more than ‘feel-
depth issue. As with regular life pose I start with gestures, ing’ and is not usually seen by the general public. Those
rhythms and structure as I want to create a fluid drawing lumps that look like ribs are the serratus muscles and I
regardless of this being an anatomical study. I have seen include them as they attach to the ribs and around the back
Serratus Muscles
many books on anatomy with incredible structural draw- to underneath the scapula. They are the punching muscles
ings throughout, but when it came to the artist’s gallery it that push and swing the arms forward in boxing.
was a disappointing series of lifeless drawings. By treating
the studies as a thing of beauty I keep all my skills well
oiled.
F ig.5
F ig.6

TT
ST Style Tip* TT Top Tip*

N ote the ‘horseshoe’ shape

of the triceps. Learning

ST
N ote the fibers of the pec-
toralis muscles flexing.
Almost all the muscles of the
to use mnemonic references
helps me to remember diffi-
cult shapes better.

K eeping the cast upper torso are solely there to

shadow lighter work the arms. Remember to
than it would actually be be aware of the cause and ef-
makes the arm ‘pop’ for- fect the arms cause on the sur-
ward, making it clearer rounding muscles.
to see the shapes that
would otherwise disap- TT
pear into the shadow.
U sing the chamois cloth
allows me to fade areas
gently and quickly.

B y comparing this drawing to the previ-

ous stage opposite it becomes obvious
how useful it was working big to small. If I

R emember to step back from the art be-

fore any rendering to get a more ob-
jective view of the art, turn it upside down,
had tried to draw all this detail in one stage
it would have become confusing and mud-
dled. Now I can put in the observational
look through a mirror and fix anything that stuff such as veins, fibrous muscle detail,
is obviously odd. Once I’m happy with ev- and gnarlyness that varies from one person
erything I smudge the charcoal around. to another.
Working big like this means I don’t need
other smudging tools. As you smudge char- This is an extremely defined arm but I am
coal you are spreading it thinner and so it making it even more so in my search for
becomes lighter, which is a bonus as I plan anatomical details. On a less defined per-
to work on top again with more informed son there would be a lot of subcutaneous fat
lines. that would soften the anatomy. The prob-
lem with subcutaneous fat is that it doesn’t
I often use the term ‘Miser’ when I spread always deposit itself evenly, leaving lumps
pigment thinly and use the Miser method that might be confused as anatomy, and one
a lot to fix two problems; if something has Materials: of the reasons for this anatomical study is
too much dark charcoal I’ll dip into it with Willow Charcoal to discern between fatty tissue and muscle.
my finger and smudge into an area with not Newsprint
enough charcoal. Kneadable Eraser
Electric Eraser
Charcoal Pencil
Paper Stumps
Tissue
Chamois Cloth
 T he gesture
of the arm

F ig.8

N ote how the triceps ten-

don is not a straight
shape. From the back view
this line would be slanting
away from the body (as seen
in the following study sheets).

F ig.7

S ee how the Brachioradia-

lis muscle rolls over the

T he Brachialis muscle
must be noted as it is
sometimes confused as the
top of the Brachialis muscle
to bunch against the triceps.
The Brachioradialis is an im-
biceps and often left out all portant muscle shape to re-
together by ill-informed art- member as it is a ‘topmost’
ists. Although it fits under- Ulna Bone muscle and therefore I know
neath the biceps we see it ap- to place it as an overlap. You
pear between the biceps and Humerus Bone: can see it overlap the brachia-
the triceps. You can clearly lis and the biceps from this
(Lateral Epicondyle) Brachioradialis
see the shadow of it here as it view. Refer to my structural
butts against the triceps. breakdown in Fig 1. to see
what I mean more clearly.
Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus

T his is the easy stuff now, the rendering

of light and shadow along with the
N ote how the muscles
bunch up against the
immoveable force of bones.
smallest details. This is a tanned arm so it’s
important not to get carried away and draw
the arm too dark. As usual I am always draw-
This makes the bones my go-
to landmarks to draw where Y ou can still see the ‘twist-
ing towel’ shapes of the ridge
muscles twisting with the turn of
F or most of the drawing
I use a pencil that is not
too sharp. I will only get the
the muscles attach to bone
ing, not just rendering mindlessly, instead and where adjoining muscles the radius bone. I have defined the sharpest pencil out for the
using this rendering opportunity to further meet and crunch. muscles clearer than they would finist details. I have a bunch
define and enhance the muscles and fibers normally be so you can refer back of pencils in various states of
as I go. I will generally put in the darkest to my original structural break- sharpened points, some dull

W
darks first then use my ‘ Miser’ technique to e can clearly see the shadow down drawing in Fig 1. for soft edges, some super
smudge and push the darks outward from line of the ulna bone tracing sharp for details.
their source. its way up the forearm from the little
ball of the wrist to the elbow.
 The Arms The Arms
S t u d y S h e e t s S t u d y S h e e t s
‘The Twins’
Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus (outer bulge)
Brachioradialis (inner bulge)
T he Anconeus is a beautiful diamond shaped muscle,
and a great landmark shape that butts up against the
elbow ulna bone to announce the end of the extensor
muscles and the beginning of the flexor muscles on the
under side of the ulna bone.

T he muscles that attach to the radius bone are the most complex muscles of the arm
as they twist with the radius bone as it turns over the ulna bone. The main culprits of
confusion are the ‘twins’ the Brachioradialis and the Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus. By
Anconeus

grouping these two muscles makes the process a little easier. To confuse further we need
to understand how they appear from front and back as they change on the turn. They are
also know as the ‘Ridge Muscles’ due to their ‘hill’ appearance.

Brachioradialis

T he flexor group is separated

by the ulna bone and begin
under this shadowed area.
Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus

G rouping muscles will help make seeing more simple. Here I have grouped the twin
muscles into one twisting mass. The further we rotate the thumb inward, the more
these muscles are twisted.
T hese two landmark bumps
represent each end of the
ulna bone that separates the ex-
Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus and Brachioradialis Grouped tensor muscles on the top of the
arm from the flexor muscles on
the underside of the arm.
Deltoid
Biceps
al is
Brachi

Triceps
I n judging the length of the arm the wrist generally falls just
below the hip bone, with the fingers ending half way down
the thigh.
Extensors Grouped
Tendon
Triceps

Anconeus
 The Hands
S t u d y S h e e t s
ST Style Tip*

T he hand is less often studied in-

depth in life drawing sessions due to
its complex nature. It could take as long
to draw a hand than to draw a full figure
and therefore the hand is usually just in-
dicated with simpler shapes.

In order to ensure the hand gets its due

respect I will often devote an entire work-
shop session on the subject. If you are
only able to attend regular life draw ses-
sions I recommend studying the hand
sometimes during a long pose, or to put a
day aside to study at home.
ST
The fear of failing at hands can lead art-
ists into a downward spiral in which they
avoid hands all together, which of course
W hen drawing on
toned paper a
lighter line or tone on the
leads to a total inability to draw them at
outside here and there
all. Try to draw a hand everyday until the
can help punch forward
fear of hands subside. From that day you
the focus of the draw-
will look forward to drawing hands.
ing, adding power and
dimension. It works fine
here due to the powerful
statement of a fist but I
would tone it down for
a more delicate drawing,
for instance the female
figure.

ST T his is a drawing of my own

left hand drawn as a live
demo for my Anatomy of Style
S ee how the massing of shadow
adds to the atmosphere and
feeling of strong sunlight, while
workshop. Practice drawing your
own hand, it’s always there ready
to pose, with no model’s fee re-
also lending the art a more artistic
quired.
mood.
 F ig.1
S T U D I O D R AW I N G
S t e p - B y - S t e p
F
ig.2

T his odd shadow shape is the

bunching pipe muscles of
t h e B A C K
N ote the mnemonic ‘M’
shape of the Trapezius
and Serratus bulges.
the Sacrospinalis. These odd Latin
names will often tell us where the
muscles are; these muscles attach at
the Sacrum (sacro) then run up the
spine (spinalis).

K eep your eye on the subtle

changes as I draw, such as
the shift over of the gluteal line
here shown in the next stage of the
drawing opposite.

H aving studied the arm my next connecting point is the scapula, which I consider an extension of the
arm. When I first discovered this revelation my work was immediately elevated into a new realm of
understanding and as a bonus my drawing hand became more fluid. With each new understanding we
A s the pastel paper is dry it holds the pastel better than smooth paper, so although it is not as good
for detail to begin with we are rewarded with the ability to play around with the dusty pigment and
are able to spread it further. To this end we can blend in an almost painterly style. Here I use my paper
move up onto a higher plateau and it is this constant discipline of practice and further understanding that stump to push the pastel around. I take my ‘Miser’ mind to a new level here and as I blend I redeposit
is key to drawing with confidence. the pastel that gathers on the stump point by drawing with it, then I go back to blending and replenish-
ing the point, back and forth with my perpetual soft drawing tool. As you can see the right side is more
Here I am working with a Sanguine Pastel Pencil on an A4 sheet of pastel paper straight out of a standard dimensional than the left due to this blending technique, all done purely with the stump. Please note that
Reeves pastel paper pad. My main foucus is the scapuls and back but I include the gluteus as my con- I would normally blend all over the figure from big shapes to small, but for this stage I want to show the
necting point. difference between before and after.
F
ig.3
F
ig.4

A t this point the pastel dust is spread and blended to its miserly limit. I now have a surface that will
take a second layer yet keeps the sanguine already pressed into the paper. Although the sanguine can
still be erased it’s compounded enough make the paper a little smoother. Before I bring out a sharper
I work into the drawing with two sanguine pencils, one a little less sharp for the bigger tones, using the
edge of the pencil more, and a sharper pencil for the details, using the point more. As this is a study
I overemphasise the muscle and bone landmarks to understand what is underneath the skin. With my
pencil I take a kneadable eraser and pull out some highlights then blend back and forth with my fingers workshops I like to start with a lean model and work up to more full figured models over the weeks so we
and stump until I have the ghost of a dimensional figure. From this point it is easier to gauge final darks can understand the anatomy better before tackling the vague shadows underneath thicker flesh.
and lights. Compared to the first scratchy stage the drawing is much easier to handle as far as detail is
concerned. For a subject as complicated as the back I would be much better off drawing bigger but I only This model is one of the leanest models I’ve ever drawn that was still muscular, almost a walking anatomy
had a small sketch pad available. This is real world drawing adventures as I go about my regular day as figure. It’s rare to see such low body fat. As the male figure stores fat on the waist rather than the gluteus,
an artist. (check out Fiona from the ‘Female Gluteus’ study sheets), his gluteus are very flat and I plump them here
for the drawing to look right. Later I would regret this decision and should have shown how lean body
fat ratio reduces the male gluteus.
F
ig.5
F
ig.6

I n the previous drawing I used a precise pencil eraser for small details and continue here to carve out
highlights with various erasers before blending bigger areas with tissue. I bunch the tissue into big and
small shapes as I work into the erased areas to soften harsh edges. I also soften some of the overly defined
muscle to bring back the feeling of flesh on top. As before I use my miser method and draw some tone
with the ‘dirty’ tissue.

If you feel the price of a pastel pencils are a bit steep remember the pigment is of the same quality as oil
paint pigment. We have produced an incredible amount of blends and lines here with just a few centime-
ters of pencil worn down. On the opposite page you can see the final touches of white pastel barely visible
and used with the utmost restraint, just enough to whisper a sure hand at play. It’s this kind of restraint
that art collectors live for.
 The SCAPULA and ARM The SCAPULA and ARM
S t u d y S h e e t s S t u d y S h e e t s

T he scapula and arm are linked in movement and must always be thought
of as one machine in motion, each affecting the other’s shape and position
with every twist and turn.
 The MALE GLUTEUS and BACK
S t u d y S h e e t s

T he male back is a con-

stantly shifting series of
shapes and warrants serious
study. These study sheets il-
lustrate how the gluteus and
back are linked as tilting bal-
ance forms via the softer mid
section of the obliques.
 T H E A N AT O M Y o f S T Y L E T h e
R h y t h m
o f L i f e
D
raw with feeling, measure with rhythm. This is a phrase I often whisper to myself when draw-
ing. It is a faint whisper floating alongside whispers of structure, because when all my method
is implanted I want it subdued in my subconscious, leaving me free to draw with rhythm and
style. Measuring with rhythm may seem abstract compared to the solid atelier method of measuring with
pencil and thumb, or string, or plumb lines, which are fine methods but I don’t use them as it disrupts my
rhythmic style. By measuring rhythmic space we measure with the eye, but more importantly it frees us to
draw with feeling. As I write this I’m listening to John Coltrane’s ‘Dearly Beloved’ a piece of music filled
with rhythmic wild abandon. It must have seemed from another dimension when it was recorded in 1965.
At the beginning John tell his quartet, ‘Keep the ‘thing’ happening all through’. ‘The Thing’. I knew what

R h y t h m s
he meant just as they did. He was telling them to surrender to the spirit, the gesture, the love. The exotic
rhapsody that followed gave us a moment in time when four men completely embraced the rhythm of life.

As a schoolboy I would doodle abstract patterns and swirls in my school exercise books. The swirls were
a hypnotic lure. My favourite was an elongated series of figures of eight, one following onto another in
serpentine gestures. I drew this undulating shape thousands of times, unaware of its importance to me as
an artist. The changing size and subtle turns did not alter the overall shape, which remained an elongated
figure of eight, yet its shifting motion held me entranced. My primary school teacher reprimanded me
when he saw my ‘ruined’ school book and caned me for insolence and vandalism. I was six years old and
unaware it was a crime, for in my innocence I was simply chasing rhythms. Chasing rhythms is my earliest
memory of drawing anything.

Later I noticed this shape with its beautiful oscillations as a pattern on the back of a £5 note. An older,
wiser artist had used this hypnotic rhythm to design with, creating an artwork that millions of people
carried in their pockets. As an artist I have learned to see rhythms in nature, such as the expanding rings
in wood, or ripples in a pond, or the branches of a tree. Rhythms are everywhere if we stop to look, even
within our own anatomy. In this chapter I will demonstrate the power and beauty of foreshortening and
rhythms based on the landscape of the human figure.

“It is in rhythm that design and life meet”.

Philip Rawson (1924-).

Model: Katy Woods

101
 Horizon Line/Eye Level.
FORESHORTENING and RHY THM Materials:
Willow Charcoal
S t e p - B y - S t e p
E m b r a c e t h e F e a r
F
ig.1
Newsprint
Kneadable Eraser
Electric Eraser
Charcoal Pencil

F ig 1. Paper Stumps
Tissue
Chamois Cloth

F oreshortening! The word strikes fear into artists of a nervous disposition. What is it? It’s simple a term to describe
how objects coming toward us seem both shorter, yet larger in scale, due to diminishing perspective = forward-
shortened. Why is this so frightening? Well, in most how-to-draw books we learn proportions of the figure based on
a standing pose where we measure and divide the body based on heads and hands as measuring devices as demon-
strated in my study sheets, and more thoroughly in my ‘Anatomy of Style’ book. Learning to see these measurements
is a great aid to drawing the figure in proportion, but what are we to do when a person folds forward or lays down
in a crumpled heap with their head, leg or gluteus coming toward us? We have two choices; we can move position
to a longer view of the figure, as the proportions of a person lying down in a landscape mode are almost the same as
a person standing up—or we can confront the foreshortened figure with all its challenges.

Here I have chosen a pose with foreshortening shown to various degrees. Both legs are coming toward us at a more
foreshortened angle than the torso, which is less foreshortened, with the head and arm being the least foreshortened,
making the arm look incredibly long in comparison. Although standard proportion measurements are scuttled we
can still use method to help us. I use big constructive shapes that relate to each other as large masses of ball and
tube shapes. I also use sweeping lines to judge spacial interrelationships such as the line sweeping from the knee
to the hand. Ironically this is the space I have misjudged most, but as with all my demos I want to show everyday
problems solved in real world art situations. I entitle the drawing, ‘The Brawler’ and it creates a mood that will carry
me through the drawing.

F ig 2.

Serratus
Scapula C hasing rhytmns
down the body
landscape starting

A F
s I work inside the big shapes I use rhythms to feel the sense of the figure in perspective, like a landscape of ig.2 Obliques
Latissimus with the Scapula.
hills, valleys and plains. If you look at the folded leg where my drawing hand is, you can see the most obvious Rib Cage
sign of those searching curves going away from us in retreating circular volumes. On the torso I am also chasing that
rhythmic idea but this time with anatomy. Moving my pencil with elliptical gestures I move rhythmically down the
torso from the scapula and serratus, down the latissimus line, the rib cage and obliques, and down to the hip crest,
with each inner shape measured by eye. Learning to see anatomy as natural rhythms was a big leap forward for me as
an artist. How I couldn’t see it before was puzzling as I clearly see these rhythms everywhere now regardless of how
the body turns, but I guess that is the very definition of a ‘revelation’. Learning to see these rhythms unlocked the
mysteries of drawing the foreshortened figure.

Using my gestural hand I continue chasing and measuring rhythms down the leg and arm. By putting small shapes
inside big shapes I can make better judgements as to what needs tweaking. At this stage I step back for a clearer
look, turning the picture upside down and using my mirror for a fresh look. I can see the folded leg needs work. It
is neither thick enough nor does it fit into the hip shape as it should. This is why starting with simple shapes is so
important as we can see errors easier as simple shapes. Had I drawn the bumps and lumps of the leg as I went the
error may have be disguised by the complexity of the muscle groups, almost like camouflage.
 F
ig.3

F ig. 3

A s I draw I constantly adjust the shapes to fit better, first as abstract simple shapes that represent the anatomy as
primitive forms, then as more refined anatomical shapes. As these shapes morph you can see how useful they
have been in making the most complex form on Earth possible to draw with authority. The leg still seems short
rather than foreshortened and the reason is we have yet to define the most important illusion of depth­—the third
dimension. This magic illusion of portraying depth on a two dimensional surface requires the artist to find overlap-
ping forms, for it is within overlapping forms that our minds shift to see the illusion as real. Walt Disney knew this
when he developed the multi-planed camera for his animated classic, ‘Pinocchio’. By moving overlapping forms
aside for us to see further overlapping forms he made us believe we were traveling into Pinocchio’s village, when in
reality we were just watching a flat screen.

Note how the arm no longer looks so long with details added, yet I’m still aware it is too long. I could stop and fix
it at this point but sometimes this can be disruptive, especially if the correction looks wrong too. This could lead
me to get hung up in one area, which can have a negative effect on the flow of the drawing and also on overall self Vastus Medialis Magnus Adductor
confidence. I keep it in mind but carry on with the big picture idea. Sartorius

F ig. 4

N ow we really get to the power of overlapping lines. If you compare this long leg to the basic shape drawn in
Fig.1 it no longer seems short, yet I have not lengthened the original shape. It is still the same short shape but
given the illusion of length via the overlapping forms that force our minds to ‘see’ an object coming toward us. The
F
ig.4

more we introduce overlapping lines the more the illusion will ring true. Sometimes they are hard to find on a figure
so it will take some concentration to see them.

Have a look at Fig. 2 to see the unrefined anatomical forms as they appeared before I took a sharpened pencil and
defined the overlaps more clearly in Fig.3. The jury still appears to be out in the art world as to whether learning
anatomy is important to the figurative artist. I am in total agreement that focusing on anatomy can stiffen our draw-
ings, especially if we elevate that discipline to prime importance, but I believe a knowledge of anatomy running
in the subconscious as we draw with rhythm and gesture creates total freedom of expression. As I’m drawing my
subconscious mind is whispering; ‘...the overlapping line of the Vastus Medialis hill overlaps the Sartorius which ap-
pears on the other side like a railroad track to overlap the Magnus Adductor which bulges downward with the pull
of gravity...’. These almost silent thoughts don’t nag or rule my hand, they are soothing and comforting, allowing
me to draw, speak or paint without overpowering me with their seductive tones.

A disregard for anatomy can result in interesting work if our love of art is strong and I have an ex-student producing
beautiful work this way, but he is a rare bird totally focused on going forward, filled with wonder, but for every one
of these rare birds there are flocks blindly bulling through the pain of multiple corrections only to end up with a stiff
monstrosity of a drawing built on unstable structures.
 F
ig.5

F ig.5

O ne of the hazards of drawing structurally is that our anatomy can become graphic in nature and lose the ap-
pearance of flesh. You can choose to embrace this idea as great artists in the past have done with great success
such as J. C. Leyendecker (1874 – 1951). Leyendecker’s work was elevated to heroic stature via his knowledge of
anatomy coupled with his ability to square off anatomical shapes into stylistic structures. Here we could call the
drawing finished and leave the sculptural quality as is, but it wouldn’t be enough to convince my audience, or myself,
that this was the stylistic purpose from the beginning. I have two choices, either to square the edges more and make
the shadows flatter, or to blend the edges to represent the softness of flesh.

Deciding the gestural quality of the line is more in keeping with my ‘feeling’ on how this should play out I go in the
direction of soft tone and gestural line in the tradition of classical study. It’s also at this point I decide to shorten the
arm, which is a big call as I have already drawn the hand which needs to be erased and drawn again. Now this could
bring howls of despair if it were not for the fact that I am constantly drawing. For me it’s no big deal to redraw and
will only take five minutes. By constantly drawing we become emboldened.

F ig.6
F
ig.2
ig.6

H aving wiped back the hand with my chamois I redraw it in on the shorter arm, and now with every area hav-
ing their foreshortened parts ringing true I go over the drawing softening edges using my paper stump for
small forms and tissue paper for bigger areas. My kneadable eraser takes care of the highlights after I further define
the arm bracelet with a sharpened pencil. I also go back over the dark shapes with some broad charcoal and smudge
with my fingers as I go. By this point in every drawing we are so well acquainted with the subject that the back and
forth adds a confident energy to the wholistic feel, which would not be so evident with a more stringent approach
such as all pencil work, then all tonal work, then eraser to finish.

As seen in Fig. 5 I have killed a lot of the energetic strokes around the figure. Normally I retain as much energy as
possible, but the mood in this drawing is of a subdued and beaten figure. Such is art that we determine the mood
and feeling for each piece as the drawing evolves and overwhelms us. By ‘feeling’ every drawing and submerging
ourselves in the feeling then our work will constantly be fresh. Work structure is important but with all emotional
art forms such as Jazz or dance we need to keep structure in the background while we fly free and fearless in the
foreground.

And that brings us back to the fear of foreshortening, or any new challenge. By recognising fear as simply the un-
known and treat it as a new plateau to be conquered, we can embrace and bury it under the skill of constant draw-
ing. The greatest freedom for an artist is to look forward to the next pang of fear as an opportunity to ascend to a
higher plateau.
 F O R E S H O SRtTeEp N- BI N G and RHYTHM
Horizon Line/Eye Level.

y - S t e p
T h e P o w e r o f S i l e n c e
F
ig.1

F ig 1.
O
utlined envelope Shape
of general mass

L et’s tackle a tougher foreshortened challenge and really embrace the fear. The pose that most accompanies the
screech of chairs as artists abandon their posts is the foreshortened, upside-down head pose. If this tricky pose
greets you consider yourself the lucky artist, as you have the opportunity to garner praise for your extraordinary
valour. Win or lose you have attempted a foothold onto a higher plateau.

Never has the big-to-small idea been so important. The first thing I think of is the mass of the entire form as an
abstract shape, sometimes refered to as an envelope or tent, and will often draw it as a light line, then I think of the
sweeping arc of the figure indicated by the curved arrow. The shapes I place inside in order are the large masses of the
rib cage and hips then the legs. Once they feel right I add the smaller shapes in order, the grouping of the breasts as
one mass, the ovoid shape of the head, then the arms, feet and fingers. The last details are the face features as parallel
curves, knowing that the eyes, eyebrows, nose, and cheeks all exist on the same front plane of the face. Any uneven
lines here will prove disastrous as the drawing develops. Getting these lines correct is the most important part of the
drawing.
Materials:
Willow Charcoal Newsprint
Kneadable Eraser
Electric Eraser
Charcoal Pencil
Paper Stumps
Tissue
Chamois Cloth

F ig 2.

T o keep things clear I smudge the charcoal around to find form, which also ‘ghosts’ the image back making it
easier and less complicated a task to add further lines on top. Adding to the design I include a spill of imaginary
hair to the figure in order to create a more continuous sweep to the figure. Note the new found harmony compared
F
ig.2

to the stark stoppage of the folded arms of the original lay-in drawing.

When drawing from life I often advise my students to draw what they feel rather than become a slave to the exact
details of the figure in front of them. This is a concrete example of what I mean. I felt the drawing needed extra
sweep, in fact it was crying out for it. If you ever feel something is ‘missing’ from your drawing it is most likely a
gestural connection. For me the feeling was the gesture of the drawing came to an abrupt halt. Knowing that it could
be improved I put my mind to finding a way to continue the gesture. If hair had not been an option I might have
added drapery or abstract lines.

Once the smudging and ghosting is complete I make the basic shapes more sophisticated by making the lines both
gestural and anatomical, this is most obvious on the lower abdominals and rib cage. For the feet I find it useful to
think of the foot shaped as it would be in shoes or socks to begin with before adding detail.
 F
ig.3
N
ote the flattening of breast tissue com-
pressing against the rib cage.

F ig. 3
P ressure of rib cage on the obliques

W ith the structure behind me I grow bolder and more confident with the overall shapes. My charcoal pencil
is the General’s brand which come in basic packs of three grades: hard, medium and soft. I use the soft at
this stage as it moves more freely across the surface. The imaginary hair is the most fun. The best way to add hair
is to continue the flow based on what hair the model already has. Draping some strands over the arm takes a little
consideration as we must gauge the curve over the arm and the pull of gravity.

On the subject of gravity, drawing from life has a benefit that can’t be discounted in terms of a deeper understanding
of Newton’s Laws of Gravity on the human body. Having drawn from life countless times I have been able to study
the bodys reaction to compression and gravity. Note the flattening of the gluteus against the hard floor and how it
changes shape due to the pressure of the leg muscles pressing downward rather than the opposite shapes we are used
to seeing, which is the gluteus pressing down on the leg when the figure stands up.

Most students find breasts hard to draw, especially when gravity come into play. Comic books and photo-retouched
models are mostly to blame as I see lots of generic orbs drawn without much thought. Note how the breast flattens
along the topmost ledge before curving back into the rib cage. To the untrained eye this may seem like a continuous
curve. It’s worth studying models as they shift into a pose to see how the body settles, most evident in the soft regions
such as the breasts and where the lower rib cage presses into the oblique muscles.

F ig. 4

O nce again I smudge into the drawing, refining further as I go. We can see the face has almost drawn itself based
on the original curved parallel lines, I merely smeared with a paper stump and adjusted the lines slightly to give
F
ig.4

the illusion of features. As I become better acquainted with the pose I become more confident and free, using tissue
to push tone outside the lines of the leg to add movement. I also squint to see where I might mass some shadows
and decide to add atmosphere by omitting detail in the shadows of the legs.

If you study my lines you will see they don’t always join. Dark lines around the body are an abstract concept to begin
with and look cartoony if they are too thick or continuously joined all the way around. We are conditioned to un-
derstand line representing contours, but it would be odd to see dark lines around people in real life. As an analogy I
think of overbearing music in bad movies, or just the idea of music in movies as unreal, yet we accept it. I guess the
idea was a throwback to silent movies which used music instead of words to convey emotion. I aim for the discipline
of restraint, or silence, in line. The almost total lack of a musical score in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, ‘The Birds’ and
his masterly use of silence in movies during tense scenes have lingered with me all my life as almost real memories.
In the same way I am aware of overly thick, noisy, lines around a figure and try to make them subtle enough not to
break the spell or emotion of the drawing. The Power of Silence is a phrase I often whisper when drawing.

Furthering the composition I have added abstract curves under the figure to continue the sweep created by adding
the hair earlier. Blending the hair at the edges gives the illusion of softness and draws the eye back up to the contrast-
ing elements of the figure. With life drawing you draw what is in front of you, but it doesn’t mean you can’t design
composition into the pose.
 F
ig.5

F ig.5

I go over the figure again with some broad charcoal making the figure darker than it need be as I know it will be-
come lighter again as I smudge and erase. Judging this is a skill acquired over time. I also start pulling out high-
lights with a kneadable eraser. The initial highlights are harsh but once again I’m thinking ahead knowing they will
be softened during the next round of smudging. If thinking ahead seems a bit convoluted you could compare it to
a game of chess. As a kid I couldn’t work out how my dad always seemed to know what I was going to do next with
my pawns or why he grinned when I fell into the trap of taking one of his sacrificial offerings. The idea that he was
thinking more than one chess move ahead was completely outside my realm of comprehension. Regardless of the
sacrifices, thinking ahead guaranteed he always won the game. He took no prisoners.

The added tone creates the illusion of weight and heft, and if this was a tanned figure we could call the drawing
finished. Such is the magic of art that we can tell a different story with a change of tone. The tork of the rib cage
against the hips and obliques is a major landmark and essential to the success of the drawing and I pay close atten-
tion to making it just the right darkness, thickness and shape. You might be surprised how much time I returned
and reshaped that seemingly simple passage in the drawing. I also pay special attention to the connecting landmarks
such as the leg fitting into the hip and the Achilles heel fitting into the leg. If the connection points are out of whack
the drawing will be forever wonky.

F ig.6

F
ig.2
ig.6

W e can see how the thinking ahead idea left me just enough charcoal on the surface to smudge around, light-
ening the figure as I go using stumps for small areas such as the face and tissue and chamois cloth for larger
areas. I twist tissue into small knots for smaller areas and use big open tissue for a crumpled look. Cotton buds cre-
ate an airbrushed effect in small areas. I’m constantly amazed at what can be achieved by the simplest of tools and
consider charcoal drawing to be dry media painting.

For the final lines I use the ‘hard’ General’s charcoal pencil, which can be sharpened to an impressive point without
breaking. The outer lines are the most sensitive and you may need to rest your hand on the surface to gain a steady
line. Laying a piece of paper under your hand will save any unnecessary smudging. A final round of highlighting
with my cleanest kneadable eraser marks the finish stage.

The thing I’m most proud of here is having never used my detail hand at any point, even for the face. I have a stu-
dent with arthritis who has gained a new lease on drawing by learning how to use a gestural grip. She no longer feels
restricted by her arthritis as she is drawing from her shoulder now, with the hand a fluid gestural pivot point. This
makes me happy knowing an arthritic future will not weary our hands.

The interesting thing about recording steps is we get the benefit of hindsight. I prefer the sweep of the hair in the
previous stage and the abstract curve that pulls down from the feet along the floor. Some chess pieces we lose in the
grand game, but the sacrificial gains in the final drawing far out weigh the loses.
 FORESHORTENING
ST Style Tip*
E
S t u d y S h e e t s
ven though I am focusing on
TT Top Tip* the foreshortening of the legs in
this study I still draw the connection
of the upper body. This not only
places in my mind how everything
TT
connects it also keeps my gestural

L ocating the curves of the

sits bone and the hip crest
is the key to drawing the hip
hand fresh as the upper portion is
drawn relatively fast.

structure from this angle. Note

the almost straight line between
these two landmark bones.

N ote how much shorter

the model’s left leg
is as it comes toward us.
As she pulls her right leg
away from her body it will
become less and less fore-
shortened as it moves paral-
lel to our view.

ST

F ading lines on soft

structures will make
them appear even softer
and will also keep the draw-
ing fresh.

T he advantage of drawing from life lies within our ability to see in three dimensions without the distortion of
a camera lens. In this fifteen minute drawing from life everything reads as foreshortened in the natural sense.
Had this been a photographic image taken of the subject the distortion would have been more extreme, something
I would have to correct in the drawing as I went along, thus adding a secondary problem to deal with during the
already challenging aspect of a foreshortened image. Next time you sit down to the challenge of foreshortening at life
draw remember you are in the best situation to work it out. I would say do at least one foreshortened pose at every
life draw session, you will soon learn to love the dimension those drawings gain as your skills improve.
 FORESHORTENING
Bone Landmarks
S t u d y S h e e t s
I t’s worth studying these two drawings to understand the
importance of knowing what lies underneath. By learning
to see the structural landmarks and the impact they make on

F inding bony landmarks are vitally important when tackling a twisting foreshortened pose. As I draw with rhythmic the flesh makes drawing the figure a more fluid experience
overlapping curves on my body landscape journey I seek out the bone ridges along the way. Below I have labeled and less of a guessing game.
the bony reference points I search for in order to make the drawing solid.

Patella Thoracic Arch Peak

Illiac Crest of the Hip Bone

Sternum Center line

Sits Bone Curve

I n this foreshortened demo drawn live I was presented with a

multitude of anomalies such as the spine apparently veering
off line. What we were seeing was the bulging of the Sacrospina-
lis muscles. The normal shadow of the quick curve of the lower
spine was hidden underneath. The great thing about a live model
is we can shift our viewing point by simply tilting our heads to see
around the corner of natural 3D space, which is of course impos-
sible when working from a 2D photograph.
FORESHORTENING
S t u d y S h e e t s R
egardless of whether we are drawing gestural or structural, it’s important with foreshortening that we are constantly
aware of overlapping forms and shifting perspective.
 S u r r e n d e r
L o v e
D e v o t i o n
S u r r e n d e r
I t’s sometimes hard to understand the forces propelling us through life. For me art was an inner force,
something I had no choice in. That’s not to say art comes easy, I am well aware of my weaknesses, but I
was gifted the first two disciplines; a love of art and the devotion of practice. That left one discipline I had
to earn: the will to surrender.

We all reach a point where our art plateaus and growth seem to end. This is the point when a lot of artists
get frustrated believing they’ve reached their limit. Some bull through in constant frustration, which I of-
ten did, while some give up completely and turn to another discipline or profession. If I had the wisdom in
my fledgling years to realise what a plateau was I would have saved myself a lot of pain. To become skilled
in any discipline we must accept the challenge of the unknown. Once we conquer one unknown we ride
a higher plateau until the next unknown challenges us. The conquering moment is brief and exciting but
the distance between those conquered moments is long, the plateau, a period of frustration for those who
fight against it, yet a joy to those who surrender.

Learning to recognise the plateau and embrace it was an incredible revelation to me, and ironically lifted
me instantly to a higher plateau. We need the time spent on the plateau to hone our skills and emotions
in between the battles fought conquering enemies such as foreshortening, drawing hands, structure and
gesture, whatever the challenge. It’s essential for us to plateau in order to meet the next challenge. If every
moment was a climactic battle we would soon weary and fail with exhaustion.

I became aware of the power in surrender when I became a teacher. Teaching taught me to surrender to the
fact that I didn’t know everything. As I had to answer every question raised in class it forced me to study
further, discovering one revelation after another, exposing huge gaps in my knowledge that I was totally
unaware of. In short, I didn’t know how much I didn’t know.

Accepting there is more to discover, and surrendering to further learning, makes the journey along the
plateau a pleasure rather than a stagnant period, a chance to build our skills for the unknown challenge
ahead that will hoist us up onto the next plateau.

In this final chapter I will end with contrapposto, which was once unknown to me before its discovery
raised me up to a higher plateau. In these drawings I will practice my disciplines, searching for challenges
as I coast along my personal plateau, surrendering to all it has to offer with love and devotion.

Model: Lorena cappellone

121
 CONTRAPPOSTO
T h e
S t e p - B y - S t e p
G r e a t e s t G i f t F ig.3

F ig.1 A lthough this book concerns itself with the disciplines

of life drawing I consider life drawing more than just
a study of anatomy. With every model I see character and
F
ig.5
‘S implicity is the ultimate sophistication.’ This I discov-
ered, as Leonardo Da Vinci had when he mused over
those immortal words. I once believed a photographic fin-
F
ig.5 will often work with them on poses for possible paintings.
Here my model, Bryce, is posing as the character ‘Kane’
for the novel, ‘Bloodstone. If you compare this stage to the
ish was the ultimate challenge, until I became a photoreal- last very little has been added beyond shadow mass. Notice
ist, which led to my dreading each commissioned artwork. also that I don’t render the shadows as flat blacks, this gives
It was one of my first, and longest, plateaus that eventu- an impression of depth
ally took me to an huge, imposing plateau wall engraved
with the terrifying question: ‘Why are you a photorealist?’
I also use allegory to infuse deeper meaning. To see this
The truthful answer was vanity. I wanted people to admire
drawing as a warrior pulling an arrow from his chest is dra-
my skill, yet I wanted to show emotion in my work, and
matic in itself, but to view it as a symbol of human sacrifice
photo-realism didn’t provide me freedom of expression.
is a more emotional statement. I imagine a man fighting to
Understanding why I was unfulfilled gave me the key to a
his last breath to protect those around him, even though
higher plateau.
he forfeits his own life. The fact that death will forge him
into an eternal symbol creates an allegorical statement
Although this is a twenty minute pose I am going in with representing the power of the human spirit, or the pride
the wild abandon of gesture. Instead of detail, I’m thinking of a nation. Statues around the world offer heroic poses
mass. This gives me a solid drawing, suggesting more than representing higher ideas, such as the Statue of Liberty or
there is. By suggesting rather than showing detail, as in lady Justice, blindfolded and carrying balanced scales and
my photo-realist art, a kind of magic happens—we create a sword, representing a fair trial.
atmosphere. Leaving the audience to unravel some of the
mystery is one of the greatest gifts an artist can give.

F ig.2

I t’s odd thinking back to a time when I laboured to draw

perfectly without knowing how to see the beauty of sim-
plicity. Here I’m challenging myself to leave out as much
information as possible, which is more difficult than it F ig.4

H
sounds. For one I am not drawing a stick figure, the draw- ere I use a kneadable eraser to pull out highlights.
ing must still read as a representation of a heroic Viking I work at arms length to avoid the urge of putting
warrior. This means I must distill the anatomy into sim- in detail, which is more likely to happen as the drawing
plistic forms. How do I decide what to leave out and what develops. You can also see the texture in the shadows where
to keep? One way is to squint at the model. This will mass I have pulled off some charcoal with a crumpled chamois
the shadow and detail. cloth. The fight is truly on now to keep the gesture alive
by whatever means possible. I also take a paper stump and
Note how simple fig.1 is. The aim of each step is to move reshape the head rather than reach for a pencil. Any fine
forward to this next step before I overthink the structure. lines you see here were made with the sharp edge of wil-
See how the warrior’s hand is a simple boxing glove shape. low charcoals to maintain the energy of broken, energetic
This is classic comic-book lay-in, and the reason comic strokes. You can see the marks left on the outer thigh from
book artists are so dynamic, especially the golden age art- my little finger smudging in fig.3. I regard ‘keeping within
ists such as Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko, who pushed anat- the lines’ as one of the most damaging art teachings from
omy to stylistic extremes. our primary school years.

With the simple lines established I quickly block in the

shadow mass.
F ig.5
F ig.6
Materials:
Willow Charcoal

B y working gesturally I am
free to experiment with-
out giving up much ground
I bring back the shadows, but
this time with high energy
sweeps of charcoal. Although
Newsprint
Kneadable Eraser
Electric Eraser
Charcoal Pencil
and wipe the shadows back proportion and detail were Paper Stumps
to see what a negative shadow not a major concern I have Tissue
treatment may look like. The made the hand smaller and Chamois Cloth
result reminds me of an old added a ponytail. Knowing
tip: a drawing should be most- when to stop is one of the
ly dark or mostly light. This trickiest tasks and I choose to
seems to ring true as the draw- stop short of what I normal-
ing has lost its power by being ly would, having seen many
neutral in tonal strength. drawings weaken in energy
due to overworking.
 The Head
S t u d y S h e e t s

D
rawing the head in three quarter view will help us understand the head as a three dimensional form. Note
especially how the mouth is on a curved plane and how the side of the head is on a flat plane.

Socrates Head study: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil

 STRUCTURE of the Male FIGURE
S t u d y S h e e t s
N ote the simplified ideas of the
leg off to the side of the main
study. Revisiting basic structures and
S pecial note should be made when drawing
the rib cage as it is generally wider on the
male with the Thoracic arch being more of a
gesture will help us draw the complex
ideas with more authority.
forty five degree triangle rather than the typical
thirty five degree angle of the female.
THE LEGS
S t u d y S h e e t s
 CONTRAPPOSTO F ig.3
S t e p - B y - S t e p

F
ig.1 d r a w i n g o n E m o t i o n
F
ig.3
I f we look at the structural simplicity of Fig.1 you can see
the devotion to practice. There is nothing complex here

F ig.1 at all, just simple eyeball measuring of basic form. I don’t

think there is anything wrong with using tools to measure

A nd so we come to our final drawing. In this drawing I foundation, I just prefer to do it by eye as it keeps my
will combine all the skills discussed so far while dem- hand and eye skills honed while surrendering to my learn-
onstrating Contrapposto. Contrappostois a big word, and ing path along the plateau.
well earned as its discovery marked the beginning of the
natural pose in art. The word means counterpoise, or natu- In Fig. 2 I add slight variation to the simple lines of Fig.1.
ral balance. The earliest known example of a relaxed figure As usual I don’t erase but reshape some lines by pushing in
is the statue of the Kritios Boy, discovered in 1865 during and out of the charcoal with my fingers. The act of putting
excavations of the Athenian Acropolis. The statue is dated the eraser aside has truly helped me move forward in art as
around 480 B.C.E., and is believed to be the work of the I find the negative stop-start correction method interferes
ancient Greek sculpture Kritios, hence the name. Before with gesture. This skill I’ve gained over time, so feel free to
Kritios statues worldwide stood symmetrical, arms and legs erase if something needs a serious fix, but I advise reaching
straight down at their sides. for the eraser only when absolutely necessary rather than
use it like the undo button on a computer. Everything up
No one knows the event that turned the art world on its to this stage can be learned with devotion to study and
head but I like to think it went a little like this: Kritios in practice. What makes art appealing is the gestural hand
his workshop is churning out symmetrical statues to earn applied on top.
his daily bread and decides to hire a model to improve the
anatomy of his next batch. During a break the model relax-

F
es his weight onto one leg. To counterbalance his weight he ig.4
tilts his head, hips and shoulders. The summer light carves
crisp shadows upon the incarnation of a Greek god at rest
and Kritios looks on in awe.
A t fifteen minutes in I’m smudging the foundation
shapes around as seen in Fig.3 using tissue, paper
stumps, fingers and thumb. I’m lucky that my hands don’t

F
ig.2
F
ig.4 sweat, if you’re not so lucky you can use light cotton gloves

F ig.2 or just various paper stumps. The same goes for grease
which is naturally in our skin. Excess grease will repel char-

L ooking up at a Greek statue in the quiet of a museum coal, so you may need to put a sheet of paper under your
it’s easy to understand the ancient Greeks believed hand to protect the surface as you draw. When I used the
them to be gods. If you stare long enough into their stone airbrush in my advertising days I would cut a hole in the
faces... it feels like they might move. rough shape of the figure so that the surface around it was
protected.

Therein lies the expressive power of contrapposto. Coun-

terbalancing the human figure gives the impression of pos- So here we are twenty minutes in. I only mention time due
sible movement and thought, thus an inner life. Note how to poses being timed in life drawing, some artists may look
a catwalk model walks with exaggerated counterbalanced at this stage and be intimidated by the speed, others may
steps, then stops and tilts their hips and shoulders before think I’m on a go-slow protest, the point is, speed doesn’t
walking back up the catwalk. Designers know how well matter, no one cares how long the artwork took, only if
clothes look on the counterbalanced form compared to the it is appealing, so go at a pace that is neither rushed nor
comical idea of someone standing straight with their arms laboured, use your own measure of time.
and legs at their sides, not only does contrapposto create a
natural pose, it also creates stylish expression. Here I go over the figure with a sharpened charcoal pencil
refining further the refined basic shapes from Fig. 2. With
every step I focus on making the lines more appealing.
 F ig.5

I f I use only my fingers and tissue for blending the draw- F ig.7
Materials:

A
ing will look too soft. Once I get that ‘woolly’ feeling I s usual art is a back and forth Willow Charcoal
use paper stumps as they blend with harder, more solid, series of events. In Fig.6 I Newsprint
edges. The term ‘woolly’ was used often in my ‘airbrush’ worked back into the stumped Kneadable Eraser
days. Art can looks impressive when vague and soft and Electric Eraser
F
ig.5
the moment we lay hard forms on top they tend to jar, and
smudges with a soft charcoal stick
to balance some overly hard edges
Charcoal Pencil
Paper Stumps
appear to hover, until you get them under control. Fearful with softer edges. Here in Fig.7 Tissue
artists sometimes left the art soft. These were the uncom- I’m softening bigger swathes of Chamois Cloth
mitted, ‘woolly’ artists. charcoal with my chamois cloth.

I spend five minutes with the stumps pushing shapes I have included a bracelet to add
around until the woolliness has been grounded. I also use more exoticism, it also breaks up
the charcoal soiled stump to draw as I go. Each time we the long pipe structure of the arm.
reach a new stage take a step back to assess the progress. As with everything moderation
Get into a routine of stepping back at every major stage is the key as we may be seduced
and consider it part of the rhythm of drawing, just like into adding more and more jew-
Paddy the Barber’s snip-snip rhythm before going back in elry. Add too much and our eyes
with purpose and commitment. will tire of it pretty quickly, but a
flash of gold in an oasis of flesh is
a thing of wonder.

F ig.6

I’ve entitled the artwork ‘Slave’.

T ry evoking emotion from the model by giving them Finding the title spurs me to de-
an idea to work with such as betrayal or lose. Luckily velop the emotion further. An-
I can now afford to hire models, something outside my other reason a title is useful is that
budget for many years, but you may have a friend willing it can inspire a collector to buy it.
to pose, or a fellow artist, which is how most of my early If all your artworks are ‘untitled’
artworks were accomplished. it may suggest you don’t consider
them important. A title conjures
the viewer’s imagination and en-
My model, Emily, was one of my ex-students and a profes-
courages them to interpret their
sional model. She was aware of my art methods having
own story. Maybe she is a slave
completed my course at college, part of which involved
in a rich merchant’s slave market
a photo-shoot reference session where the class would act
on display in the hot midday sun,
out emotions in costume.
or a reluctant queen who has be-
come an emotional slave of her
If you hire a model spend time showing them your work own making.
and explain the emotion or allegory, but above all, make
them feel at ease. Don’t be afraid to act out emotion for
them as I often do. If you are willing to do what you are
asking for it will inspire by example. Always give encour-
agement, especially after the first pose, even if it’s a disaster.
I remember a story told by the actor David Niven where he
tripped over a carpet but continued the scene as the direc-
tor didn’t call, ‘Cut!’. After a flustered piece of poor acting
the director praised David but advised he watch out for
the carpet on the second take. David went on to be a Hol-
lywood star. I find early praise can make a star model too.
F ig.8
F ig.9

W ith the foundational work

behind us we enter the
style process. Here I add texture
W ith the expression of lose
and hope visible on her
face combined with the contrap-
by lifting charcoal with my cham- posto pose we feel this is a living,
ois cloth. If we study the two fi- thinking, emotional character
nal steps shown on this spread rather, than a series of abstract
we can see a myriad of micro charcoal marks on a flat surface.
tweaks and subtle changes. Some
are so subtle they could easily be If we look back over the previ-
missed. For instance look at the ous chapters and study sheets we
sharp highlight on the forearm can see the accumulation of all
here in Fig.8 then see how it was the theory and practice coming
softened in Fig.9 This subtle deci- together in this drawing, with a
sion was made in order to balance style unique to me, as your draw-
the low key tones of flesh against ings will have a style unique to
the high contrast tones of the arm you. Devotion to theory and
bracelet, creating the illusion of practice ushers us to a proficient
hard metal and soft flesh. stage, but it is within these final
steps that we express our individ-
See if you can find the many deci- uality as artists.
sions I made to arrive at the final
stage opposite. I believe from our You may be at a stage where you
journey together throughout this feel every stroke is wrong and
book that you are ready to take the journey ahead seems end-
on the challenge. You may not see less. As a young artist I looked at
everything on the first look but certain artists’ work and feared I
you will see a lot. The main thing would never reach their level— I
is that there is no better way to was convinced of it, but as time
go forward after instruction than passed my skills grew and their
by studying drawings and paint- art began to look amateurish.
ings with questions; ‘ Why did Over time I had pushed beyond
he put that mark there’, or ‘Why what I though possible. My ini-
did she leave this or that out?’. tial frustration was from expect-
Analyzing artworks adds an extra ing too much too soon, trying
level of understanding, and every to by-pass the natural plateaus
new insight raises us up to an- instead of surrendering to them.
other plateau, especially when the Embracing our fear and the pla-
learning curve was made through teaus as essential rites of passage
self-discovery. will deliver style as payment for
the love, devotion and surrender
to our art.
CONTRAPPOSTO
S t u d y S h e e t s
 S e l e c t e d
D r a w i n g s

A s an oil painter I paint the figure, often on large scale canvases, which can some-
times take hundreds of hours to finish. If I stopped drawing and focused only
on painting, my figurative painting skills would slowly diminish. The reason art-
ists draw the figure on a regular basis is to retain the essential skills needed to paint
anatomy and flesh with confidence. There is nothing more relaxing and creatively
productive for the figurative painter than time spent in the life drawing studio. And
so I present here a celebration of charcoal and pastel.

G a l l e r y
Most of the following drawings where completed in my workshops on A2 news-
print paper in front of a live student audience. I have also included many new stu-
dio drawings. These selected drawings and the previous demo drawings in this book
are published here for the first time.

“Drawing is not what one sees but

what one can make others see”
Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917)  

Solitude: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A3 Bleedproof Paper

141
Hephaestus: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A3 Bleedproof Paper A Midsummer Night’s Dream : Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A3 Bleedproof Paper
The Seduction: Sanguine on toned paper
The Birthling: Sanguine on toned paper
 Recrudescence: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A3 Bleedproof Paper

A Midsummer Night’s Dream #2: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A3 Bleedproof Paper The Sheltering Sky: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A2 Drawing Paper
Cortez: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A2 Drawing Paper The Prayer: Sanguine on toned paper
The Ceremony: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A3 Bleedproof Paper Forge of the Gods: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A3 Bleedproof Paper
The Chamber: Sanguine on toned paper
The Wuthering: Sanguine on toned paper
The Secret: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A2 Newsprint Leela: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A2 Newsprint
Danse Macabre: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A2 Newsprint Daughter of the Moon: Willow Charcoal and Charcoal Pencil on A2 newsprint
 S h a d o w s
a n d D u s t

T his little miracle, dust upon paper; an illusion of shadows. I discovered drawing
further back than my memories. Artists who discover a love of drawing later
in life, though, have expressed their new found purpose to me. It’s never too late to
realise the art of self expression.

I have traveled the world since first leaving Ireland at the age of seventeen, and in
times of lonliness and doubt drawing was my companion and salvation. It was often
a tough road, sometimes brutal and unforgiving, but looking back on that grand
adventure I would wish it no other way. ‘There are no mistakes or failures, only wis-
dom and strength’ are thoughts that keep me strong in life and art.

Today those struggles are distant memories. I never gave up on art and it never gave
up on me, taking me places that were beyond my grasp had I not discovered its
power to open doors.

I hope I have inspired you to embrace drawing through the art and conversation
in this book and wish you the same fulfilment I found in my pursuit of art and the
grand illusion of shadows and dust.

Patrick J. Jones  
Brisbane, Australia, 2017.

Brooklyn, NYC circa 2016

159
 Thanks to…

Julie Bell for honouring me with her words in the foreword to this book

Mercedes and the Leeton Model Agency: for creating an amazing community of
artists and models in my adopted city of Brisbane, Australia.

My model friends for their gestural spirit and invaluable contribution to my art:
Alana Brekelmans, Katy Woods, Nima, Socrates, Marcus, Kurt, David, Bryce,
Leela, Eva, Lorena, Peita, Fiona.

My publisher, Yak, for his continuing faith and friendship.

The New Master’s Academy for their life draw sessions, influential teachers and
models: www.newmastersacademy.org

Steve Huston for showing me the way

My students, past, present, and future

For my beautiful wife, Cathy, for her eternal love, faith, and inspiration.

In memoriam
Jeff Jones 1944 – 2011
Bernie Wrightson 1948 – 2017.

Model: Lorena cappellone

160 161
Other Award winning Books by Patrick J. Jones availible from Korero Press
and Amazon:
The Anatomy of Style
Sci-fi & Fantasy Oil Painting Techniques
The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J. Jones

The Anatomy of Style: ‘Once in a rare while, an art instruction book comes along that can be ap-
preciated by anyone, no matter if you want to learn to draw or not. Patrick Jones’s fresh, innovative ap-
proach breaks the human body down into shapes and rhythms that can easily be committed to memory,
demystifying the art of figure drawing in the process. Much more than a book on anatomy, this guide
explains how to use knowledge of the human form to produce drawings with style and grace, using pastel,
pencil, and charcoal techniques and tools. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!’
Bud’s Artbooks

The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J. Jones: ‘‘The work of a driven man! Driven by an
incredibly focused passion for those timeless elements...The physicality of heroic myth and una-
bashed eroticism. The clear and unapologetic love of technique - that hard coalface of our trade
that serious artists have to fight so hard to master. The otherworldy strangeness of it all. An imagi-
nation on overdrive. This volume, so generous in its revelations of practice, technique and indeed,
homage is, right now, the Art Book to acquire. Utterly indispensable’.
Jim Burns, Multi award winning artist

Sci-fi & Fantasy Oil Painting Techniques: “Patrick’s work explodes with passion, light
and shadow. His handling of oil paint is clearly his own, and each of his books have been an inspi-
ration and great masterclass of time-honored traditional painting. His books are essentials in any
creative person’s library.”
Bob Eggleton, Multi Hugo award winning artist.

The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J. Jones: ‘The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J. Jones:
Being a professional artist for almost 40 years, it takes a lot these days for a piece of art to really impress
me at first glance, The first time I saw “The Forbidden Kingdom”, a painting of Conan and a female fig-
ure by Patrick Jones, it stopped me cold. I was looking at a perfect combination of Frazetta, Vallejo and
Buscema, painted in a uniquely classical style I had not often seen utilized in the genre. I instantly sought
out more of his work and was continuously amazed by his impeccable technique and mastery of his me-
dium. He’s an incredible artist who I believe will have a huge influence on the next generation of aspiring
fantasy painters. ’
Joe Jusko, Multi award winning artist

News, movies and PDF book Downloads: www.pjartworks.com

Hardcopy Books:
www.koreropress.com https://www.amazon.com/Patrick-J.-Jones/e/B00BFAN73G/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
All Amazon Reviews are greatly appreciated and help keep these books visible and in print. Many thanks! “The eye encompasses the beauty of
Follow Patrick by clicking ‘Like’ on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pjartworks the whole world.” 
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
For free demos subscribe to patrick’s youtube channel: pjartworks art
 S t y S
l et yle
I n this follow up to his #1 Bestseller ‘The
Anatomy of Style’, award winning author,

A n a t o m y
artist and teacher, Patrick J. Jones! brings us
‘Figures form Life’!

T h e
Within this incredibly detailed book Patrick
demonstrates, step-by-step, his exciting meth-
ods for accelerating your figure drawing skills.
o f
Packed with all new demonstrations and
drawings this book also includes faithful re-
productions of Patrick’s most recent anatomy
and drawing study sheets! Each study sheet
includes essential figure drawing notes and
memory clues to refer to at a glance.

No serious student or art lover can afford to

miss this lavishly illustrated book!!!

Reviews of Patrick’s previous books:

The Anatomy of Style: ‘Few art of anat-

omy books boast quite as much awe in-
spiring style and originality as this one
from fantasy artist and teacher - Pat-
rick J Jones!’
***** Artist’s Choice Five Star Gold
Award!: ImagineFX Magazine

Sci-fi & Fantasy Oil Painting

Techniques:‘...I can’t say enough here-
-his work reminds me at times of Jose
Segrelles, one of the very finest fanta-
sy illustrators ever...His work is AMAZ-
ING!’
Bud Plant’s Art Books

The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J.

Jones: ‘Our Highest Recommendation!
This is a must-have; this might just be
our favorite art book of the year!’
Bud Plant’s Artbooks

His technique is impeccable...

Boris Vallejo, Multi award winning art-
ist

The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J.

Jones: ‘... the Art Book to acquire. Ut-
terly indispensable’.
Jim Burns, Multi award winning artist

The Sci-Fi & Fantasy Art of Patrick J.

Jones: ‘Another standout, with muscu-
lar digital and oil paintings that will
be appreciated by fans of Frank Frazet-
ta and Boris Vallejo.’LOCUS