While I struggled with the advertising projects, the Life Drawing classes were an oasis for me. I felt like I had finally come home and was losing myself in the homework. I understood this. It was basic. It was kinetic. It involves the whole being – spirit, mind, body – as well as many senses that are untouched in my computer work (which is still very left-brained for me.) It is difficult to explain. 

When in the lab, I lose track of all time and the world is upright. Nothing else matters but the challenge before me, and I fell in love with capturing  in graphite the reality I was experiencing. This then translated over to my technical pen work, which can be seen in my Corporate Communications final and this year’s Christmas cards. It also inspired me to pull out my oils and brushes once more and start painting my beloved Christmas ornaments.

I came back to the “me” I love being… the artist me… the me who loves the world she sees through appreciative artist’s eyes. I am happy and it is impacting more than just my school experience… it is eveloping my whole world.

Here is my final lab drawing on my large sketchbook.  This is with a live model who would stand for 20 minutes at a time, then take a 10 min break. Each time she came back the folds in her clothing would change, so that was a challenge. One of my fellow students wasn’t thrilled with the back view, but the front view involved a shirt full of ruffles and a textured vest… I think this was the easier view for the timeframe we had (2 hours or so). I could do this all day long!

Another study we did was on the planes of the face as well as self portraits. I did 4 of myself and liked none of them, but I am including the one our instructor liked best.

I am also including a couple of my studies on hands. These were sketched sitting in the chiropractor’s office right before class! Talk about doing your homework at the last minute.

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Sketchbook homework often included copying a Master drawing. I hope to continue with this exercise because it was extremely helpful to study their particular styles.

DaVinci’s horse, a study of how architecture imitates the human form, Michelangelo’s figure:

Ok… more skulls. Not exciting to look at maybe, but great practice! This type of drawing gives me a better understanding of how the head is structured at different angles. Now just to get the soft tissue on a skull to look like the person I am trying to draw!

3 are in pen and then I did one in pencil. It doesn’t show up that well in this venue, but interesting to see side by side in my sketchbook. I also proceeded to forget to label them… I will get around to it at some point.

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This week we not only drew more muscle pictures, we were to choose something from our life or set up a still life. Jacob told me that drawing a skull would be a great excersize, so I borrowed a “medical skull” from my osteopath. 

We are becoming a bit attached to him as he sits on the side table in the livingroom!  Oh… and notice the names of the books, specifically chosen from Lainey’s library. 

• Your Body Believes Every Word You Say
• Health Care Reform Now!
• Appreciative Intelligence

A little timely humor always helps even the most mundane activity! It was fun!

Ok, so I can’t help it that this grosses me out a bit! My teacher said I am crazy, my osteopath (who loves it) laughed but validated my feelings and says it happens, and my friends are a mix of “well done” and I think a little bit of “ewww”. 

However, I felt good on the day of the test and aced it! Yes! The ol’ brain came through for me this time with a bit of Divine intervention! (I am learning I had best pray first before taking a test!) And I can’t even pronounce some of the muscle name! Brachioradialis? Latissimus Dorsi? Gastrocnemius? What was with those Latin guys anyway?

Here is the homework (the front view was labeled after the photo was taken):

First homework assignment was to draw the skeletal system.  And they call this “Life” drawing? After obsessing over the first drawing and getting totally lost in a rib cage (seriously! on the second one I ended up numbering them as I went), the other 4 went suprisingly fast.  Not my preferred drawing subject, and it definately made me glad I was not in the medical field; however, it was interesting learning. 

There was a sort of macabre fascination at first, especially since I put the teeth in the initial skeleton and then had him grinning at me for several laborious hours.  That was off-putting, to put it mildly. (I almost gave him a name, it became so personal!)  However, after the first couple of hours were over, I forgot about my leering subject and became engrossed in the wonder of God’s great design.  Amazing and truly beyond words. I love the works of His hands.  The psalm kept running through my head, “we are fearfully and wonderfully made.”    (Psalm 139:14)

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Funny (not!) how I bombed the test on the bone names we were to memorize.  My head didn’t come back from lunch that day!  I even forgot to label the ribs. I saw the spot for it and thought “that one is easy” then forgot to fill it in.  I am blaming it on the sinus migraine! This week I was battling it every day and it really makes me scatterbrained. Embarrassingly so!

[Note:  Psalm 139:14 declares, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” The context of this verse is the incredible nature of our physical bodies. The human body is the most complex and unique organism in the world, and that complexity and uniqueness speaks volumes about the mind of its Creator. Every aspect of the body, down to the tiniest microscopic cell, reveals that it is fearfully and wonderfully made. From gotquestions.org]