SEPT-DEC 2013:WEEK 1

When composing a figure drawing, try to  think of how the body reacts to a simple shift of body weight to one leg. We will be exploring this at greater length in later classes. If you have a full length mirror you can study how your own body works in various positions. 

A lot of fantasy art is  created  using a knowledge (or some kind of study) of  real life . If you plan to draw a centaur, it would be useful to study not only human anatomy but also that of a horse and how it moves (go look at some Claire Wendling sketches to see how this is done ). If you plan to draw some kind of hybrid see creature, study the  movement of real life sea creatures. I appreciate that  producing life drawings of sea creatures may post a problem but there is plenty of  footage on youtube to study and BBC and National Geographic dvds available. The information us need to make your drawings come to life is out there, you just have to look and study.

When I begin a drawing, it usually starts out as a scribbly mess ( as I have demonstrated many times in class) but if you are not ready for this approach, try breaking the drawing down to shapes that flow into each other. Notice that the figure below is essentially a nice curve with arms and legs attached.

When you are sketching a composition, try to think of the various components as blocks . I often use this method if I am struggling with a composition.

The head can be constructed really easily. Draw a shape that has a nice feel to it and fill in the detail.

Try and keep a sketch book handy. A small one will do so you can carry it around and doodle at any time. A5 is a good size.  and just have fun jotting  stuff down. It doesn't have to a work of art every time. Keep things loose and experiment.