Figure Drawing
Drawing the human form from observation is one of the most advanced skills an artist can learn. My 7th and 8th grade students completed charcoal drawings and life-sized ink paintings of a live model. They learned a traditional method of figure drawing which includes capturing the model’s gesture first, and then adding details. They began by drawing lines for the spine, shoulders, hips and joints before adding volumetric lines to illustrate the body and clothing. Special attention was paid to drawing wrinkles, which emphasized the movement of a model. The students looked at Edgar Degas’s gestural drawings of dancers, and figure drawings made by contemporary artists Jennifer Packer, Raymond Pettibon, and Jordan Casteel. After drawing several charcoal drawings, the students concluded the unit by drawing a life-sized ink painting. To create this work, they learned how to move their entire bodies to draw a large artwork. Students bent down, reached up, and stepped backward to compose a figure in motion.
7th and 8th Grade, Ink or Charcoal on Paper, 4’ x 5’ or 18” x 24”
