Midterm Portfolio

The first semester of Life Drawing has been interesting. Drawing strictly with line has taken a while to get the hang of, but finally, half way through the semester, it is getting easier. Using line (cross-contour in particular) has helped me to understand form and shape much better than I expected. Looking at the structure of the body has been helpful as well, I think seeing the body broken down into its basic, universal parts will make it easier to quickly and accurately sketch a figure, and know that it is correct and proportional. The skeleton mannequin has been useful here; having a 3D model to study and reference goes a long way in drawing the same muscles on a live model (Although actually working with the clay has been a frustrating, sloppy affair). Drawing accurate proportions has been problematic thus far, but I expect (hope?) that as we move towards understanding the complete figure, I will improve in this area.
For next semester, I am looking forward to learning the hands and face. These areas are incredibly detailed and unique, I imagine drawing them will be a fun experience. In addition, the structure of the hands and face are (I am guessing?) easier to see and draw accurately as they have more obvious visual landmarks than, say, the spine.

http://s1019.photobucket.com/home/lifedrawingteej/

La Jetée

The piece I decided to write on is La Jetée (1962). It is a 30 minute black-and-whtie film by French artist Chris Marker. It consists almost entirely of still photographs, and follows the story of a man in post World War III Paris, who is subjected to a series of time travel experiments.
The movie was interesting for several reasons. The pace of the film is somewhat slow but the gritty, black and white photos feel incredibly real; in fact it wasn't until sometime into the viewing that I realized that it wasn't a real story. There's also a moment when the photos break into film for a few seconds, which is a surprisingly pleasant change of pace.