So, somehow this turned out even worse than the first one. What’s interesting is that I plotted a lot more points on this one, triple-checked myself, etc. It was looking pretty good to me until I actually compared it directly. As I drew this, I wondered if it would be kosher to use a compass instead of a string–seems logical, but I didn’t want to deviate too much from the first write-up I read.

Yesterday I came across some info on a school in Florence for realist painters, and one of the first things their students do is follow a series of lessons devised by Charles Bargue, a 19th-century French artist. The idea is to copy the drawings exactly, using a piece of string to plot key landmarks, and letting your eyeballs do the rest. With enough practice, apparently, you can ditch the string, and apply your newly honed spatial abilities to draw more accurately from life.

My perpetual artists’ block means it’s time once again for a few scribble drawings. This time, I decided to do characters with full bodies.

Picked up one o’ them there artists’ mannequins (yeah, they really exist!), and am using it in tandem with my picture frame to study light and perspective.