Picked up a compass and started in on a new Bargue. Still made a few mistakes, but overall this is much closer than my first two attempts. I’ll continue working on this offline, but I’ll try to post something different here tomorrow, since I know these are a bit boring to look at.

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. But today I came across another very helpful thread on the ConceptArt forums in which an instructor suggests a compass for one of the options, and walks a couple people through the entire process. So I’ll definitely be picking up a compass, so I can avoid the headache of trying to keep a thumbnail in the exact right spot on a slippery piece of thread.

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. Here’s a copy of the lessons in PDF format if you’re interested.

Well, it’s the moment of truth. I’m green, and Bargue is pink.

Aaand, just like in tee-ball, I get the participation trophy. Sure, it seems pretty close, but the parts where I strayed definitely coincide with the parts I drew without consulting the string. I’ll keep plugging away.

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.