Today was my anatomy day. Well, it is actually my day for doing nudes but I am working through my human anatomy book and it takes so much time to do one page that I don't get anything else done.
The work started a little painfully. I could sense the struggle ahead, but it started to come more easily. Once again it was a matter of thinking too much about what I was doing rather than trusting myself.
These sketches are slow and painstaking work. Yet each time you develop a better sense of where the bones are and how they meet. The dimensions and proportions. The book has dozens of sketches which the author encourages you to copy one at a time. He even has the good grace to acknowledge the volume of work ahead, but kindly assures us it will be worth it. I'm inclined to believe him.
I've also found myself watching a series on the Impressionists. It has been quite a while since I watched anything on art history, yet I found myself fascinated with the stories of Degas, Monet, Rembrandt and the rest. Properly looking at their work and appreciating what they did. The almost careless paint application. Never stopping to worry about whether or not that stroke worked, just blasting on to catch the essence of their subject. I especially love the back stories to some of the paintings and how they used one another as models.
Anyway, tomorrow is another day.
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