Assignment 4 Figure study using line - Seated model in an upright chair

Fig. 1.

For this study, I chose to draw my mother at work at her computer. She has recently had a knee replacement, so opted to sit on the couch with her feet up. I chose to draw her from a 45° angle to the couch, giving a foreshortened view of the end of the couch and her propped up feet. The light source was from the windows to the left of me, and I closed off all other doors in the vicinity that would have interfered with the light source. As she had organized herself for maximum comfort, she is sitting in a slouched form, propped up by the armrest and a cushion. (Fig. 1) This is very suitable for an extended pose, and also conveys that fact that as a free-lance published author, my mom spends hours in front of her computer, often resorting to working on the couch for comfort.

I started out my study with two quick pencil sketches of her pose to acquaint myself with the body proportions and gestures of the pose.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3

I found the idea of using found materials in my work quite a challenge as I tend to work with a clean paper surface, so deliberately altering the surface of the paper was going to be a challenge for me. The previous day, I had collected found papers from the mall near the cottage where we are staying. They were newsprint advertisements of their various produce. I stuck down an advertisement into my sketchbook, applying a smear of cadmium yellow deep hue acrylic to try to dull down the stark contrasts of the adverts. I applied green chalk pastels to the couch and blocked in the white wall and dark door behind the couch. I then used watercolor black and white crayon to sketch in the lines of my mother and her computer, seated on the couch. I did not particularly like the shapes of the blocky adverts in the underneath layer.

Fig. 4. Sketchbook - media exploration

For a slightly different approach, I tried wrapping paper with speech bubbles on it. This provided a humorous touch. I then applied a muted down sap green acrylic over the diagonally placed strip of wrapping paper. I applied the paint with a small palette knife. I did not apply it evenly, leaving some areas of white paper. I further applied white watercolor crayon to the couch. I then used pencil and black acrylic paint to the lines of the portrait. The lines were harsher than when I had used the crayon in the previous sketch. At this stage, I felt confident and I had a mode of working.

Fig. 5.

I was unable to find A1-size paper to work with in South African art supply stores. I also know that I will need to send my final assignments as part of my final assessment, and as this will most likely be from Montenegro, my current country of occupation, I considered that it was more appropriate to contain my drawing to A2-size.

I sketched in the placement of the couch and figure roughly onto my A2-sized paper. I stuck down the wrapping paper, but stuck it down in a more upright position than I had in my sketchbook. This time around, I roughly tore out the shape of the computer and my mother so that these areas remained white. I worked in the Sap Green acrylic color with the palette knife, but kept the area of the figure white. I stuck down a strip of brown paper for the area of the door behind the couch and worked this area using brown chalk pastels and black watercolor crayon. I then worked the couch with white watercolor crayon.

I used a mixture of 6B pencils and black watercolor crayon to draw in the lines of my mother and her computer. I then added linear details to the couch, especially in the button details of the backrest.

By the time, I felt that I was finished; I was thoroughly dissatisfied with this sketch (fig.6)
. The figure seemed to be pertly perched on the couch, and had none of the slouch that was actually in the pose. My daughter, who is an art graduate, and has been my student during her high school years, was of the opinion that the drawing in no way communicated of what I am capable. Her suggestion was that I needed to revise my lines, creating thicker lines where the fabric was darker, in order to suggest at form, and vice versa. I was thoroughly disgruntled with my artwork so we decided to go for a beach walk.

Fig. 6. Original study - A2-size

After reconsidering my previous sketches in my sketchbook, I decided that I had radically altered my approach in my A2 drawing and had lost some of the spontaneity of the previous studies. I decided to stick down the gift-wrap paper in the area of the couch back once again, but at a diagonal angle rather than square on. I also decided to follow my daughter’s suggestion to stick more papers down in other areas so that there are more designs in layers behind the drawing. I stuck a large black and white advert where the computer lid is, and random adverts and some more of the wrapping paper into the bottom of the couch and its two sides.

I also decided that my use of the sap green totally dominated the composition. Instead, I decided to keep my next drawing to achromatic tones, with only the touches of the adverts and wrapping paper printed color and the brown in the door to provide slight color contrasts. What I also did was to take a photograph to analyze, to help get my foreshortening correct. This enabled me the ability to correct my couch dimensions and the foreshortening in the feet and knees. It also enabled me to play around a bit with the placement of the figure in the composition. I did not alter the position much, but enough to help the face to get the majority of the attention.

I used a warm grey to apply all over the couch and background. I tried to anticipate where the main highlights on the figure would be and used my palette knife to spread the acrylic across the surface of the found materials, seeking to push them into the background. This time around, I tried to vary the tonal value of the acrylic lines from pale grey to black. I also tried to make the thickness of my line more calligraphic. I found it hard to get the details on the face, as the features required far finer lines the rest of the body. I did these with an 8B pencil and then touches of grey and black acrylic lines. 

Fig. 7. Final drawing

This time around, I felt far more satisfied with the result. The color scheme does not dominate the composition. I think that I have been able to push this drawing beyond that of the previous one. I tried to imply lines in a few areas where the highlights fall. I think I have been able to arrange the composition in such a way that the attention is on the face and the interaction between the figure and the laptop. I think that this drawing has greater “fluidity and spontaneity" than in the previous sketches and drawing.