My Life Drawings @ Watts (HUGE SEMESTER UPDATE 9-13-04)

[dzu]

I thought I would post some life drawings done this past semester at Watts Atelier as my first contributing thread. This was my first full time semester and it was quite a grind but I definitely learned a lot! The images below should be in chronological order from the start to the (almost) end of the semester. I've skipped ahead a couple weeks here and there to save some bandwidth. The last couple of drawings were 6 hour classes. Typical actual drawing time is about 2 hours for a 3 hour class and 4-5 hours for a 6 hour session.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig1.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig2.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig3.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig4.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig5.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig6.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig7.jpg

[cityworker]

good start dzu. I'm sure your improvement is going to be evident as you post more drawings. Keep posting, we all benefit from it, and once again good job.

[lucasgraciano]

Zu-

Good to see your stuff up! it's been a great semester for ya!
See ya in class.

[pandawhipped]

Its so cool to see other's finished drawings of the same stuff I did. How many classes are you in? I can definitely see a big improvement with these. That first one (the guy with his arm across his chest) was SO hard for me to draw, but you did a great job! Keep posting stuff, this place will be FULL of watts threads in no time at all!

[dzu]

Pandawhipped,

Right now I'm taking 6 classes, basically Thurs through Sunday. We're probabaly in the same class, but haven't bumped into one another. I usually hang out after class so you look for me then that should narrow our odds of meeting :) I'm sure we'll run into one another soon. Next semester is going to be so fun, I can hardly wait.

Dzu

[pandawhipped]

What classes are you taking?

ive already signed up but MIGHT switch "facial expressions" with "creating an illustration"

otherwise im in

hands, feet, and drapery
anatomy essentials
sat morning fig quicksketch
and drawing workshop

[tinyhands]

great stuff dzu. I think alot of the stuff that Rons been showing you is already paying off in spades. I think what will greatly benefit you is to start cranking out those long studies during the break. On all of the last couple drawings, the only thing that is lacking is finished areas and finesse work. Doing some studies will help get that stuff so you can start to implement it in class. Great job. See ya soon.

[dzu]

Thanks for the comments so far. Summer session is done and I can't wait for Fall session to start.

Pandawhipped - I'll be taking classes almost everyday so I'll be in your hands/feet/drapery, anatomy, and the drawing workshop. I'm also taking dynamic animal sketching, conceptual design, head/figure/quicksketch, quicksketch: head/figure, and the 6 hour drawing.

tinyhands - Thanks Mark. Long studies are definitely in store for this break. Hope you get to finish some studies as well!

Here are a few more images from the end of the Summer semester. C&C are welcome.

Here's a 2.5 hour life drawing. I need to work on my hands some more. Right now he has banana hands.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig8.jpg

This is a 20 min head drawing from the quicksketch class

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/head1.jpg

This is a 2.5 hour portrait done outside since power to the facility was down. Not a lot of contrast and mostly halftones.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/head2.jpg

[lucasgraciano]

Awsome stuff Dzu! You made a huge leap this semester. Keep in touch, we can go sketch during the break. If not I'll see ya next semester.

Lucas

[dzu]

Changed the subject of this thread since it's more than just my Summer classes.


Here's some work from the first week of Fall semester.

Some 5 min head quicksketches. The focus was on getting the correct volumes to read.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/qs1.jpg

These are some quick 5 min compositions

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/comp1.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/comp2.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/comp3.jpg

20 min layin from one of the compositional studies

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig10.jpg

2.5 hour drawing during the Drawing workshop

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/fig9.jpg

[tinyhands]

That bottom drawing is really nice dzu, I wish i could've been there, i love that costume.

[dzu]

Fall semester is over! Here are some of my better studies during anatomy class

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/anatF03_1.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/anatF03_2.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/anatF03_3.jpg

[dzu]

Some quicksketches from this past semester

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/qsF03_1.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/qsF03_3.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/qsF03_4a.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/qssh2.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/qsF03_2.jpg

[dzu]

And finally some life drawings from this past Fall semester. These are either 2 or 4-5 hour drawings. C&C are welcome!

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeF03_6.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeF03_3.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeF03_2a.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeF03_5.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeF03_4.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeF03_1.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeF03_7.jpg

[lucasgraciano]

WOW! I havn't seen some of these. Your stuff got so good so quick! Can't wait to see your stuff next semester. Great work! Only comments I have are little things overall. Keep an eye on your porportions, and watch the spottyshading. Your quicksketches are awsome! Lets go sketch over the break.

[Deth Jester]

Wowsa! you are really advancing well.. keep it up man!

peace
-mike

[dns2k]

Awesome stuff man!!! Happy Holidays! Hit me up over break to go sketching.

-dns

[dzu]

New update today. I'll try and be more regular during the semester. Just a couple of head drawings from the past couple weeks.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_1.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_2.jpg

[lucasgraciano]

Hey Dzu-

Great start for this semester! Your stuff is looking really good. Watch those cores on the female they should blend a little cleaner. That could be a digital error as well. Also your shadow value should come up to the cast shadow line's value. (the one on her neck) And, remember the cast shadow is only at it's most crisp close to the object thats casting it. It should diffuse the farther it gets away. Not too sure if I like the composition on her either. Anyway, your skills are coming up fast! Keep up the good work!

[pandawhipped]

yeah! good to see ya postin' again Dzu. You did a great job nailing the likenesses on these. Keep it up :)

[dzu]

Thanks for the comments guys. Here's another one from last night's head drawing. Fredflickstone helped me get the values under control.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_3.jpg

[Ra Havok]

You're getting really good at this, Dzu.

Perhaps the look of the drawings could be improved by some more line differentiation.

Question: how do the models manage to stay in the same pose for 4 and a half hours?? In my life model classes, one hour is maximum.

[dzu]

Ra Havok: The models hold the pose in 20 minute increments. After the first 20 minute session, one of the instructors will get some masking tape to mark off the position of her legs, feet, arms, etc so that she can get back into the same position. We also have a nose monitor to check the facing of the head and sometimes a head tilt monitor.


Here are a couple more drawings this past week. THe head drawing is 2 hours from today and the figure is 4 hours from Saturday. Values are washed out due to the camera unfortunately.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_4.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_5.jpg

[tinyhands]

That is a really nice figure drawing dzu, wish i could have been there. Oh well this week i'll finally be in class!!!! Anyway your stuff is looking awesome, keep it going.

-tiny

[dzu]

4 hour drawing tonight....

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_7.jpg

[jadedchron]

Absolutely love http://www.websown.com/~dzu/qsF03_4a.jpg . *sigh*

[pandawhipped]

Dzu these are lookin better and better! Great job with those hands bro

[dzu]

Just some quicksketches from yesterday... Thanks for the kind words everyone.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_8.jpg

[dzu]

Another semester down...I think I hit a wall about midway through the term and struggled with some consistency. I'm going to make a game plan for next semester to work on some of my weaknesses... Critiques and comments are welcome.

Some quicksketches...

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_18.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_9.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_10.jpg


Some portraits....

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_12.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_11.jpg


And some figures drawings...2 hour (no feet :D ) and 4 hour

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_13.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_14.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_15.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_16.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeW04_17.jpg

[Skank]

these are all great!
its threads like these that make meconfident that watts is where i will learn what i need to! im planning on attending there next year.

great job man =)

[dzu]

Skank: Thanks for the kind words. Good to hear that you're thinking of coming to Watts. It's defintely a great place with good people and top notch instruction. I'm sure we'll run into one another once you get down here :D

[rambhat]

Wow! Great improvement from start to end! Your rendering, proportions, and gesture is looking excellent. Congrats!

[pandawhipped]

Dzu dzu dzu! I love seein' this man, its so awesome to see us all improving. Just looking at the figures at the top compared to the latest ones is amazing.

I think your handling of tone is beautiful, you have a very unique style. Your main problem seems to be proportion. For example, sometimes a leg is either too short like you tried to squeeze it on the page, or too skinny. Not sure how to rectify that except by continuing to draw, which of course you will, so i'm sure in time you'll overcome that. Anyway just wanted to say wasssssup. See ya next semester

[dzu]

pandawhipped,

Thanks for the comments. Feet are the toughest part for me because I fill up the entire page and the angle skews up the proportions. I think I need to step back from my pad more to check proportions. Sometimes the model is lanky, though, like the 2nd figure drawing of the guy in profile and his type makes him look out of proportion once on the paper. Your stuff is coming along well too. You just need to get into the 6 hour class now :p

[fredflickstone]

dzu, hands and feet this next semester. This is a really solid progression. I love seeing the slight improvement over the entire semester. Your tonal handling is loosening up a little bit, and your gestures rely less on templates first and foremost.

Next semester, hands and feet, and I will help you find a looser approach. As the form thing becomes intuitive, we need a different approach to getting similar answers so your eye can start looking for your stuff to find in art...the editing process. Dont neglect the basics, try to make them even more intuitive, if that makes sense. At some point here, we will be looking for things that art doesnt show us, but the path to seeing allows us to find them, or they become more available to the eye once the mystery of how to achieve the rendering of an object is obsolete.

I hope that makes sense. This is actually a great way for me, as an instructor to look over your body of work and find the holes.

Your biggest hole currently, your hands and feet. Mostly the proportions of them to the body size. This needs regulating.

Ron

[dzu]

Ron: Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I need to not be afraid of making mistakes so that I can push myself to grow.


Here's more drawings from the start of this semester. A head drawing and some quicksketches.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_1.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_2.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_3.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_4.jpg

[arghmisfit]

im jealous of ur figure drawing... :p

keep it up dude!
:chug:

[Chewbacca]

sorry if i sound like a noob, but what do you guys do these drawings in?

[dzu]

Chewbacca: These are done on Seth Cole smooth newsprint using a Conte 1710 B charcoal pencil.

Here's a head drawing from the other night...

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_8.jpg

These are some quicksketches from the figure invention class. Basically we observe the model for 5 minutes and then try to draw the same pose from memory for 5 minutes

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_5.jpg

And a longer drawing from the figure invention class. For this one, we draw the model in 10 minute increments starting with head and shoulders, then torso and arms, and finally legs. After each 10 minute increment of drawing from the model, we turn the page and try to draw the same thing from memory. So it alternates between model then memory from head to toe

From the model....

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_6.jpg

And then from memory...

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_7.jpg

[dzu]

A couple images from last week and this week.

Here's a head drawing...eyes are a bit too small for the size of the head and fredflickstone tinkered with it at the end to unify everything. I tried a different approach on this one, going more tonal for the layin rather than construction.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_10.jpg

Here are some quicksketches..trying a different approach to this too. Used less construction and more mapping of tone.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_9.jpg

[dzu]

One of my better head drawings. I actually finished this with time to spare for once and wasn't sure where else to take it.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_11.jpg

[dzu]

New head drawing tonight, 2 hours or so. Again, I've been trying a new technique to layin the head.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_12.jpg

And here is a 9 hour cast drawing from the cast drawing class

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_13.jpg

[fredflickstone]

Damn dzu, this is serious growth. These ae really well done. You hit a huge milestone in your life work. Another semester and I think your ready to hit the canvas, no joke. I think in asemester or two also, you are ready for some assistant instruction. These rock Dzu I am not going to comment on the structural stuff except the noses. Study them for a while, vanderpoel, loomis, asaro, get em down. There isnt much to them, but they arent as well constructed currently. I would in addition, study vanderpoel for the far eye in a 3/4 pose. That one gets ya too. I will draw you up some simple form charts if you want to show you some of that stuff.

Beyond that, find a style you want to push, and lets figure it out. Make sure I know what it is too so I can help you lean on it a bit for guidance into that next look.

Ron

[dzu]

Thanks for the advice Ron. I'll add more to my plate to study :) I like the way the demos are going in class because it helps me notice things that were there before but I wasn't ready to see or hear. Now I need to find a way to loosen up and break away from the academic....


Some more drawings from the past couple weeks...

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_14.jpg

Something about his far left arm bugs me...

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_15.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_16.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_17.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_18.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_19.jpg

[dzu]

End of the semester life drawing dump! A shout out to those I met in Austin this past weekend :) Sorry about the image quality. Constructive feed back is welcome....

Some 2 and 4 hour life drawings

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_20.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_21.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_22.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_23.jpg

Some 2 hour head drawings

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_24.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_25.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_26.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_27.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_28.jpg

Some figure and head quicksketches; 3-5 minutes each

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_29.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_30.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_31.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_32.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeS04_33.jpg

[endregan]

sweet thats the stuff right there.

Amazing things that happen at watts I tell yoU!

[grinn]

Ah that settles it. I am going to Watts. hope to see you down there in the next few weeks Dzu. Nice work.

[dzu]

Thanks guys. Glad I could persude you to come down and join us, Grinn :) I'm taking a full load again so I'm sure we will run into one another. Let me know if you want suggestions regarding what to take etc.

[grinn]

Ahh I sure do. I have to talk to as many people as I can. I have two friends who look like they are going to take classes with me down there during the summer session before they have to go off to their respective schools.

[dzu]

The start of a new semester! Here's a drawing from last night's advanced head drawing. The goal was a high contrast vignette, minimal detail. I think the results were hit and miss.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_1.jpg

[grinn]

Ah thats cool, I saw you come over to our room for a little while. Nice work.

[StephenC]

Ahhhh, so this is what I'm misssing out on...
How was austin?

[dzu]

Small update today. Some portraits and some head quicksketches used for warmup. The portraits are about 2 hours and the quicksketches are 5 mins or so.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_2.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_4.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_3.jpg

[jetpack42]

dzu, cool stuff. the left side of his glasses seems a bit wonky. i love the middle quicksketch (looking forward). awesome work, i can't wait to get there. thanks for sending velo some pics.

[dzu]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Here are some more drawings from the past couple days.


4 hour life drawing

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_5.jpg

Some feet studies in class

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_6.jpg

2 hour portrait using a pickout technique and a dual light source setup

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_7.jpg

[pandawhipped]

What are those feet studies from? Hands feet and drapery class? That pickout picture came out good, that was so freakin hard! I think it pushed everyone in that class, so I'm sure we all benefited from it like CrAzY.

Dude...great job on that back, I wished mine looked like that (my drawings, not MY back...although actually... :trouble: )

[dzu]

Wow it's been a while. I've been really busy with other stuff but the semester is over so it's time to update the thread! Overall I'd say this semester was hit and miss as I started to push myself and experiment a bit more. If anything I've tried to get away from a tight linear layin and just go straight to a looser tonal layin/scumbling to start a picture. C&C are welcome.

First some portrait drawings from the Advanced Head Drawing class and Head/Figure/Quicksketch. Each week the lighting was changed and we were given a set of rules/techniques to follow. I don't remember what the order of these drawings are since it's been a while. All were done in about 2 hours.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_8.jpg

This was done using short linear strokes to render the form

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_9.jpg

Didn't like how this one turned out. She's a hard type to get IMO plus the lighting was mostly rimlight and halftone

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_12.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_20.jpg

This was fun to draw because of the cool lighting

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_21.jpg

Now some drapery studies. I think these were 30 mins to an hour each.

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_11.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_13.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_10.jpg

And finally the figure work. The vignettes and incomplete drawings were about 2 hours. The finished pieces were about 3.5-5 hours. Because of my experimentation, proportion was the first thing to slip as you can see on some of these pieces... >:{

2 hours on this one

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_14.jpg

Started to use more tonal layins from this point forward

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_22.jpg

Shortened his arm too much/made his head too big

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_18.jpg

Same with her too. Stupid proportions :\

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_19.jpg

Starting to catch the slips now that I can see them as I scumble...

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_23.jpg

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_24.jpg

2 hours on this one. Wish I had another 30 mins or so for the legs/feet and to fix the features

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_16.jpg

And finally....This was tweaked at the end by Ron Lemen/Fredflickstone

http://www.websown.com/~dzu/lifeSu04_15.jpg

[grinn]

lol i think it is so awesome to recognize some of those poses. nice work dzu, and cya in class next month....hopefully.