Denouement

Somewhere around the time I was setting up the Go Pro's tripod between myself and the easel, I began to think myself a bit crazy.  I can screw up a drawing and just not show people how it turned out.  But because I had already made a bit of a show of using the Go Pro camera already on the site, I knew I couldn't just act like it didn't happen.  So I was setting myself up for some highish expectations.  Well it turns out I did indeed get two drawings I quite liked on camera.  Lucky for all of us then.  Also, you're welcome for me not taking the model's suggestion to include him in the footage with the drawing.

Max Ulichney 3/29/2012

Max Ulichney 3/29/2012

Jon Forsman 3/29/2012

Jon Forsman 3/29/2012

Jon Forsman 3/29/2012

Week 9: Foreshadowing

Apologies for my silence last week.  The realities of a busy production got the best of me.  The good news is that the job in question looks beautiful and now I'll have more time for you, my favorite drawing blog readers– all three of you (hi Mom). 

The photo above depicts the subtle interplay of CG room office lights on the varied surfaces of a Go Pro camera.  It brings to mind the nanny state and our role within society as it is dictated by those who lay out our fate, dangling the carrot of consumerism and our own insecurities as ants in the colony.  Also, I'm going to be capturing some of my drawings in time lapse with it.  I'm excited but I hope I don't embarrass myself tonight.  See you on the other side.

The March 16th of Progress

Max Ulichney 3/15/2012

Another week, another post.  This much is to be expected– an inevitability as inevitable as the inevitable sunrise or its subsequent setting (which is inevitable if you think about it).  What makes this week special is that it happened to involve a bit of a drawing model celebrity, which I'll grant you is a relative term to be sure.  Our model was the inspiration for Disney's Tarzan.  He was easily one of the best models I've ever drawn, personally speaking.

Week after week I'm seeing everyone's work getting stronger and that's really inspiring.  We got yet another new face to join us this week too.  What this all proves to me is that this varied stack of contéd and charcoaled paper we've amassed in our underground A52 Figure Drawing bunker has quite a bit more value than as simply the evidence of some creative Thursday nights spent at the office.  This is gradually but measurably improving people's very lives.

Henry DeLeon 3/15/2012

Henry DeLeon 3/15/2012

Henry DeLeon 3/15/2012

Henry DeLeon 3/15/2012

  

Max Ulichney 3/15/2012

Max Ulichney 3/15/2012

Max Ulichney 3/15/2012

Max Ulichney 3/15/2012

Weak Sicks

Max Ulichney 3/8/2012

What you see above was done on my iPad just for kicks.  The texture provided by Instagram helps a lot.  In fact it almost looks presentable.  Let's just say you won't see the other two I did in Sketchbook Pro tonight.

We went for more clothed poses this week.  Yuko wore two kimonos (one after the other, not both at the same time) for the last hour and it mixed things up nicely.  It seems to have inspired some great stuff.  Nice work everyone.

Meredith Tomasulo 3/8/2012

Meredith Tomasulo 3/8/2012

Meredith Tomasulo 3/8/2012

Henry DeLeon 3/8/2012

Henry DeLeon 3/8/2012

Henry DeLeon 3/8/2012

Alan Chen 3/8/2012

Alan Chen 3/8/2012

Alan Chen 3/8/2012

Max Ulichney 3/8/2012

Max Ulichney 3/8/2012

Fresh Blood

Glyn Tebbutt 3/1/2012

Do the clothes one arrived in qualify as a "costume?"  I'm of the mind that they don't.  But you know, naked people get cold and sometimes a little heater won't do.  So what do we do?  We make beanie and scarf lemonade.  And so goes our introduction to the difficult world of clothed models.

This was Glyn's first time back at figure drawing in a good while and he brought with him some cool conté techniques.  Fresh blood is always welcome.  Joe joined us too (after weeks of promising he really wanted to come, but it's cool because I'm not bitter), but since he didn't want to share his stuff here (which is totally cool and I don't mind), he doesn't get the public props Glyn is getting here.

Glyn Tebbutt 3/1/2012

Glyn Tebbutt 3/1/2012

Max Ulichney 3/1/2012

Max Ulichney 3/1/2012

Max Ulichney 3/1/2012

Max Ulichney 3/1/2012

Week Five's Wordy Blog Post

Max Ulichney 3/1/2012

Conté may not always be the very first thing on my mind most days, but I'd wager it takes up an unreasonably high proportion of my lizard brain moment to moment.  Before this figure drawing endeavor we have embarked upon, I'd have suspected I was an anomaly.  Not so it seems!  I find myself in a veritable support group of like minded individuals who cannot be dissuaded from their fever dreams of charcoal and conté and graphite and, like, crayon or something.  We have found in each other a community.  A community that stares at a naked person in a remote hallway of a Santa Monica post house once a week.  I'm sure there are more conventional ways to spend one's time, but naked people.

We did some blind contours this week.  I don't know if they were especially popular, but I don't need your approval.  I prefer to think they were fun and low pressure and amusing.  And weird looking (see above).  Basically you aren't allowed to look at your page and you just let your lines wander as you observe the model.  The end result is unusual, to be charitable.  They're usually good for a laugh, but it does seem to exercise a different brain muscle.  Did I mention we're studying anatomy?  Because we are.

We had a few more new people join us.  I am thrilled they were able to join us.  This whole thing just keeps getting better and better.