Art is not what you see but what you make others see – Edgar Degas

The Artist Chris Francis is adamant about observation in his works and wants people to share his vision…

Line:

Line is sensual, subtle: Invariably, it is not straight from one point to another; from the shoulder to the elbow, for example.  There will be variations within that line which truly reflects the shape and form of the limb.

It also requires careful measurement.  The notion of the upright thumb or pencil to measure distances and angles is often denigrated but it’s an excellent start to developing the observational skills to measure by eye.  

Further sophistications are Triangulation or the Five Point Exercise whereby the tip of the medium is placed on a feature in the drawing e.g. nose and, then looking at the model the tip is moved to the navel without looking at the paper and a mark is made.  Then tip is swiftly moved unselfconsciously to another point,  a nipple for example, keeping the eyes on the model and its marked on the paper without looking at it.  Maintaining observation of the model, another point is indicated at the opposite side of the figure or at a diagonal.  Eventually, criss-crossing the drawing, spotting and dotting, until each mark coincides with its predecessor.  It takes confidence and several attempts but it is eventually immensely satisfactory

A danger with life drawing in any medium is to have preconceived ideas of what the subject looks like; an illusion dispelled by the stance or position and the body becomes even more asymmetrical than it naturally is. The drawing whatever the medium, pen,  pencil or charcoal, should render the line as seen from the model to obtain a true representation of the figure’s physical presence..

It is easy to be fearful of ensuring that every line is accurate but an eraser used every time a mistake is counter-productive made. Employed later in the drafting process it can be an effective drawing device with any smudges adding to work’s character.   More foreboding, is using  a pen but numerous attempts can enhance the picture - just look at the shoulder of the model ‘Recumbent’.  However, Dr Ph Martin’s  Bleed Proof White can rectify, even improve  a drawing..

The Artist Chris Francis displays this ink drawing among other line drawings in the Figure and Nude Studies of this website.#nude#femaleform#figure#lifedrawing#femalebody