CHARCOAL LIFE DRAWINGS

1997, 1999

When I was 16 or 17, a great opportunity was given to me by a professor of a life drawing course. He asked the class if we would be interested in visiting the morgue to draw cadavers. I had never seen a corpse before, and combined with the new shock of seeing so many nude models on a daily basis, I wasn't too sure I was ready to handle the experience. We did end up going to the hospital during class time, but seconds after the mortician revealed the cool-yellow of dead flesh before our class, the majority of the students lost their composure, and the teacher thought it would be best to draw skeletons without tissue. To the entire class as a whole, it was a much easier experience to handle. We switched rooms, and proceeded to draw bones. I don't think the drawings came out nearly as interesting as they could have if we stayed in the other room.

The next time I get a chance to draw from such a ghostly source, I will force myself to follow through. The images will undeniably turn out bizarre.

When I look through enough of these charcoal drawings in my old portfolio, I can definitely feel the nervousness and insecurity of the line weight. I was studying architectural drafting simultaneously, and sometimes I would have both classes on the same day. I remember how the muscles in my wrists would feel after abruptly switching from drawing extremely precise lines to drawings of a figurative style. I always felt more comfortable in drafting. Rulers and other instruments give me security. But I always felt freehand drawings had more heart, even if they were only sketches.



10min Nude Study

10min Nude Study

10min Nude Study
 

8min Quad
 

Stylized Nude Study

Nude Study

Skeletal Study




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