Art is something I’ve always been passionate about. Even when working in the UX and product verticals, I still apply the elements of art and design, such as color, form, space, texture, and more. But I want to use my art skills to create something substantial and meaningful. So I looked for a way to go back to the fundamentals.
Recently, I started taking courses in classical drawing and painting at the Bay Area Classical Artist Atelier (BACAA) — it’s been over a decade since I’ve had any traditional art training! I chose to go with cast drawing and life portraiture classes.
My process of starting the cast drawing of Laocoon in my first drawing session. I started by identifying the envelope and ensuring it’s composed on the paper in a pleasing manner.
The cast of Laocoon form the status Laocoön and His Sons. Note it’s in a different angle and lighting from my drawing from class.
Start of a portrait of a live model. Drawing from life adds an extra dimension of challenge compared with drawing from photographs.
Drawing from life and from cast are great ways to practice and improve art skills. After one semester of classes I am already feeling improvements in my drawing ability, confidence, and self-esteem. I’ve learned some life lessons that I can apply not just in my art and my work, but in my daily life as well.
1) Start with the big picture. It may be tempting to go straight to the fun parts, but without setting up the framework and composition you won’t have room for the full picture.
2) Have an understanding of what you’re doing. You can just copy what you see, but if you learn anatomy and how the forms come together, your work will reflect that knowledge.
3) Take things slowly. If you rush through the drawing you’ll miss out on the important details and may end up having to redo some parts.
4) Trust the process. There will be times where the drawing looks absolutely horrible, Don’t stress, it’s all part of the process. The end product will look very, very different.