Cinque Terre in Between Classes

On Friday all thoughts were of getting the drawing ready for the final lay-in of 2B pencil. I finished the first layer of a medium light value, then removed any dark spots, flecks or areas that stood out from the medium light value. This was done with a kneaded eraser. If it removed too much, then I went back in with the tip of the sharpened pencil and filled the area until everything blended. Very time consuming. When this was finished, the instructor looked it over and I was given my list of changes to make. The entire drawing needed to be remeasured and corrected. As the value is put on, edges and lines shift, changing the measurements. I got about halfway through the corrections on Friday.  It does make a difference!

A lecture by John Michael Angel about the Academic Painting Process was given in the afternoon, instead of the figure drawing class. It was very interesting: overview of the earliest art schools, workshops and ateliers. Then the painting process itself: toned canvas, drawing, lay-in of darks, lay-in of lights, local color, second color and the nuances of detail, details. The breakdown of "problems" was in fact the way to speed the process of painting. The slides of examples were wonderful and inspiring.

On Saturday, we took a side trip to Cinque Terre - this is an area in Liguria, north of Florence. It is comprised of five towns along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, linked together by hiking trails and a train. The trip started with a hike up 368 stairs! That just about killed me - no kidding. We hiked through hills and valleys, 40 minutes up and 40 minutes down, to quaint fishing villages. A train took us between two of the towns and we returned to our starting point by boat. The day was clear and hot, the food fresh from the ocean, and the sights incredible. This wasn't an easy trip and I still can't believe we did it.

Back to school today-the Bargue drawing was waiting for me. I measured and darkened the shadow areas with a 2B pencil. The strokes must be nice and even, without any blotchy areas or spots. My work was accepted at the end of the class and tomorrow I will be stomping the shaded area and evening out the surface with an HB pencil. The second level Bargues have more shading and halftone areas to work out. The blending will be a smoother transition between values.

Two more figures in the afternoon - a new model this week. We continue to practice the measuring  technique for the figure and drawing in the contour. Shading and details are not allowed. It is getting easier to draw the figure.

They say there is a look-a-like for everyone, somewhere in the world. Take a look at this photo. Am I the only one to see Gary Wick? I may not be a fashionista, but Gary, next time you are in Italy, leave the hawaiian shirt at home!