Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Folds and Creases



4/2/13 Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi ink, Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook
Anyone who has ever done life drawing with a model knows that there’s nothing easy about drawing naked skin. But I have to say, drawing clothed skin is no cakewalk, either.
 
This time of year in Seattle, patrons of coffee shops tend to wear sweaters and other knits, so I’m familiar with (though not yet adept at) sketching the creases in bent sleeves or softly draping hoodies. This morning at Zoka Coffee, a man was wearing a crisply pressed, button-up shirt (at left), and I realized I need more practice sketching the shapes that reflect or absorb light in woven fabrics. 
4/2/13 Take-Sumi ink
 
4/2/13 Private Reserve Velvet Black ink
One of my life drawing role models is Don Colley, a master at capturing the human form, clothed and unclothed. When you see his drawings of clothed people, you can tell exactly which way the body is moving, where the weight is or how tight the clothes are by looking at the creases and folds in the fabric. And by the way, he works his magic not with smudgy graphite or charcoal, but with markers!
 
Sigh – more practice, more practice.

4/2/13 Take-Sumi ink

2 comments:

  1. I think you did a great job on the folds and shading of the garments...the cuff on the man's shirt grabbed my attention right away! Nicely done! I also read your post below about starting a new journal. I agree with you that it isn't that hard...but maybe we're both used to it by now.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Joan! I guess the benefit of being prolific sketchers like you and I is that we go through a lot of sketchbooks, so we get over it. ;-)

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