Hip Hop

Pictured here
Apollo's Diana 1504-05 Durer 116X73mm Engraving
After Michelangelo's David 1524 Da Vinci 270X201mm Pen ink black chalk
Vitruvian Man, Da Vinci 344X245mm Pen Ink Watercolour

The Pelvis is a good landmark with landmarks for describing the human form. It is a shape that is quite easy to recognize in terms of skeletal structure. It is easily located on yourself and imperative to understanding how the human is built, how the human moves and how the human reacts against gravity. With that being said standing straight starts at the toes and a large portion of posture is how the pelvis accepts and distributes the weight. The spinal column extends from the pelvis, setting the core to any drawing.

The Cage

Pictured here from Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Hale and Terene Coyle
Jacopo Pontormo's Studies, Red Chalk, 16 1/8" X 10 5/8"
Andrea Del Sarto's Study of St. John the Baptist for Baptism of the multitude, Red Chalk
Theodore Gericault Study for one of the figures on the raft of medusa, Charcoal, 11 1/2 X 8 1/8"
I have found the ribcage to be a valuable tool for mapping information. In class we were told that the spine and cage will have many variables but the sternum is always the same. I do not have the luxury of body recall in this instance because my sternum makes a few extra curves. Slightly after the manubrium, my chest expanded so much that it collapsed into itself. Learning the true gestural shape and behavior of the bones as they pour out of the spine has proven a good structure to build surface off of. The ribcage has proven to be crucial in understanding the human figure.

Gesture Drawin'

It would seem as if I have lost my 30 min. sketch from sept 9th, thus I have included the fifteen minute gesture at the end of class. Also pictured are the sept 16th twenty min. sketch and below the half hour of sept. 11th. In drawing the core structure of a human I have significantly learned the importance of line quality. Drawing 100 people I discovered how much you can describe an individual in a manner of seconds with only a few lines. These details include but are not limited to how they hold themselves against gravity, comfort level, what manner they carry themselves and captures an easily accurate sense of proportion. In combining the core (sept 11th) with the outline (sept 9th) you can truly achieve an accurate rendering (sept 16th) in rather quick time. I feel that core drawings are even more descriptive than outline drawings. The core gives a sense of depth, a proportional structure to work out from. I also found that making the shoulder blade line into a cylinder and the pelvis into a spherical-cubic shape really helped set the rest of the body. The spine also being a successful mapping tool. I found that joints were much easier handled with small circles on the axis. The hands and feet are also very descriptive of the persons position, what they are doing, and how they are doing it. I have also found that Yoga is beneficial to understanding the body. Being more aware of my own body and having a wide range of postures in my body memory it has been very helpful in depicting the human form in understanding how the position feels as well as looks.

Three representational drawings

A toast to the fruit of knowledge, 25.5”X19” May 2008, Pastel, The problem was to design a self-portrait involving a vegetable and utilize complimentary colour harmonies. I attempted to leave implications to the fruit of knowledge.










What did one telephone say to another?, 22”X30”, Dec 2007, Charcoal, This is a Koan I developed. A Koan is a question such as what is the sound of one hand clapping? The idea developed as a part of interdependent arising. This is a term possibly best described in scientific terms, with the universe exploding from one point and expanding into infinity becoming more and more distorted, on the molecular level everything is a chemical reaction of another chemical reaction, down to the synapses of the human brain and the movement in your hand. This process is also very similar to the child's game of telephone.








The Hallucinogenic Experience Called Life; A Self Portrait, 8’’X10’’, Dec 2007, This is a funny karmic situation of the ego that arises from the idea that life; described as a set of senses and experiences both real and unreal, is a self portrait. With this piece I really wanted to break borders and reach out of the box.