The first of a three-part series of postings on dabbling back in figurative studies. Very gratifying in an artistic way to get back on the proverbial bicycle after a couple-year-long hiatus from working with a model. The usual MO is to warm-up with a batch one-minute gestures with graphite on newsprint. Not of any value in an archival sense, but still fun to play with the leavings left scattered about the floor afterwards (back to the art = verb, ie an action, a process, as opposed to a noun).
Also there are a host of other factors which contribute to the physical and mental processes that kick into gear when shifting into a different mode of drawing. Even the act of standing up at an easel, the motions of drawing from the shoulder instead of from the wrist while hunched over a tabletop - not to mention going mouseless and no monitor either. The perceptual awareness of a dynamic, instinctual, reflexive approach is a subtle change that is a tremendous help in shaking off old habits of looking at and thinking about one's art. Specifically in the case of figurative work it's more often than not a simple matter of not thinking, just doing it.
Twenty-minute seated pose was penciled out on 18 x 24" Bristol, then the contour line is simplified with dip pen + India ink, and a final pass for value with charcoal and some wash. I usually make a habit of giving some originals to the model for the session and so snap a few shots of the piece to finish it digitally with a light tweak in Photoshop back at the studio.
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