8th Grade Drawing From Life

8th grade students spent some time in art class learning to draw the figure from observation. First we started with gesture drawings–quick drawings of action poses that are meant to just capture the essence of the pose. Students took turns modeling with props like guitars, parasols, chairs, and even a 19th century mandolin. The students seemed to have just as much fun drawing as modeling. We used vine charcoal on newsprint paper and chamois cloths to wipe away drawings to create new ones. The wonderful thing about gesture drawing is that they are very quick (from one to two minutes long). The idea is to not think, just react. It takes the pressure off in a way and helps artists just focus in on seeing their subject matter clearly.

The next day, students free-experimented with brightly colored chalk pastels, conte crayon, vine and compressed charcoal and white charcoal pencil. Working on colored charcoal paper, the students just got playful and experimented with what the materials could do. We were lucky enough to have one of our staff model for us. With a spotlight shining on her, it was easier to see strong areas of light and shadow. Students learned to sight the proportions of the figure, using the head as a visual measurement. They divided the page into however many heads tall the seated figure was and began sketching in the form. We only had the model for about a half an hour with one break and gallery walk built inbetween. In this short time, each student took a very individualized approach to drawing the figure with the many different dry media that was available to them. I love the freshness and boldness of many of these drawings. We hope you will enjoy them too!