Life Drawing

Life drawing
One of the most fascinating courses that I ever took was that of “life drawing”.I was instructed in this discipline by a fantastic artist in the Belleville region by the name of Bill Tomlinson.Michael Rutland was also instrumental in my enjoyment of life drawing.Rest in Peace my friend.Bill led a class of approximately six students through the process of life drawing utilizing the techniques of gesture drawing;A gesture drawing is a laying in of the action, form, and pose of a model/figure. Typical situations involve an artist drawing a series of poses taken by a model in a short amount of time, often as little as 10 seconds, or as long as 5 minutes. blind contour drawing; Blind contour drawing is a drawing exercise, where an artist draws the contour of a subject without looking at the paper., compositional drawings, all while sketching in timelines of one minute ,two minutes,three minutes,in rapid progression.The selected models were very professional and well trained in providing the best compositions for the different perspectives for the students that were situated around the room. Why did I did I decide to step out of my comfort zone while I felt very comfortable with oil painting?There is something very liberating and peaceful about life-drawing. Like in a meditation, you are in the moment, without thoughts, lost in time. The set time limit allows you to know when you’re done and it’s no biggie if you didn’t get “finished”. It’s all about the process, and there is another pose coming. The fact that your sketch really means nothing and ends whenever it does, makes for a stress-free time. Simply put, your drawings are what they are - an end to no means.
Onwards and upwards.My passion for art has no limits and my desire to learn more disciplines is refreshing.
It is only when we are no longer fearful that we begin to create.
―  J. M. W. Turner
Christopher Finkle