Life Drawing class wrap-up

I took my first Life Drawing class last semester, posting some of my work on here. Silly student that I am, I didn't think a class on learning to draw realistically would benefit my cartoon work. I had severely underestimated the value of knowing anatomy.

 Done on the first day of class

I don't know if my new-found mastery of anatomy and human proportion shows at all in my work, but it has definitely made a difference for me. I now have the confidence to try poses and angles I shied away from before; and I can now draw decent hands and feet (!!!)

 My first self-portrait. Done as HW

The importance of trying different materials and techniques was never me true for me. I had always had a love/hate relationship with pencils....I loved to draw but hated pencils. I decided that this meant I can't draw. My teacher's insistence on using a variety of materials and techniques had me playing with charcoals for the first time.

 Half-way through the semester

If you are willing to get a bit messy, I highly recommend trying it before giving up drawing. I found myself making marks I had only dreamt about...I had been trying to make marks with pencils that, frankly, was impossible to do. I just had to find the right materials.

Second self-portrait HW

Last semester was incredibly rewarding and I am always pleasantly surprised when I realize that I have improved. I'm glad I stuck with it.

 More than one model for the first time! Last in-class drawing.

To see the entire progress of my work, check out my Life Drawing set on Flickr.

In-progress shot of my Final drawing