Tuesday 9-21 was our first opportunity to draw from a model in class.  We started off by doing a number of very short (20 second or less) drawings of the model.  We do so many from so many different angles in order to better understand the model's form, thus be able to better draw it.  Some of my drawings were moderately successful at that stage, however, I was quite frustrated with the short drawings.  This frustration lets me know that I need to work on seeing the form better in order to more efficiently draw it.

We then proceeded to draw a number drawings, increasing the allowed time.  As the time increased I felt more and more comfortable with how my drawings were turning out.  Having a bit more time allowed me to pay more attention to proportions and more accurately draw the from.  At the end of class we did 2 different 30 minute drawings.  This was the drawing I was most pleased with during this class period.




















On Thursday 9-23 we received our mannekins.  After cleaning off the clay from the past semester's students we went over the terms we would be using to describe the form in an anatomical sense.  We also received our first assignment on the mannekin, to build the spinal erectors, the muscles that allow us to stand upright and be bipedal.

Getting back in the swing of things.

This past week in Life Drawing I we did a few exercises to get back into the swing of drawing.  On Tuesday, 9-14 we did blind contour drawings of the seashells we were given by our instructor.  I found this to be rather frustrating at first, but, after looking at what everyone comes up with, really enjoyed going through the exercise.  When we looked at the drawings as a class, I thought some of the drawings were excellent despite being sloppy.  My drawing vaguely resembled a seashell, and I can see that I need to work on my lines; they all tend to be the same thickness.  My classmates suggested that I slow down while drawing and vary my line weight more. If I start altering my line weights I think it will help my drawings along quite a bit.

On Thursday 9-16 we drew from the skeleton mannequins in class.  We studied the curves of the spinal column and how individual vertebrae align along the spine.  We learned the names of the curves: cervical being the curve of the neck, thoracic being the long curve of the back, lumbar the lower back, and sacral, the curve of our tailbone.  During class we did a handful of short drawings from various angles of the mannequins, all the while making the spine, pelvis and ribcage our primary focus.  I can really see how studying the human form piece by piece will make our overall understanding of the form better.  We also learned how to use specific parts of the human form as points of reference.  I can see from my drawings that it will take some work for me to fully understand the human form and how the different parts of the body flow into the others.
I'm looking forward to drawing from a model and putting what we learned to use.

Introductory Post

My name is Cody Pinnow.  I am a student at UW-Stout in Menomonie Wisconsin.  I am currently majoring in Studio Art with a metals concentration.  I first got into art late in high school and have been ever since.  Some of the work that I am most proud of are my raised vessels of copper.  The cup to the right is a raised copper cup with two (you can only see one) castings of my fingers forming impressions on either side.  The coloration is a heat patina produced using controlled heat of a propane torch.  The cups and pitcher below are also of raised copper, they rest on holders of bent acrylic.  I deeply appreciate the physical strength and endurance necessary to create such pieces.  My favorite course thus far at UW-Stout has been sculpture.  I, very much, enjoyed the opportunity to work very conceptually, something that I do not do very often in my work.  I tend to work more formally in my metalwork.  I am taking Life Drawing I to complete the requirements of my major.  I do not often work two-dimensionally, so, I'm sure this class will provide me with a better understanding of the human form.  After I graduate this spring I plan on attending graduate school and obtaining my Master's degree.