Sealacanth Studios: Figure Drawing I Portfolio

I am very sad that this class has come to an end. Even though I didn't want to go half the time because the class was from 7:00-9:30pm, I really loved this experience. We were lucky enough to get to sketch a variety of people, all with completely different personalities and body types. And it has given me a different perspective when I look at artworks that involve models. Caravaggio, for example, painted beggars, individuals he met at bars, and even himself in most of his work. Alice Neel and Lucian Freud painted friends, lovers, and family in their deeply intimate portraits. And a few of Manet's paintings have been linked to the same model, suggesting a possible fondness he had for her. Working with models in artwork is a very intimate process which often involves/creates unique relationships between the artist and model. And because of that, the artist captures a part of that person's personality in the piece, regardless if they are posing as someone else. Now when I look at pieces like these, I wonder what that person was like, how they got to that point, were they a dog person or a cat person, etc. It adds another layer to piece, even if it wasn't the intended perception.

The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio, 1598, oil on canvas

Georgie and Annemarie, Alice Neel, 1982, oil on canvas

Painter and Model, Lucian Freud, 1987, oil on canvas

Olympia, Edouard Manet, 1863, oil on canvas

The Luncheon, Edouard Manet, 1863, oil on canvas

The Nude Maja, Francisco Goya

The Tragedy, Pablo Picasso, 1903, oil on canvas

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer, 1665, oil on canvas

Venus of Urbino, Titian, 1538, oil on canvas

***To learn more about any of these artists (like the wonderful Alice Neel) check out this amazing resource Artsy.net! This site provides detailed bios, artwork samples, and much more info on almost anything you want to learn about artists/art history.***

Anyway, I plan on making more in-depth posts about my last two projects in this class, but for now this is the work that comprised my final portfolio for the course. It included ten random short gesture drawings from our warm-ups at the beginning of each class, five 20+min drawings from the longer poses we did, and all of our final projects that took one to two class periods.

10 short gesture drawings (3-10min)