We had the figure drawing class today. Yes, the one with the talkative teacher, who's driving me nuts with his endless talking and taletelling, mostly since what he says doesn't always have much to do with art.
There are artists who manage to block everything out when they draw or paint. Not me, alas. I'm more the kind who needs the whole world to come to a halt in order to concentrate. And so, this drawing class used to send me home with a headache and murderous thoughts.
The JohnnyB kept telling me "why don't you take your iPod?".
Because.
I avoided this for weeks and months, but last week, after a session that was spent resisting a violent urge to go on a killing spree (and apparently I was not the only one with such aspirations...) I brought my iPod.
As did LimaB.
As did MembieK.
And for the last couple of sessions, the only injuries were the two birds I killed with one iPod: enjoying music while drawing - and blocking out the babbling and the background noise.
Works like magic.
Today we had a great model who showed up with a long dress and a big straw hat. As always, I started with the figure, but then got bored of doing the same thing. I decided to follow the teacher's recurring advice "don't show me what you know to do. Show me what you don't know!". (see - I hear the good stuff despite the earphones!).Now, what do I not know to do?
A lot of things, But when it comes to the figure, the answer is simple: HANDS!
And our model was doing those graceful hand gestures, which intrigued me much more than the rest of her.
Yes, hands are tough, and I keep avoiding them, but if I never try, I'll go on doing the same thing over and over again and stay in my comfort zone forever.
Too easy, too comfy, and way too boring.
I gave it a go.
Yup, I have a lot more to learn and practice, but hey - it feels good to start facing your demons.
14 comments:
Nava, wow, your hands are looking great. maybe they're not your demons anymore! Holly
Good for you, taking your own background music rather than listening to blourg (I was going to say blather but BLOURG came up as my verification word and I figured I'd use it! You've captured the delicate, elegant look of the model's hands well, the pale colors you used adding to the look.
Holly, oh trust me, hands are still demons... but once we face our demons, they are not as intimidating.
Rhonda, blourg - I like that!!! the model had such poetic hands that it helped a lot. Can you tell she's a musician?
If I drew hands they would be in the "horrifying" category.
Yours on the other hand (get it?)are lovely.
:)
Hands! Right up there with feet and teeth. But you did a great job facing down, or handing down the demons and showed some lovely fingers in repose.
Gaaads, how I abhor chatter for the sake of room fill.
Certain DVD instructionals are guilty of the same offense and I can't listen.
I think the hands look great. Dainty and very fragile looking.
Rhonda, Bonnie and Jeani, I still have a looooooooong way to go to deserve your compliments, but thank you :-)
hi baby doll,
you cool?
don't be too hard on teach. i've been learning to teach this academic year. oh dear its tricky. and i now have some small idea of what a pain i've been as a student myself.
teaching ain't easy. so yours talks too much? perhaps s/hes lonely and thinks the students dont like him/her and is talking to enjoy the comfort of the sound of his/her own voice. how disconcerting to see all the favourite students glaring out from behind ipods.
anyway do i actually care. nope. it feels like spring over here. hopefully with you too. peace n love.
patrick
Some nice hands here, Nava.
However that comment about show me what you don't know seems mostly to show you have a big dummy for an instructor.
You did wonderful work, Nava. Graceful, elegant hands.
Nava, nice hands and so timely for me. I am working up a larger piece of a gaucho woman and need to spend some time on her hands. Awk! You inspire me to work through the challenge.
Ok, it's been a while - again. I guess we're gonna have to round up a posse and come get you!! :) Seriously, hope you are okay and just sitting cogitating somewhere maybe having fresh ideas and paintings percolating for a while...
Patrick, hmmm... you almost managed to make me feel guilty. But hey - when the teacher actually interferes with doing what it is we're supposed to do in class, should we just succumb to his that? I say no.
OnPainting, ah, how gentle you are...
Dar Presto, Thank you - a big part was the model herself who inspired me so.
Mary, cool to now I managed to inspire someone. Thanks for that!
Rhoda, I'm working on a painting and am trying to make it good enough to post. Maybe I should just post it and then post the "after" version once it's done?
These are some gorgeous man hands.
Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine hooks Jerry up with this gorgeous babe who has this really fat hands. He calls them man hands.
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