Thursday 1/20 LINE: GESTURE

Thursday night began with a lecture concerning the various styles and approaches to gesture.  We viewed works from John Singer Sargent, Alberto Giacometti and Kathe Kollwitz as well as examples from past students. The primary approaches to Gesture Drawing are: Line, Mass, Line/ Mass combined, and Scribble. 

We started with Cross-Contour Drawings to establish an understanding of addressing volumes across the gourd forms.  The natural tendency is to focus on the outside edges.  Instead, Cross-Contours focuses one's attention across the volumes.

Next, we made Continuous Line Drawings to establish a sense of volume all the way around the form; an all encompassing approach.  Note how the edges are rephrased multiple times - not just once around the form.  Furthermore, the lines have a quality of weight and light by pushing harder in areas of more weight and shadow while using less pressure in areas of light and receding volumes - turning away from the viewer.

Next, came Scribble Gestures.  This approach uses line to capture a sense of Mass and Volume as well as Light.  Notice in this student drawing, by spreading the lines apart creates lighter tones whereas grouping the lines closer together creates darker values establishing shades and weight.

Michelle Phillips' drawing has done a great job of capturing the character of the gourd while addressing the volumes through Cross-Contour and the light source and weight of the form through Mass techniques.

Mike Geare's drawing beautifully captures the mass of the forms.  The area of special note is the right side of the gourd where the line breaks merging the positive form with the negative space.

Leslie Gonzalez has done very well at emphasizing the negative areas over the positive forms.  The objective in this drawing is to be suggestive of the gourds without giving away too much - make the viewer work at it. The area of special note in Leslie's drawing is her rendering of the squash in the lower left by the way she has captured the shadows of the indentations and subtly drawing the top.