Last week I was fortunate to be enrolled in a figure drawing workshop with Iliya Mirochnik http://www.iliyamirochnik.com. This it the third workshop I have attended with Iliya as the instructor, and it never ceases to amaze me that such a young man could possess so much talent, skill, and knowledge! The drawing above took me about 21 hours. The model was a former body builder. It was great to see her muscles, but she could not hold her pose. Her head was not still for more than 30 seconds. Students have her head in all different positions - some facing left, some right. It is amusing to see. Since I could not determine how to draw her head, Iliya had me do a sketch below, and then copy it on my figure drawing. This helped. Since it was a figure drawing, I was told not to concentrate on achieving a likeness, but to focus on structure and form.
In order to experience anatomy close up (I mean really up close and personal), Iliya brought us to Tufts Medical School to study a cadaver with an Iraqi doctor, who went to elementary school with Saddam Hussein. A fantastic experience!
Other than focusing on the form and anatomy as you can see in the above long pose, we also attempted quick sketches on newsprint at the beginning of the week. We did line line drawings, contour drawings, and light and dark tonal impressions. This approach is very different from the usual ARA procedure. I find both techniques beneficial, and when I am ready to go out on my own, I will certainly work in both manners depending on my purpose.
I explained to Iliya that I want to practice my hatching, and he suggested I fill in 5 pieces of lined paper with hatches. I did 5 with straight lines, and 2 with curved. He said at the end of the exercise I would be able to hatch like Michelangelo. He had more faith in me than he should have. I will continue to practice this.
