These are three five-minute sketches from life class. I made myself put them all on one page, which meant I had to vary the size of each. A good exercise, and some interesting results.
Geoff Watson, "Figure sketches," graphite on paper, about 12" x 16," 2018.
At my life-painting session on Saturday, the room was crowded, and I found myself painting the model from this somewhat awkward angle. A bit racy! I considered just painting a portrait, but her face was pretty far away, so I thought about how to make a full-figure study that would be tasteful. I decided to use lots of soft edges, for a blurry look. Our instructor also suggested I emphasize the light on the figure against the very dark background.
At the very end of the session I started sketching in the pillows and drapery supporting her. I'm not sure I'll leave those in; we'll see next week.
Geoff Watson, "Reclining nude," work in progress, oil on panel, 12" x 16," 2018.