Finding the Pose in Portraiture

Finding the Pose in Portraiture Look for the underlying structure to bring energy and spirit to your life drawings. By Juliette Aristides No two bodies are alike, yet we’re all part of an ordered cosmos that follows hidden patterns. Through the study of anatomy, portrait and figure artists learn that all skeletons follow a rough canon of proportion, irrespective of gender, race or size. To begin a figure drawing from a live model, I first look for the underlying structure of the pose and then build to a refined finish. The challenge is to convey a feeling of life. It’s possible to measure everything correctly, and the finished piece will still feel wrong. If you feel nothing when looking at a portrait or figure piece, then the artist hasn’t done their job. Capturing both accuracy and movement is what makes a figure drawing memorable. To that end, my approach is to start with the gesture and end with the form. STEP 1: Start With a Gesture I keep my initial marks soft and light so they can be erased easily at a later stage, and I’m careful not to damage the paper with hard lines that go dark fast and are difficult to erase. I also take my time finding the gesture. In this case, I looked for the large egg shape of the pose to capture movement. Not all poses will fit into a tight shape, however; some may require lines or curves to capture the movement. STEP 2: Work From Large to Small I draw from general to specific-meaning I start with the largest masses and don’t move on to the smaller shapes until the initial ones feel correct. Once the larger pose feels right, I move on to straight-line increments, looking for smaller angle directions. I’m careful to make sure the tips and tilts of the angles are correct. Notice how the straight lines in this piece create emphasis and strength. STEP 3: Group the Lights and Shadows I link my shadows together, allowing unnecessary lines and divisions to fall away so that the lights and shadows simplify into larger masses. Some artists refer to this stage as value mapping because it creates a flat pattern of light and dark, much like the division between land and sea on a horizon. At this stage, I check to see whether my shapes look correct and then make minor adjustments for accuracy. Notice how many of my lines are still straight here. STEP 4: Find the Small Planes By the time I reach the midpoint of the drawing, I expect my overall shapes to be correct. This is also a great time to consider value composition. As the piece progresses, I determine where my brightest lights and darkest darks are located. At this point, some areas are subordinated through a light tone to reflect the gradation of light. This can be seen in the light tone that I placed on the figure’s thigh. Katie (charcoal on toned paper, 9×12)...

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