The Best Figure Drawing In Toledo!

As far as I'm concerned the best figure drawing sessions in town is at Paul Geiger's Tholipon Press Studio in Toledo Ohio! I was there Wednesday evening and I produced some nice pieces. I should be giving all the credit to the model. He was excellent.

Again I sketched on newsprint paper using vine charcoal and General's 2B charcoal pencils. I'm really enjoying this medium. The session starts with a 5 minute pose so I need to work quickly, the vine charcoal is great for this because it's soft and I can quickly draw a gesture sketch of the figure, just a quick general shape of the pose. As soon as I feel I have all the basic shapes of the model I switch to the General's charcoal pencils and begin to add more detail until the time runs out. I did this for the 5, 15, 30 and 60 minute poses, the more time I had the more detail I added. By the time I reach the 30 minute pose I'm warmed up and in the drawing zone. It's a blissful feeling.

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Figure Drawing on Fire!

I was on fire last night at Paul Geiger's figure drawing session. We had a good model, good group and good music.

I used 18 x 24 news print paper with Vine charcoal and General's 2B Charcoal Pencils. I created some nice drawings!

The best part for me in this session was the deep dark lines. I got nice thin rich black lines with the sharp tips on the General's pencils. Perfect for drawing shapes and giving illusion of depth.

Below I included a picture Paul took of the figure drawing group. It's a perfect space for figure drawing. Thanks again Paul for the snacks at break and the good tunes. I especially liked the music by Tanita Tikaram.

Paul Geiger Studio - TholepinPress.com

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Figure Drawing with Charcoal Pencils

I attended Paul Geigers figure drawing session on Wednesday. This time I used some different materials and medium. I purchased 18"x24" Strathmore Newsprint paper (300 series). I also bought 2B General's Charcoal pencils and soft vine charcoal. These materials are a perfect combo. The Newsprint paper has a nice rough surface so when drawing with sharp charcoal pencils I get beautiful rich dark lines. It's been so long since I've sketched with charcoal. I had forgotten the feel and sound charcoal makes when it strikes the paper. Felt like I was coming home.

We had a good model, I sketched many pieces in charcoal. Here are a couple drawings that challenged me.

So, good art materials, good model and of course good music. Paul played The Beatles White Album. Awesome tunes for drawing. Thanks again Paul for the music and the drawing sessions.

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Figure Drawing Reclining Nude

Last Wednesday I attended Paul Geigers figure drawing session. I created a lot of nice drawings. I wish I could share them all. I picked these two. They were the most challenging and I believe I learned a few lessons from these two.

The challenge for the top drawing was drawing the figure to fit the length of the page while her arm was in vertical position.

The foreshortening is off on the bottom drawing. I made the torso too long. She was reclining back more.

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The Beatles Abby Road & Charcoal

Okay, there's nothing better then figure drawing to Beatles album Abbey Road! What a combo!!

I just returned from Paul Gieger's figure drawing session and had a great time, every drawing was a winner. They started with short 5 minute poses. This time I used vine charcoal to warm up. I haven't used vine charcoal in a long time. It felt good: it's soft, easy to apply, and has a rich black color. I got nice results and it inspired me to buy some charcoal pencils.

I used to draw a lot in charcoal then switched to graphite because it was easier, inexpensive, and not messy. Maybe it's time to make a switch back to charcoal plus if I'm planning on going to grad school, charcoal will be the medium of choice for drawing.

Bianca, our model, did a great job with her poses. I want to scan all my drawings and share them with you. Here are a few from tonight's session.

Thanks again, Paul, for the awesome music and wine/snacks at break time.

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Figure Drawing Session at Gieger Studios

This was an nice drawing session. We started with 5 minute poses, these are the small samples above. I like these quick gesture drawings, they are the substance of my drawing, here's were I warm up, put my mind in the drawing zone. And most important, it's where I let go, meaning I don't get caught up on the details of the drawing. It's 5 minutes so I just draw and let the skills I've developed over the years simply do their work. 

For the final long pose, the model was placed on a high platform with lighting from above. It's the reason why my eye level is lined up with the floor and the shadow is directly under the model.

I like that the model was placed on the chair, it gives the drawing of the figure a good solid foundation. And I like the form of the chair because it adds depth to the drawing.

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First Figure Drawings of 2013

It had been several months since I last attended Paul Gieger's figure drawing sessions at his downtown Toledo, Ohio studio. As always, when I come back from a break, my drawing skills feel rusty. I always want to be better with my drawing but I accept my "rustiness", it creates interesting lines, textures, and feeling. When I draw a lot, it can start to look too technical, so "rustiness" gives it that rough struggling feeling of trying hard to make the drawing look its best, perhaps more rewarding and better results this way.

The three drawings above are from one long pose. Instead of working on one drawing the whole time, I break down the time to create several drawings. I enjoy the creating process, it's the most challenging for me. So as soon as I feel the challenge is complete, I tell myself to sign it and move on so that I don't overwork the drawing. I get up, move to a new location and take on the challenge from a new spot.

It was great to see Paul, fellow artists, new artists, and the chubby cat that roams the studio. Thanks again, Paul, for providing an awesome artist environment. I believe the secret to everyone's nice drawings is the wine and cheese served at mid break! Oh, and the classical music/classic rock played.

I plan to attend the figure drawing sessions regularly for 2013. This year I want to focus more on my art; more drawing to improve my draftsmanship and painting techniques.

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"Ceci n'est pas une pipe"

Had the luxury again of attending Paul Geiger's figure drawing session on Wednesday evening. I had a really good drawing session.  Figure drawing will always be my foundation for my drawing technique, and my strong appreciation for the craft. Of course it helps that Paul played excellent music, and provides an awesome environment to draw and that he finds such amazing models!

As always, I'm just drawing shapes: positive and negative. The real person is on the pedestal, I'm just creating an illusion, a representation. Ever heard the phrase by the Belgium artist Magritte "Ceci n'est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe)"? For me to tell you this is a reclining women is a lie.  It's just graphite marks on paper, or better yet, if you're viewing this on your computer, it's just zeros and ones illuminated on your monitor.

Figure Drawing at Paul Geigers Studio, Toledo, Ohio

This past Wednesday, I attended Paul Geiger's figure drawing session at his downtown studio. It was awesome! I had a great time drawing. I did feel rusty and a little "sloppy". It had been a year since I last went. The sessions started with short 5 minute poses which helped warm me up. Paul played nice classical music, and by the time we took our mid session break with 20 minute poses I was in the zone.

I forgot that Paul gives a good mid break to everyone. The artists walk away from their drawings to enjoy crackers with slice cheese, soft drinks, popcorn, and wine all provided by Paul.  It's a good moment for everyone: stretch, relax, socialize, talk art and have a couple good laughs together. I realized I take this break for granted, because it's also a great time to walk away from your drawing to refocus and then come back after a while relaxed. I believe lots of practice is key to becoming a skilled draftsman but I would also include camaraderie, happiness, good laughs, and perhaps a cup of wine to becoming a better artist. Thanks again Paul for providing a nice environment for all the artists.

For the 2nd half, Paul played music by Muddy Waters! Good combo for drawing. Here are two of many figure drawings I created Wednesday evening. Both 20 minute poses. The rustiness I felt was with my strokes, I felt heavy handed and a little sloppy which I think gave the drawing a nice rough, sketchy feel.  Also both drawings have a lot of structural lines to help me with the proportions and alignment of all the shape. These lines are part of my drawing tools, I'm constantly looking and aligning shapes.

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