Did anyone catch BBC 4’s Life Drawing Live last week? It was good timing for me, because I had two days of working on getting back to sketching people a couple of weeks ago, then stopped again. Hopefully it’s put me back in the grove.
Although I didn’t watch it live, I recorded it and followed along in a couple of bursts over the weekend.
We started with warm up; drawing two 30 second poses then a one minute one…
We then moved to drawing models in iconic artistic poses:
6 minutes – Diego Velazquez’s only surviving nude…
10 minutes – Bacchus the god of wine…
12 minutes – Augustus John’s Madame Suggia….
15 minutes? – Carvaggio’s Narcissus…
18 mins – Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People…
Even though I’m not very experienced at drawing people and not very good at it, I really enjoyed this and thoroughly recommend having a go if you missed it – even if you don’t draw. The pose cam cast is available on BBC IPlayer for the next three weeks.
Until next time,
Bekki x
Dartmoor Creative 
I remember you mentioning drawing classes, and an artist I met at a fair in Ottery St Mary, whose day job is teaching art is running FB classes… @Eyecandy.byHelene
I think this is a link to her page, from where you can join her FB group.
https://www.facebook.com/EyeCandy.byHelene/?fref=gs&dti=219277969130524&hc_location=group_dialog
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Hello. Thanks for that. I’ve just asked to join her FB page and followed her on YouTube, so will have a proper look later. Thanks again!
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Great to see you have your life drawing mojo back. Madame Suggia is my favourite although I don’t quite know why. I would say I like the impression of movement you’ve created in your lines but that sounds as if I think I know what I’m talking about as far as life drawing is concerned – which I don’t.
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Thank you. I was very happy with the bottom half then when i got to the top I realised she was all out of proportion with the cello and I ran out of time to get her right. I should give her another go really as having the cello made it so much easier to get her right!
Ha ha! And you make it sound like I know what I’m doing too. Oh! What wonderful arty discussions we could have together!
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You did really well. Friends enjoyed the same programme. Not my kind of thing – I can’t get much beyond stick people!
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Thank you. I couldn’t until I decided I really wanted to be able to draw. Mind still a long way to go.
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I have to ask – what is a progresso pencil? It’s fun isn’t it doing timed sketches. doesn’t give you time to start critiquing or fiddling – just time to practise and get better. Which is inevitable when you practise. I should try that.
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Definitely. Helps you detach from thinking everything you paint/draw should be a masterpiece. I did some dogs with the same timing the other morning. Must do some more – people and dogs. Currently sidetracked by geese 🙂
Progresso pencil is all graphite with a very thin coat of something around the outside so your fingers don’t get covered in graphite. Feel really lovely to sketch with. Sort of smoother and you can just tilt to the side to shade with them better. Really lovely to sketch with. Cost me 85p each, so not too expensive if you fancy giving them a go.
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They’re really good! I keep meaning to go and have a go too. I’m doing a distortion of portraits class at the moment so a bit drawn out! 😄
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Thank you. Who are you doing your class with?
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A really good teacher, American, called Ardith Goodwin. I like her style and she doesn’t expect you to paint like her but leads you to paint like you. https://www.ardithgoodwin.com/welcome
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Thanks. I’ll take a look.
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