Final Flickr Page

Here is the Web Address to my Flickr Account:

Url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45635396@N03/

If you have and problems getting on my site you can search my name KatieKiesler.  Also I had problems getting into my account, therefore, I needed to create a new account if you want to see my mid-term things you can go to: 

Url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katiek07/

My username title for that account is: KatieK8

Final Review Summary   

In the beginning of this course I stated that, “the main reason why I decided to take Life Drawing is because I always wanted to learn how to draw people. I have always felt that this skill wasn't my strongest by any stretch of the imagination. Although, I am positive that this class will help me improve my drawing skills while expanding my knowledge of art. I feel that this class may not have the strongest connection to my intended profession, graphic design, but as an artist I have a yearning to learn how to draw people and improve upon my ability to see objects in space. I am very excited to start even though I may not achieve success on my initial attempts.”  Looking back throughout the semester I feel that I have made huge improvements in my skill level compared to where I was at the start. I feel that this is largely from the how the class is taught. Not only do we draw but also form the muscles. This has allowed me to learn how the body moves, in which helps me draw. In addition, at the end of every week I set a future goal for myself.  Although I don't always achieve my  weekly goals, it has helped me stay focus and determined to get better. Plus, I can look back though my blog to see what my goals have been in the past.  Overall, I feel that I have learned so much from this experience. In addition, I feel more competent and confident as an artist. I look forward to continue to learn more in this field and push myself to improve my skills even more as grow as a an artist.   

Strengths and weakness in my drawings   

I think that I am good at seeing / drawing the bone and muscle structure of a certain pose. I also think that my strengths main come out in the longer poses when I have more time to analyze the figure.  On the other side I feel that my biggest weakness is foreshadowing and proportions in my shell.  I feel that I have really worked hard to improve many of my weaknesses in drawing this semester.  But I do tend to struggle with the fast gesture drawing and I will continue to work on this skill as an artist.   

 What I learned throughout the class  

Throughout this class I have learned main things to improve my skills and conceptions as an artist.  I feel the biggest thing that I have learned in this class is the ability to draw in a different way.   For example, I really loved to do the shell drawing, I feel that cross‐contour lines describe the plan shifts and texture much in‐depth then shading.  Plus it is a nice way to learn about bones because they have a similar organic feel yet the shells give you a nice break from always drawing the human figure.  Overall I so grateful for having the opportunity to be in this class and grow so much as an artist.      

Weekly Post (December 13 – 14) Final Class Period

This class period we drew the model with all the body parts that we have learned.  It was exciting to see how much have improved over this semester.  

One thing I think that I would want to improve upon is to not elongate the rib cage.  I think I will continue to work on this in my free time. Overall I am very happy with how much I learned.  In addition, I can definitively see how I have improved. 

Weekly Post (December 6 - 12) Pictures

Weekly post (December 6 - 12)

This week we focused heavily on the face and drawing hands.  It was very interesting to draw a close-up profile of another person.  I have never been able to do this.  I got to draw my roommate, Elizabeth, profile and hands.

What I did well:

This week I feel that I did better drawing the second set of hands.  This may be because I was more warmed up or because the second pose was better (in my opinion).  I feel that the hands are a very interesting form to draw.  They are very difficult because every finger has three joints and they each have a different direction.  

What I could improve on:

I think that there is a couple of things that I could improve on for next week.  For example, I think that I should try to practice more on drawing the hands and developing cross-contours around the hand to show the different planes.  Also I really need to improve how I draw hair.  In one of Amy's Lectures she said to draw hair as a form rather than lines. She added that the individual hairs can be placed around the face where they are more noticed.  I think that I need to practice this throughout my drawings.  And research examples, how other artists depict hair.  I think that doing these thing will really help my drawing skills. 

Future Goal:

My goal for next week is to really look at the face and try to draw the facial features as close as possible.  I think that this would be very interesting to discover what/how a person looks the way that they do. 

 

Shell Drawing Number 2

This was our second shell drawing.  We got to just use contour lines to describe the form of the shell.  Overall I was very satisfied with the final result.  Although one flaw was when I was holding the shell feeling the texture I must have slightly tilted the second half because it looks slightly out of proportion.  Even with this small flaw I am still happy with the result.

Weekly Post (November 29 – December 5)

Class was canceled 

Weekly Post (November 22 - 28)

This week we were introduced to the eyes and the nose and then the next class meeting was during Thanksgiving Break  

What I did well at this week:  

This week was mainly lecture.  I think that I took good notes on the nose and eyes.  I feel that I understood the eyes more so than the nose. 
 

What needs improvement:  

This week there wasn't much drawing that we did throughout the class but I feel that nose is very hard for me to draw and I am excited to learn the structure more and improve throughout my drawings.  I think like many things this will take more  observation and practice.  

 My future Goal:  

I want to observe more eyes and noses; also I want to practice drawing the noses to really start to understand the structure.  

Weekly Post (November 15 - 21) Pictures

Weekly Post (November 15-21)

This week we had a field trip to the Mall of America Bodies exhibit and The Minnesota Art Museum.  The Bodies’ exhibit fascinated me.  I learned a lot about the bone and muscle structures.  We were introduced to the skulls.  I was very excited to start to learn the proportions of the head, since I always felt that was my weakest point as an artist.   

 What I did well at this week:  

I feel that during the field trip I did well drawing with a pencil again.  At first I found it hard to draw with a mechanical pencil again because I have become so accustomed to charcoal and pens. 

 What needs improvement:    

I feel that this week I should draw more of the form rather than adding shadows.  I think that I should instead draw cross‐contour lines to add more form.     
 

Weekly Post (Novmeber 8-14) Pictures

Weekly Post (November 8-14)

 This week in class we worked on the feet and the hands. I was surprised that the hands and feet are very similar in their structure.  Also the foot is very hard to learn to draw when it is in a sideways position for me.  I think that I just need more practice learning the structure.  I am very excited to learn how to draw the hands because I felt that they are a struggle for me to draw clearly and accurately.   

What I did well this week:  

This week I feel that I did well seeing the object in space then drawing it accurately.    

What needs improvement:   

I feel that my lines aren't as lively as they could be.  I am really struggling with this aspect of Life Drawing.  I think that I am going to look up examples of drawings with nice mark making to discover some new techniques I can try.  

 My future Goal:  

Is to just try different things and enjoy all the things that I discover during this experiment stage.  For example, I want to try different ways of holding the conte pencil, or slow vs. rapid hand movements.  

Assignment 2

This is my shell drawing for the week.  I feel that it greatly improved from my last attempt.  One thing that I am going to try to work on is choosing a better angle.  In this I had a diagonal axis limiting the foreshortening throughout the picture.  Next time I will make sure to pick a better angle.  Also I feel that I could improve the part where the shell becomes concave.  It gets a little flat throughout that area also.  But overall I am happy at the improvement that I made

Weekly Reflection (week Nov 1 through Nov7)

These two drawings were over an hour long.  But throughout this week I felt that I struggled more with drawing.  I found it harder to keep light lines, and see the shape.  

In addition, I think that I might be having allergic reactions to the charcoal dust at some points during class.  Because after the class my eyes are often very sore.  For some reason this was especially true for this week.  But I feel that I should be doing better with my drawings I can't figure out how to make more livelier marks.  I think that I might need to concentrate this week on holding the tool differently.  I think that I should also have my manikin out when I draw to help me remember the muscle groups I think that would help.  

Things I felt I did well on:

This week I think that I did well understanding the angle of the body.  Especially, when there was foreshortening.  For example on this one I struggled with the angle and the foreshortening of the foot for a while then Josh was able to help me understand the form more so I could draw it correctly.

Things I feel I need to improve upon:

I really need to figure out how to make more lively mark marking.  I felt that I really struggled with that this week.  

Goal for next Week:

My Goal is to try out different holding positions with the charcoal tool to see if that helps improve the marks.  I am also going to try different materials like pencils vs stick conte.

 

Flickr Page

Url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katiek07/

my username title is: KatieK8

Mid-Term Summary

Mid-Term Review Summary

In the beginning of this course I stated that, “the main reason why I decided to
take Life Drawing is because I always wanted to learn how to draw people. I have always
felt that this skill wasn't my strongest by any stretch of the imagination. Although, I am
positive that this class will help me improve my drawing skills while expanding my
knowledge of art. I feel that this class may not have the strongest connection to my
intended profession, graphic design, but as an artist I have a yearning to learn how to
draw people and improve upon my ability to see objects in space. I am very excited to
start even though I may not achieve success on my initial attempts.”

Looking back throughout the semester I feel that I have made huge improvements 
in my skill level compared to where I was at the start. I feel that this is largely from the
how the class is taught. Not only do we draw but also form the muscles. This has
allowed me to learn how the body moves, in which helps me draw. In addition, at the
end of every week I set a future goal for myself. Although I don't always achieve my 
weekly goals, it has helped me stay focus and determined to get better. Plus, I can look
back though my blog to see what my goals have been in the past.
Overall, I feel that I have learned so much from this experience. In addition, I
feel more competent and confident as an artist. I look forward to continue to learn more
in this class and push myself to improve my skills even more


Strengths and weakness in my drawings

I feel my biggest strength in my drawings is that my lines are soft so I can go back
in and add darker lines. I also think that I am good at seeing / drawing the bone and
muscle structure of a certain pose. On the other side I feel that my biggest weakness is
my line quality. Although they are soft lines they also have a static feeling to them. I
would really like to improve on my hand speed so I could create a faster line quality. I
would like to break up my lines even more to get more accurate. I also feel that in some
of my drawings I struggle with foreshadowing and proportions.


Things that I would like to learn by the end of the Semester

1. I think the biggest thing that I would like to learn is ability to draw a pose
when the body has a steep angle or has a lot of foreshortening.
2. I would also like to learn how to make dynamic lines that have softer
feeling to them.
3. I would also like to learn how to draw basic face forms.  

Manikin Muscles

This is the manikin with the Quadriceps, Adductor, hamstrings, and the Sartorius muscles.

This view shows the side plane of the manikin and a close-up of the muscle structures

  This view shows the posterior view of the manikin

This view shows the anterior view of the whole manikin and a close-up of the muscles.

 

Life Drawing Work from Week 10-12 through 10-16

This was a quick jester drawing.  One the right was my original drawing and on the left I drew how the body is proportionally.  I drew this by drawing in two boxes like shown in the movie that was shown in class. Doing this helped me learn that I was making the pelvis too small and much further down then it was supposed to be.

This was the longest sketch that we did in class.  The sketch lasted for about an hour.  This study helped me understand how gravity plays a role in figure drawing.  I didn't realize how gravity can move muscle structure around.  I drew this sketch by first drawing in the central axis and the bone structures that we learned then I added muscles structures around that, while combining my knowledge with what I saw.  I feel that this was a very interesting way to work. 

This a cross-contour of the model's waist and upper thigh.  On the left is a zoomed in version of this piece.  I liked doing this drawing I felt that it was successful, even if not everything was in proportion.  I feel that I am learning much more about cross-contour and how to be better at it.

Weekly Reflection 10-12 through 10-16

Things I did well on or improved:
From the last week, I felt that I needed to focus on using lighter line quality and add more spacial aspects into the work.  I feel that I achieved drawing lighter.  I can definitely see an improvement in my drawing because from last week the pelvis was significantly disproportional to the ribcage.  Learning about the pelvis has increase my awareness of proportions.  

Areas where I need improvement:
I feel that I should still work on darking the lines that are closer to me.  In addition drawing more of the entire figure. 

Future goal for next week:
This coming week I am going to focus on trying to draw faster with a light touch to the paper.

Drawings 10-5 through 10-9

These were longer timed drawing in which I added the central axis, the rib cage, and I also tried to add the pelvis.  Although after drawing I realized that the pelvis is a too small for the rest of the portions of the body. 

Clay Manikin

Here is my clay manikin, I built the spinalis, longissimus, and the Iliocostalis muscles.  I had a hard time getting them right.  When I first built these muscles I made them out of too much clay.  Amy really helped me to understand how the muscles are moving and how they are supposed to look.   

Weekly Reflection October 4-11

Things I did well on or improved:
From the last week, I felt that I needed to focus on  breaking up my lines more instead of drawing one continuous line.  This week I felt that I achieved my goal.  I feel more confident in drawing the human form.  I also believe that I have made huge improvements in the way I draw even though we haven't had that many class sessions.  

Areas where I need improvement:
I feel that I need to focus on making the lines I draw all light then, darking the lines that are closer to me. 

Future goal for next week:
This coming week I am going to focus on the pressure I am placing on the charcoal.

Week 2 Drawings

During this week I really focused on the spine.  I feel that this was my best gesture drawing because I only drew the outlines.  In addition, I captured the whole body. 

Week 2 Reflection

Weekly Reflection (9-21-09) to (9-25-09)

Things I did well on or improved:
From the first week, I feel that I am getting better at not having to draw the whole figure
but just the structure of the body. In addition, I feel that this has helped improve my
gesture drawings. I really focused to get the entire body done in the time fame, while
also being very attentive to the lines along the spine.

Areas where I need improvement:
Although I felt that I improved in my gesture drawings I still feel that there is much more
room for more improvement. For example, I think that I need to break my lines up so I
can become more accurate. I also feel that I could become more accurate with the
proportions of the human body.

Future goal for next week:
This coming week I am going to focus on breaking up my lines instead of drawing one
continuous line.

Week One Drawing

During the first week of drawing I felt that this is my strongest drawing because I really got to see the proportions of the foot and I was able to get darker and lighter lines to convey space. 

 This was my first attempt
This was my second attempt at the assignment 

 This was my third and final attempt

I felt that I struggled with this assignment.  I really worked hard to understand and do my best with drawing cross-contour.  I drew my shell three different times.  I feel that each time I got better at drawing my shell with cross-contour lines.  I hope through more practice I can continually get better. 

Week 1 Reflection

What I felt I did well on:

I feel that during class I did the best on the cross contour drawings.  I personally feel this because I felt that I got the proportions accurate.  In addition, I feel that I really understood the subject that I was drawing (the foot).  I like the longer drawings because I feel that I can really see and understand the subject matter that I am drawing.  

Areas that I could improve:

I feel that I really struggled with the jester drawings.  I had a hard time getting the portions accurate on most the ones that I did.  In addition, I found it hard to find the primary axis and the angle of the body to be very difficult.  I also had a hard time with the homework.  I had a difficult time making the shell appear to have form while still looking like a shell.  

My initial thoughts of the class:

At first I thought drawing live nude models would be very awkward.  I have never had the opportunity to do draw that subject matter.  But once the class started I really didn't view the models as being nude.  Now I feel very comfortable being able to draw the models.

Future Goals for the class:

In future weeks of the class I would like to really try to focus on getting the proportions of the human form more accurate.  I would also like to focus on trying to getting the whole body drawn for Jester drawing.     

Pervious Artwork

Pervious Artwork

Here is some artwork that I have done in the past years, there is a really broad spectrum from photography to 3-D work.

Introductory Post

The main reason why I decided to take Life Drawing is because I always wanted to learn how to draw people. I have always felt that this skill wasn't my strongest by any stretch of the imagination. Although, I am positive that this class will help me improve my drawing skills while expanding my knowledge of art. I feel that this class may not have the strongest connection to my intended profession, graphic design, but as an artist I have a yearning to learn how to draw people and improve upon my ability to see objects in space. I am very excited to start even though I may not achieve success on my initial attempts.