ASLD Portrait Class

When and Where: September 28th 2022 - November 16th 2022

Denver, CO

This was a class hosted by ASLD and taught by Andrea Kemp. In the 8-week class, we experimented with different approaches to drawing charcoal with a variety of different models. A pleasant break from my classes at Mines, every Wednesday from 6 - 9 pm, this class forced me to set aside my worries of the day to draw.

At first, I had a lot of hesitancy. I struggled to finish the portraits within the 3-hour time frame. I've drawn a lot of portraits in the past. However, I used reference images; this was my first time drawing people who were sitting in front of me. I felt lost in the shadows that contoured their face; it was difficult to break away from how I knew a face should look. Over the course of this class, Andrea helped train me to measure and "mold" the figure from the paper. She described drawing portraits as sort of like sculpting from clay, where you gradually find the form and figure from shadows and highlights over the course of creating a portrait of someone. By doing this, you can reveal small details that really identify an individual.

Sept 28th

Oct 5th

Oct 12th

Oct 21st

Nov 2nd

Nov 9th

Nov 16th

Sketch Process

First sketch outline made with vine (soft) charcoal

Original sketch is wiped away with a shammy so that only a ghost image remains

Final drawing done with compact (hard) charcoal and white chalk

Reflection

I noticed on days that I had more on my mind, the worse my portrait would turn out. Because of this, I really pushed myself to practice bringing my full attention to a portrait session and leaving everything else locked outside of the doors to the room.

Interestingly and to my surprise, drawing from life is a completely different experience than drawing from a reference photo. In the past when I've used reference photos, I could begin and stop whenever I wanted. It would be a picture of a person, but there was a lack of a connection with that individual. I found that by drawing people, I found them to be very beautiful. Different lines or contours that were unique to only them shaped their beauty.

This experience has made me realize the importance of drawing people from life; there is not only a connection developed with the individual, but also presents a more comprehensive study of that individual. Photographs tell the image of an individual whereas drawings capture the essence of an individual. Small movements people make with their head or eyes can present different emotions or feelings that aren't normally captured in a photograph. Photography is posed and, in a way, these long poses are also posed. However, a natural pose of an individual is more true to a person.

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