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If youare new to drawing figures when in motion and have come from life drawing wherethe figure is always static. Here are some thoughts and strategies to try out in a graded way to ease your way into it. If you have never done it before it can seem quite daunting! I hear you asking yourself several questions about how to approach this? Here may be a few of them?
You do not have the time! The only way to referenceelements of the figure to make it recognisable is to hold elements in yourminds eye, leave the flow of the drawing and add them. Another way is to use recorded video of a session on a loop and use that as reference. Realistic visual clues for the person looking at your drawing should only be extra cluesbut not overshadow the live capture when drawing in real time. Otherwise you defeat the object of the exercise. You are trying to capture the flow and feelingof the dance and what the dancer is trying to express in a 2D format.
A: Wetor dry is down to your preference. Each will result in a different result and of course use the right surface whatever you choose. If wet I would suggest first using black ink (whether Indian, Chinese, or acrylic). Get 3 small bowlsand water down the ink in to 3 shades before the session starts. Start thesession by painting the most watered-down tone then work up to the neat ink. Ideally use heavy watercolour paper (300gsm) so it does not buckle. You will find that by overlaying the grey tones they build up an overlay of marks that represent the movement.
If working wet, use heavy 300gsm watercolour paper (suggest you use 300gsm Fabriano that can be bought in rolls from Cassart if in the UK).
If working dry a suitable surface for whatever media, you are using so if pastel it needs a tooth to hold it. Experiment with different coloured paper as well.What you paint on applies limitations to the media you use. So, think aboutthat. Does the media match what you are drawing?
The size of paper you use governs the size of the media you use such as brush sizeor pen. Also, the larger the paper the more gestural you can be with your markmaking which works well when following the movements of a dancer. As a tip I stand up when painting. This allows me to mirror the dancer’s movement whenpainting which translates into the painter mark. It makes a MASSIVE difference.Try it. Do not sit down and be static!
I am not going to tell you what you should use. My preference is for wet media like Liquitex acrylics or Chinese inks. Although charcoal and pastel are equally effective attranslating the essence of movement. Play with media that you can use to createsoft gestural marks as an underpainting and then add hard edges on top fordefinition and small detailing.
I use a large drawing board (architect drafting board) that allows me to workstanding up or I can tip it up at any angle as well. I have a table next to itfor all my painting materials and I have a large Monitor on a pedestal easelpositioned in front of my board that is connected to my laptop. I have a mouseon my drawing board to control my laptop.
Ideally setup a permanent workspace. If you do not have that option, use aslarge a table as possible and put everything on it.
You will ideally need a device with the largest screen size you can get your handson. You cannot peer into a phone screen and get the essence of movement fromthat? Ideally get a laptop and a large monitor and work from that. Orscreencast to your TV?
Here are a selection of tips and tricks that you could use when drawing in DBinM workshops or zoom sessions. These are a collation of the insights I have developed over the last few years.
My first drawing dance in motion session
Try working wet. Buy a long roll of some cheap paper that will take ink. Get alarge bottle of black ink (Indian or Chinese calligraphy ink or black Liquitexacrylic ink). Water down the ink into 3 tones in 3 small bowls like you wouldget at the Chinese restaurant for dipping your hands in. I got a load from acharity shop.
A range of brushes in different sizes. I find a combination of large Chinese brushes,flats and dagger brushes work well. Also, refillable brush pens with a largereservoir (cartridge) that enable you to paint without having to charge it upall the time are good.
A range of pens with different sized nibs from bamboo dip pens to markers withdifferent shaped nibs.
When you start painting work up the tonal range from light to dark using largebrushes first then to smaller. Then use pens on top to add any realistic hintsto give your figures some realistic hooks for the eye to grab on to. When youstart do not look at your paper! Just start your brush at one or other end ofthe paper and watch the dancer painting freely and just translating thegestures and speed of the dancer in to your hand and move across the paper asthe dancer moves across the space. Do not cheat and take you eye off thedancer!!! DON’T add extra marks when not looking at the dancer to try and makerealistic sense of your painting. As you build up the painted marks its up toyou to decide when to stop. Experiment with recording different lengths oftime. Experiment, experiment, experiment…have fun with it. Forget aboutcreating a painting, the process of having fun and making up new ways oftranslating the dance is the goal?
First rule. Forget about creating perfect realistic drawings of what you are about todraw. Your first try will be about experimenting with different drawing styles,media, and ways of approaching it. Be prepared to fail completely and throwwhat you have done on the fire. Each drawing is just another drawing and youwill learn from each drawing what to do next. I only keep a small number ofdrawings that record the marks that have translated from the session. This isall about those happenings that occur when you are drawing that you areunconscious of and could not plan for but suddenly appear from nowhere and yougo WOW! Its like the thrill of the chase for those drawings that cannot becreated any other way and won’t come from hours of time studiously fiddlingwith a picture in the studio from a static image. Those are dead images incomparison?