Learning about muscles

This week we began learning about a few of the main muscles in the human body. We were introduced to some of the technical terminology and the basics of how muscles work. It seemed like a lot of information to take in at first, but everything made perfect sense. I never really learned that much about anatomy before, but have always been interested in how the body is constructed. Everything appears to be so delicate and intricate, so its surprising to see how much strength humans can have through this complicated system on bones and muscles. I think having a better understanding of muscles in the body will make a huge difference in our class drawings. Our drawings will have more life, more power, and ultimately be more impressive if the muscle structures are carefully observed and recorded. We were also given our own little skeleton models to begin building muscles on this week. I started working on mine this weekend and was surprised how complicated laying muscles can be. Every muscle relates to the next and there was little room for error. Hopefully my model is accurate enough for class on Tuesday.

Blog Entry 2

The first week of life drawing class has officially ended and the experience has left me only wanting to learn more. I didn’t realize how much I missed drawing until I was placed back into that environment. There seems to be a peace that comes from having a piece of charcoal in my hand again. I am finding myself falling back into that comfortable state of mind where time stops. The world just seems to melt away for a while and I am concentrating only on the challenge that is placed in front of me. The gesture drawings that we have been working on in class are proving to be incredibly freeing and relaxing.

In these first few classes, we were asked to observe the lines, forms and movements of the human body. We were less concerned about creating “good” drawings, but rather focused on reacquainting ourselves with our tools and our eyes again after being on a break. It was an opportunity to refresh our bodies in how to analyze a form, hold charcoal and create marks on a page. We were given the chance to learn through trial and error by quickly drawing the figure over and over again. I found this approach to be very helpful in building a foundation of our own abilities and understanding. We discovered what we struggled with and began forming questions for areas that needed clarity or further exploration.

I'm excited to learn more and look forward to deconstructing the human body to understand how each structure works and behaves.

Letterform

GD1

Drawing II "Socio-Political Narrative"

Drawing I- Still Life

Drawing II "Ordinary to Extraordinary"

Post One 9/10

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Kruse and this is currently my junior year at UW-Stout as a Graphic Design major. I am very excited about taking this life drawing class and can't wait to start drawing again. I have always loved to draw and am especially interested in human subjects in my art. I hope this class will further expand my knowledge and understanding of the human form and its construction. I want to learn new ways to approach drawing and become freer with my mark making. I think life drawing provides a great opportunity to grow and develop into a strong artist. As a graphic designer, understanding line quality and proportions can make a huge difference in a design's success.