Last week, I started introducing my drawing I & II students to drawing Bargue plates :
http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Bargue-Jean-L%C3%83%C2%A9-G%C3%83%C2%A9r%C3%83%C2%B4me-Ackerman/dp/2867702038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315515998&sr=8-1
Doing these studies takes great concentration and they can be very rewarding. I've noticed an increase in the intensity level/ attention to detail with my classes already. We're still working "from the flat" : doing sight size drawings from a flat copy. This is a fantastic way to hone your observational skills and it is really fun (for me at least!) Doing these drawings forces you to constantly check your work and more importantly, take your time. Once a few drawings have been done, the eye takes over more and more and your mistakes start to appear more clearly, as do the correct placements of points, lines, and angles, which is the primary purpose of the course. The next phase of the course involves copying master drawings and eventually
academies ('...a finished drawing after a carefully posed nude studio model; strictly speaking, the model should be male, but drawings of female nudes are now often referred to as
academies. - from the 'Glossary of Technical Terms', p.328 - see the edition linked above.)
My goal is to eventually have the students drawing from the cast using the same principles applied to the flats before we get to the model. I've included some of my drawings from the Bargue plates and I will, in the near future be including a few pictures of the process as I like to use as well as some "in progress" photos. Until next time...
