Expressive Figure Drawing - Bill Buchman

I've intended to make a mention of this book for quite some time.  I've used it extensively during Part 4 because it is so very uplifting - it is what I aspire to and where I want to be.

(1)

The text covers the fundamentals of expressive figure drawing in an easily accessible way and gives exercises and strategies for the beginner.  There is an extensive chapter about materials and their use as well as concepts and techniques for gestural drawing.

There is a section about building mass with line and I tried this during Part 4.

Building mass with line - Buchman p77

My early attempt before I had seen Buchman

Me following Buchman's exercise

This exercise enabled me to understand that contours aren't always necessary and that volume can be built up in different ways.

The book is full of useful exercises that have introduced me to lots of new ways to work.  I particularly enjoyed the part on colour and made my own attempts:

The book concludes with a section called The Expressive  Mind Set and is devoted to encouraging self expression and emotional engagement with drawing.

The OCA course I am following aims to put in some building blocks for development and is I suppose necessarily prescriptive.  When I have finished what I have to do I really want to develop this way of working.  It is exciting, innovative and free.

(1)  Buchman B. (2010)  Expressive Figure Drawing.  Watson-Guptil.  New York.