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This past week we began to draw using charcoal and ink, which I found difficult, yet freeing.  Freeing in that I tend to work with paint more fluidly than the medium of charcoal.  In addition we participated in a field trip to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, where we were given essentially free reign to wonder about the museum and take in the art.  Of course I went to the Yves Klein exhibit for the 5th time since its installation at the Walker.  This experience was enjoyable, but not very educational from the standpoint of life drawing.  In addition to the Walker, we went to the Bell museum of natural history on the University of Minnesota campus.  This was educational from the standpoint of studying other forms than that of the human form.  At first I drew from the bird form, then from the fox, however this wasn't as challenging as what a skeletal form would prove to be.  I finally chose to draw from the skeletal form of a deer.  I learned a great deal about the reason that deer move the way that they do.  They have certain bones in their legs that I had no idea that they had, which revealed much about their movement and form.  I began refining my drawings of the deer and researching more about the skeletal structure of the deer, in order to better draw the form in the future.  Finally, the experience at the Bell Museum proved to be much more worth while and educational.  I found myself wanting to have more time to simply study the various forms before me.  I intend to return to the deer skeleton as well as other animal skeletons and skulls.

Novem IX

This past week we studied the various bones that make up the structure of our feet.  The various bones are as listed:  calcaneus, the navicular, and the cuboid. The calcaneus bone is also known as the heel bone and is the largest bone of the foot, as well as being the body’s main weight-bearing bone. The calcaneus bone ends in the large, rounded bone that forms the heel and is attached to the Achilles tendon. The talus bone sits above the calcaneus and is the pivot bone for the ankle.

Professor Fichter showed us the three main joints in this portion of the foot. The primary joint is that of the ankle or talus, which is flanked on both sides by the fibula and the tibia. This hinge movement allows the foot to shift up and down and is a major component to the body’s locomotion. Knowing the structure of the foot helps one better understand the overall movement of the foot, and therefore draw it more correctly. 

The midfoot is made up of the three cuneiform bones, as well as the navicular and the cuboid bone. These bones are intricately and irregularly grouped together; this unique interlocking structure helps add to the foot’s solidity. The midfoot is the bridge between the hind foot and forefoot sections and is composed of five tarsal bones. These bones form the arch of the foot, which evenly distributes the body’s weight in much the same way an arch works in architecture.

I learned this week that the forefoot is the most delicate portion of the foot and is  of two different types of bones: the phalanges and the metatarsals. The metatarsal bones are long, tapering bones that connect the cuboid bone and the cuneiform bones to the smaller, more delicate phalanges that make up our five toes. These bones help to define the shape of the toes and ultimately the foot, when drawing.  The main weight-bearing bone of the forefoot is the first metatarsal bone, which leads to the phalanges of the big toe.  

Apart from learning all of the aforementioned, we were also required to continue to work on the legs, and feet of our sculptural manikin.  This was as usual an enlightening experience, and proved to be helpful in solidifying my overall understanding of the mechanics of the feet in drawing.

Octo VIII

This week we continued on our manikins and had continued to draw from the figure.  We spent a good deal of time drawing our gesture drawings.  We also drew two long drawings this week and we reviewed and corrected areas on our manikins.  The week before we built the thigh of our manikin.  I learned a great deal from the practice involving our manikin, however still struggle to understand proportions as I tend to get impatient and push myself to finish rather than choosing to slow down or to stop and simply observe.  I look forward to seeing what can be learned over the coming weeks.