These two drawings are from this week’s figure drawing session at the Downtown Art Center. Both are 20-minute poses, done in ink and finished with watercolor. Alicia modeled for us—she brought great energy and poise, she is always such a good model.
I was feeling particularly structural in my approach that night. I found myself going back through anatomy in my head, laying things out almost like blueprints. The final results felt pretty mannered and almost comic book–like—not in a bad way, but definitely stylized. That kind of draftsmanship muscle memory takes over sometimes, especially in short poses where you don’t have time to second guess.
In the second drawing, I think you can see my current process more clearly: I lay in counter lines to define the forms, and then slowly build mass with crosshatching. There’s a rhythm to it that I find really satisfying, even if it does tether me a bit too tightly to outlines.
After the second pose, Ellen passed by and looked over my shoulder. “Ooh—the Matrix,” she said. I laughed, because it kind of fits. The scaffolding, the visual structure, the way the drawing builds itself from a digital-looking skeleton outward—it’s all in there.
I’ll admit I felt a little frustrated with how dependent I am on outlines right now. But with 20-minute poses, there’s only so much freedom you can give yourself. It’s a tradeoff between instinct and observation. And maybe that’s the beauty of figure drawing—it forces you to sit in that tension and keep going.
If you want to join in, we meet every Monday at 6pm at the Downtown Art Center. It’s open to everyone. Come draw with us.
