A special ed teacher from the middle-school orientation I went to last night (in ballpoint pen in a composition book.) She stood some distance away from me, absolutely stock still for an unbelievable length of time. I really think I need to sign up for a life drawing class -- I enjoy drawing actual people.
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Did you get her number?

Oh, indeed, I'm sure it's on one of the handouts they gave me But can't you read the info on her badge right there?

Available for Bah Mitzvahs - Birthdays & Weddings...?

LOL..
that is actually quite good from life ernest..figure drawing is fun, i love to figure draw.
Now I am learning to put figures in my watercolors, and I love the lil faceless figures in artwork, I am really fascinated by that type of art, lots going on, faceless people, etc..

Yeah, but then people usually think that you're just not able to draw the faces

You want faces? Faces cost extra

lol

lol..yeah..faces are extra..

Nice one Ernest - who needs life classes ....you seem to find all the subjects you need........and pretty ones, I remember that pool scene

Nice job on this. I am horrible at life drawing. I wish I was better at it though.

Capturing people on paper is fascinating to me as well Ernest. And the more you do it, the quicker you become at getting a gesture or position down correctly. My suggestion is for you to avoid detail and concentrate on the position of the body and limbs. Use simple lines to get those in position and if there's time after that, then go for some detail of clothing, facial features, etc.

I draw a lot in coffee shops, airports, etc. and find that you get a minute literally, if that, to draw a person's position, you need to work around movement, shifts in position etc. I find people tend to repeat the same movement or position over and over so if they are sitting in a coffee shop, you can get the general position then wait a fill in more over time as they will resume that position again several times.

And YES! go to a life class. Sign up right now. Yes, right now! Go on...you know where the phone is...

Thanks for the suggestions. I love the candid sketches you draw, and I would love to be able to do something more like those. I find I don't know how to restrict myself to only line -- it's like trying not to eat one more peanut.

Have you ever seen this book? I was thinking of buying it; it looks like it might help me in this pursuit.

To be honest Ernest, your money would be much better invested in a life drawing class rather than buying the book. Books are fine and I have a few for reference, but they can't give you the ability to draw, that will only come by getting out there and doing it.

I find that people buy books and spend more time reading them than actually drawing. How to restrict yourself to line? Well you just do. Its a mental frame of mind and you fight with yourself to stop looking at detail and concentrate only on contours. No one said it would be easy...

Interesting topic, I enjoyed reading the posts and hearing from Jeanette. I have always deeply admired artists who have the ability to draw on the spot where ever they may be, and without the use of any aid or computer in their hands, something I will always continue to strive for.

I really like your drawing Ernest.

If you haven't already get the Anrew Loomis books off the net. Those are some of the best, most easy to understand, and really helpful books I have ever seen. The book on figure drawing is way geared toward drawing live models.

Ernest, I was trolling through some of my favourite blogs on drawing & sketching and I came across a piece of advice - might have been Katherine Tyrell?? - anyway, just look at the scene in a tonal way and forget about the join between figures in a crowd scene - the bodies tend to merge anyway - and go for a contour of the shape of the whole crowd's outline, then you can drop in values and get separation and merges between the figures that give more detail to the scene.

I loved this bit of advice and can't wait to be in a crowd situation to try it. I alway go for detail and try and get each figure just right and of course by then everyone has moved! By doing the outline you can add a face here and there by studying that person even after they have moved - but its the crowd at that one point in time that attracted you to draw it that you capture by doing that generalised contour outline.

Sorry to be so wordy - I just find it hard to describe things sometimes without using my pencil or wavng my arms about ........the limits of the internet!