Modelling the Straight and Curve



One Leg Hanging
Modelling the Straight and Curve (10-Minute Pose)
9 March 2013
Lithograph Crayon on Paper
20.5cm x 38cm (8" x 15")


Modelling the Straight and Curve is a continuation of the Straight and Curved Lines exercise from the Natural Way to Draw.

The study is drawn with a lithograph crayon, which was the main modelling tool in the early exercises, but I don’t think I’ve touched one in over a year.

The exercise begins as a gesture drawing using straight and curved lines and continues into a stylised form of modelling.

Kimon Nicolaides does not provide much guidance for how to model in this exercise. He says it is important for the drawing to develop from the student’s feeling and understanding for the pose.

The objectives are to emphasize the form and to create a well-balanced design – which I interpret to mean a pleasing and approximately equal split of straight and curved lines.


Crawling Along
Modelling the Straight and Curve (5-Minute Pose)
9 March 2013
Lithograph Crayon on Paper
23cm x 24cm (9" x 9.5")


 It would be easy to devise a method for modelling in this exercise and to apply it to all poses, but Nicolaides stresses this is not the point. He has a wonderful turn of phrase - “This should be no cheap imitation arrived at by conscious distortion, but an effort to comprehend the gesture in a fresh way”.

Yesterday was an important milestone in Elaine and my progress through the book. We passed the 90% post. The end is in sight.

Elaine didn’t have a clue  what she was letting herself in for when I nonchalantly asked if she would pose for me. I am eternally grateful to her. (I don't know why I've drawn her in the Pope's hat in the second picture)