Study of the Bones

Surprise!
Study of the Bones - 10 June 2012
Graphite Pencil on Paper
37cm x 53.5cm (14.5" x 21")

This is my first attempt at the Study of the Bones exercise from the Natural Way to Draw.

The exercise uses a contour drawing from the sustained study (see Section 13) as a starting point. You put a piece of tracing paper over the contour study and make a gesture drawing of the skeletal system using the contour drawing, the model and a few anatomical charts for reference.

I thought I had told Elaine about the exercise, but I hadn’t. As she posed, she wondered why I spent more time looking at a textbook than her and why I occasionally wandered over to squeeze an arm or a leg. She guessed I was doing a new exercise, but she wasn’t prepared for the results.

The study of the bones is the first exercise in the Natural Way to Draw that addresses the subject of anatomy. The instructions seemed straightforward, but trying to draw a skeleton for the first time is anything but simple.  Nicolaides stresses the importance of being light hearted about the study and not being disillusioned by the initial results. The aim is to assimilate knowledge gradually rather than being overwhelmed by a detailed crash course.