Just Exercises

Sustained Study - Clothed - Section 24 - Modelled Drawing
22 April 2013
Oil Colour on Paper
47cm x 37cm (18.5" x 14.5")

These exercises in oils are a mixed bag. There are good things and bad things about all of them.

Oil colour is a demanding medium to use for learning to draw. Sometimes it is forgiving and kind, but on other occasions, it is merciless and exaggerates any small mistakes.

Struggling with it is helping me to learn an important lesson about the nature of effort and the attitude I need to develop to draw well.

The Head in Oil - Section 24
26 April 2013
Oil Colour on Paper
35.5cm x 47cm (14" x 18.5")

Earlier in the book Kimon Nicolaides comments about the importance of effort – if you want to learn to draw, you have to put in the hours.

This is unarguably true, but I have a tendency to try to draw well and this can be self-defeating. For me, the act of drawing has to be something I approach with a relaxed and happy heart - I don’t need to try too hard or to focus on the results. The discipline or effort is concerned with making sure I do the exercises or draw every day.

Sustained Study - Nude - Section 24 - Modelled Drawing
14 April 2013
Oil Colour on Paper
47cm x 37cm (18.5" x 14.5")

I began to realise this back in November when I wrote Lighten Up, but sometimes these lessons take time to learn and I suspect it will take me a little while longer to learn this one.