This weekend marked my second life drawing session at Richard Kitson’s studio, and after a few weeks away from the sketchpad, it felt great to be back at it. I’ve been spending time developing a web forum for myself and a group of artists, which has been a rewarding distraction, but there’s nothing quite like getting stuck into a real drawing session again.
The session was three hours long, with a well-earned tea break (and a chocolate biscuit, of course!) at the halfway point. There’s something great about these mornings, not just the drawing, but the atmosphere, the conversations, and the shared focus of a room full of artists working from life.
I stood at the back of the studio, tackling my portrait with charcoal. And here’s what I learned this time around:
- Likeness is tricky. I struggled with the sitter’s eyes—going too dark too soon, which caused problems later on.
- Distance matters. Being further away made it tough to capture details. I started too large on the paper, so next time, I’ll either go for broader strokes and less detail or work closer/smaller to capture what I can actually see.
- Working from life is a whole different game. There’s a fundamental difference between life drawing and working from a photo. The shifting light, the subtle movements, it’s another skill altogether, and I need to keep refining it.
Despite the challenges, it was a thoroughly enjoyable morning. This was only my second session, and already I can see areas to improve on. There’s nothing quite like the quiet concentration of a room filled with artists, the occasional shared frustration, and the satisfaction of seeing a piece come together (or at least learning something along the way).
Already looking forward to the next session.
Already looking forward to the next session.
