Draw Me Like One of Your Lane Bryant Models

I have a strong desire to attend some figure drawing classes. The only problem is that I don't know how to draw from life and it terrifies me to learn in public Ina room full of artists that I'm assuming will be amazing observes of life! Okay, I exaggerate a bit but I have decided that I'm going to practice before I put myself in an open session.

These sketches were inspired by posts I have saved on Instagram and Pinterest. My goal was not to be realistic, but approximate enough that the shapes gave the proper illusion.

A friend said this one looks like a Lane Bryant mannequin which I consider a huge compliment. In my mind that means her proportions are right.

I specifically looked for plus size or more round bodies for this practice because they feel more natural to me. Since that's the image I see in the mirror, it makes sense to me.

I'm looking forward to adding color and pattern to each of these pieces as I continue this line of study.

Materials: oil drawing pencil, vinyl paint, acrylic marker on drawing weight paper

Finding Inspiration

I always get asked how I find subjects for my art or where I find inspiration. I take a lot of photos and I save a lot of photos that are sent to me. One friend travels the world taking these amazing landscape photos and my mother catalogs every bit of my nephew's being.

It's his amazing eyes and beautifully fluffy curly hair that sucks me in so I decided to try and use him as a study subject.

I am not a strong sketcher so I gave myself a leg up by using a projector to outline his shape and features. The details are being filled in slowly as I stare at zoomed in photos.

I'm by no means perfect at this form of art but I am so very proud of my ability to put detail in hair! When given a choice, I will always start with the hair.

My recent desire for sketching is also partially driven by the tools I am using, in this case a sanguine oil pencil. Both the color and composition of this lead is quite enjoyable to work with.

Outside that, I have lots of flagged Instagram posts, Pinterest boards and screenshots of amazing elements that I want to pull into my art at some point.

Embracing The Study

Whenever I am looking for direction or inspiration, I like to create challenges for myself. I had a few goals with this challenge which has turned into what I consider a full study.

These were my guidelines:

1. I had to use my gel plate and confine the piece to the size of the plate

2. This forced me to leave some white space on the page. My typical practice is to cover the entire piece with color.

3. Each piece has a randomly generated word that helps direct the layers.

4. I pulled out a few different supplies (listed at the end) as I wanted just pick up items randomly and try them out

5. Look for opportunities to add contrast

I tried to make all of the pieces unique in layout and color which can be hard when you work on so many at a time. For each layer, I only gave myself a few minutes before moving on to the next piece. When I reach the end of the stack, I circled back to the top for the next layer.

In total, I have about 100 of these on the go. The ones I've included here are just a few that are inspiring me to continue. I'm not sure what the next layer holds but I'm looking forward to continuing the study. I even shared a few pages with my friend Erika and she added a few lines of poetry and prose based on what she saw.

Materials used: gel plate, acrylic paint, sharpie, graphite, stencils, crayons and anything else I could grab within arms reach. And all on a lovely cheap paper found in IKEA.