"Hope Vanishes"

[Matthew Severson]

It has been about two years since I last posted on this site, so this is my comeback.

Forgive the poor picture quality. Photographing a drawing is a pain in the neck.

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I entitled this "Hope Vanishes."
After finishing this piece, I have come to realize how much my work resembles William Whitaker. Unfortunately, since I do not yet have access to models, it was done from a photograph by Marcus Ranum. I know that drawing from photographs is not cool, but what is a guy to do?

Thank you!
M. Severson
P.S. I'm only 20-years-old, so I'm still a newbie!

[Debra Norton]

Matthew, the thing that jumps out at me the most is the outlined look of the figure. Look for lost and found edges. I realize that can be pretty hard to do on a photo. That's where drawing from life comes in. And you say you don't have models to work from, well go check out your refrigerator or the produce section in your local grocery store. Set up some pears or something, light them from one direction and start drawing. Anything you learn working on a still life will also apply to a figure or portrait.

Study anatomy, look for evidence of bone and muscle in your subject and put them in your drawing.

[Jeff Fuchs]

I had the same problem getting models, and placed ads online with craigslist and freecycle. For some reason, no one I know was willing to pose, but there are a few people in the community who are willing, and the ads flushed them out.

Your university might also have sessions that are open to the public. I went to these sessions for years after I graduated.

[Matthew Severson]

Thank you for your input. I definitely agree that the outlines cause a problem. Fortunately, this Tuesday, I am attending my first Life Drawing class at college. Hopefully working from a live model adds some life to my work.

Thank You
M Severson