Art Practice - 2023, 18

Well, I'd better explain myself. Last week I said that I'd do another set of heads, but in truth I went and did a set of figures. It's mostly in the service of variety, i.e. in service of me not getting bored. I still consider a full set 100 of something, but I'll shoot for about a third of a set per week, so it doesn't eat too much time and effort.

I haven't done guided figure studies for a while. Most of my sketches come out at a comfortable 1/3 angle view of the face, arms and legs not too twisted in either direction, so having more dynamic poses and more angles on said poses is something I should get more practice in. In general I also want to work on more expressive body-types.

Said more expressive poses make for better references, I find. Neutral poses I do more comfortably without sticking to reference, which I suppose isn't ideal, but part of me refuses to plan a practice unit for that specufically. I used a mix of photographs and artwork for reference here, and I guess it shows. Much of the photography reference turns out looser sketches that are less constructed.

Next Winter

"Next winter will be hard" they said

we'd better gather wood.

We'll want to fuel our fires

we'll want to stockpile food.

The mayor's come to warn us too,

"Next Winter will be hard.

Bring your grain to crow's wide roof,

and then we will stand guard."

The sky is clear, no rain or snow

no ice on streets or planes,

"next winter will be hard, you know?"

we're saving all our grain...

The cold and hunger simmers low

while winter inches close.

We store our harvest with the crows

and hope it brings us through.

The winter comes, the winter goes,

our grain and warmth is sparse.

In spring, the mayor and the crows

are fat - they start the verse:

"Next winter will be hard" they say

Before the spring is through

they want us to start hoarding hay,

while we are turning blue.