"Never a Day without a Line" - Vilppu Class 1

2 minute poses with conte.

Went back to Glenn Vilppu this Saturday for his new Figure Drawing Class at the Animation Union. He was filled with enthusiasm from his recent trip to Denmark and some Rubens drawings he had seen.

Glenn talked about how he makes his new Rubens type drawings.

He also talked about how every drawing should start the same way - not with shape but with action.

1. Analyze the action.

2. Generally start with the head.

3. Feel the pose (get up if you need to)

4. Draw how one part of the figure relates to the next.

5. The whole pose should be down in 1 minute.

6. The lines you draw aren't the center or contour they are the feeling of the action.

7. It is not a stick figure - they are lines that lead you through the figure.

8. you have to use your emotions you can't be totally cerebral

Second Stage

1. draw landmarks like rib cage, pit of the neck

2. build volumes

3. think about compresion and stretch

4. contain volumes.

Other advice

1. your best assest is your flexibility to draw anything at all no matter if you are looking at it or not

2. forget about contour and focus on gesture

3. gesture is the sould of the drawing.

4. Drawing is like Tai Chi and Karate - need to connect the neurons so it can be spontaneously choreographed.

5. Go slow

6. Don't make the same line over and over again.

He also told us this quote by the greek panter, Appelles "Never a Day without a line."

We did a lot of 2 minute poses. I didn't draw very well! Glenn told me I had too many straights and needed to loosen up - he thought my line quality was stiff.