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ClassicalPaintingandDrawingAtelier

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THEBLOCKIN
TwoDimensionalShape

Shapeisaprimaryaspectofvisualexperience.Itsineverythingwesee.As
painters/draftsmenwebenefitgreatlyfromtheabilitytoseeanddescribeshape,andnotonly
basicshapes,likecirclesandsquares,butcomplexshapesandcomplexcompositionsof
shapes.Thehumanfigureisjustsuchacomplexshape.Artistsforcenturieshavepracticed
theartoffiguredrawingasameansofdevelopingamorepowerfulandsensitivesenseof
shape.Theblockinteachesustoseeandconstructthisshapeinanintegratedway,
employingpointsandlinesegmentsrepresentingmeasurementsoftiltanddistance.

TheEnvelope
AsastudentIlearnedanapproachtodrawingthatbeginswithanenvelope.Itsliketheegg
outofwhichthecomplexshapeoftheblockinemerges.Itcarvesoutaspaceonthepageits
thefootprintofthefuturedrawing.Itdoesnthavetobeperfect.(Besides,itneveris.)Itneed
notaltogetherencompassthewholefigureportionsofthefiguremaylieoutside.Itisan
irregularpolygoncomposedofafewlinesegments.Itssidesshouldbenonparallel,andof
differinglengths.Thisisimportant.Weneedtolookfromsidetosidewithintheshapeand
makesurethatitsasymmetricalineverydirection.

EvolutionoftheBlockIn

Asolarsystemcongealsoutofavaguedustcloudintoanorderedarrangementofplanets.
Likewiseablockinbeginswithatentativecloudoflines,roughstatementsofanglesand
lengths,sweepingpointtopointmeasurements,encompassinglargestretchesofdrawing
space.Gradually,itevolvesfromabroadapproximationtoaspecificlinearstatement.

RelationshipoftheBlockintotheMovement

Theblockinisanexpressionofthesystemofcurvesrunningthroughthepose.Itistheshape
ofthemovement.Itsnonparallel,progressive,andtaperingstructureconductsthedynamic
continuityofthegesture.Theblockinisneverblockyorstatic.

OntheUseofDiagonalLines

Theblockinisnotbasedonhorizontalorverticallinesormeasurements.Ofthe360degrees
inacircle,onlyfour:0,90,180,and270,representverticalandhorizontallines.Thatleaves
356otherdegreesrepresentingtiltsofdifferentdirections.Diagonallinesoutnumbervertical
andhorizontallinesbyafactorof90to1.Weusethesetoconstructthelivingshapeofthe
figure.Thistooisimportant.Byworkingwithangleswetapintotheactual,unexpected
shapesofthebody.Wedoanendrunaroundourconventionalexpectationsanddiscover
whatitreallylookslike.Thisisreallyhelpfulwhenitcomestoforeshortening.

Convexity

Theformofthebodyisfull.Alongwithexpressingtheinnercurve,weusetheblockinto
conveyconvexity.Inthebeginning,weroughoutbigmassesofshape,likecontinentsmoving
andcrunchingintooneanother,orstretchingoutinlong,improbablepromontories.These
werefine,packingsmaller,superficialformsontopoflarger,deeperones.Eachindividual
formhasatrajectory.Itoriginates,archesoutward,peaks,andthendropsbackoverthe
horizonofthecontour.Theseformshaveoriginpoints,highpointsandinsertionpoints.
Betweenthesepointswedrawlinesegmentswithprecisemeasurementsoftiltandlength.

Continuity
Thesuccessionofconvexformsiscontinuous.Fromthemajormassesofthetrunk,out
throughthearmsandlegs,anduptheneckintothehead,theshapemodulateswithout
interruption.Workingwiththeblockinhelpsustobreakdownverbal,symbolic
preconceptions.Fortunatelyforus,therearenobordersandcheckpointsseparatingtheparts
ofthebodyfromoneanother!Thehandisntseparatefromthearmatthewrist.These
arentthreeseparateobjects.Theformofthearmmodulatesintothehandthroughthewrist.
Allisone,continuous,integratedstructure.Throughallthejointsandtransitionsofthebody,
theblockincarriesthemovement,likesapinatree.

HowtoDoIt

Youputinanywherefromthreetosixpointsasestimationsofthemostextendedpointson
thefigure,andyoudrawashape,theenvelope.Youcheckthisbyscanningbackandforth
betweenthevariouspointsandlinesegments,checkingthelengthandtiltbyeye,orby
holdingupapencilorstick,andbycomparingthetilt/distancepointtopointrelationshipson
themodeltotheonesinthedrawing.Thenyoubreaktheenvelopedownintobigsubdivisions,
correspondingtobig,abstractedshapesinthefigure,alwayscheckingyourpointtopoint
relationships.Youkeeponcorrectingandbreakingdownthesebigshapesuntiltheblockin
becomessorefineditdisappears,andallthatsleftoveristhecontour!

Example
 TheEnvelope

JustBeginningtheBlockin
ALittleFurtherOn
MidwayThroughtheBlockin
 OriginPoints,HighPoints,InsertionPoints

 FinishedDrawing:RavenChavez,2008

Measuringtilt
Thinkofaclockface,andimaginethetiltofthelineyouredrawingasbeingrepresentedby
oneofthehandsoftheclock.Whattimeisitpointingto,whathourandwhatminute?Looking
atthemodel,canyouseethissamelineinhim/her?Isitpointinginthesamedirection?Does
ithavepreciselythesameangle?Thisishowwemeasuretilt,eitherbyeye,orwithastick.

Anthony Ryder 2014