San Francisco, CA II Part 2 Expressive Figures Workshop

Pencil and Watercolor on Winsor and Newton (old, really old) CP paper 8" x 6"

The first workshop I attended during my visit to San Francisco was How to Draw Expressive Figures with Oliver Hoeller at Mission Dolores Park. The first thing we learned was how to hold the pen/pencil. We should hold loose the pen in the middle and let only our pinky finger touch the paper for support. We compered the drawings of hands we made before and after learning this technique. 

Ink on Stillman & Birn Alpha Series 8" x 11"

Then we were asked to be aware of the contour of the shadows, the boundaries between dark and light. We also tried blind contour, that was hard, but should be a practice to exercise contour drawing keeping our eyes mostly in our subjects and not on paper.

Next we were told to contour the shadow also.

Next we sketched body parts from different people, this will lead to his Frankestein method, putting body parts together to complete a figure.

Next he talk about forming an opinion of the figure, what was the feature that was attractive to us and draw it first, perhaps exaggerated. What is the person doing, catch the figure in action. 

This is a how the brain that is pushed to think differently translate on paper, specially while people is moving.

Add context, or some indication to where the person is or what is the surrounding. Oliver came and looked at this couple sketch and asked me what caught my attention here. Then I realized I went back to my old easy way to sketch people, still people, not moving, really, not much going on here.

He challenged me to sketch people in motion.

The times Oliver checked on us, he told me that not only the line in the drawing could be expressive but color also and all of it is planned, before you put the brush on the paper. He suggested to use contrast color where we want the focal point to be.

Knowing how to holding the pen loosely really stuck with me. The sketches of the following days would prove it. The technique really helped me to do quick sketches, it kept the pressure off my shoulders, it switched my overwhelming fear to sketch people to an enjoyable process which I look forward to do from now on.

Color added later.

Thanks Oliver for such a great workshop and fun time!