3D, Life Drawing

Today was my first proper day on the Art Foundation course.

In the morning, we had our 3D taster class, and the teacher introduced us to clay.  I haven't used clay for about 11 years, so it was like the first time for me. 

- I took a lump of clay and held it in my palm.  Using the thumb of my other hand, I gently pinched it into a cup shape.  Then I made another cup of the same size.
- I put a ball of paper towel in one of the cups, and attached the other one, smoothing it over to make a hollow ball.
- Then I used a slapping stick (like a kitchen spatula) to pat it into a shape.  I ended up cutting a section out of the top and making a simple little milk jug.  It's pleasant to hold, it feels ergonomic. 
- Clay is heavy, clammy and cold but feels very organic and pliable.
- The teacher showed us how to make impressions and patterns by tapping the clay with a square stick or rolling some hessian across it -- but I decided I wanted to keep my milk jug smooth, and I'd like to glaze it so that it looks like stone.

Then the teacher showed us how to make a flat sheet of clay, by putting two squared rods down and moving a rolling pin over them to keep an even width.  You have to roll it on a piece of fabric to make it easier to pick up when it's all flat.  He explained that clay has a molecular memory, so you have to 'confuse' it by kneading it in different directions and turning it upside down.  That should stop it from cracking when it's fired.  You also need to prick any air bubbles, and pick out any flecks of plaster that get caught in it, as they would explode in the kiln. 
He showed us how to make boxes and cylinders by serrating the surfaces and adding a coating of runny liquid clay before sticking the pieces together and smoothing over the join.  You can also pat a worm of clay into the corners to help support the join.  You have to cut the clay with wires and needles to get a clean edge. 

- I wrapped some paper around a cardboard tube (to stop the clay from sticking) and draped a sheet of flat clay around it.
- I attached this to a disc and made a small sugar bowl.  I thought I should experiment with texture, so I tried a hessian imprint and scored the lip of the bowl, but I don't like the effect and if I get a chance, I'd like to try and smooth it out again so the surface matches the milk jug. 

Lastly, the teacher demonstrated throwing a pot.  I'm not likely to get a chance to do this myself, but it was really interesting to watch.  He made a carafe out of terracotta.  It was very slick and messy, and his arms were coated up to the elbows in thick red clay.

Artists to research: Ruth Duckworth (little pinched mushrooms), Ewen Henderson (stoneware).

In the afternoon, we had Life Drawing.

The teacher took a black paintbrush and drew lines and dots over the nude model's body, to help us as we learned to draw.  I found the line up his spine especially useful. 

- I drew a simple standing pose to learn how to proportion the figure in 7 and 3/4 sections.
- I drew a selection of quick two minute and then 30 second poses.  The teacher told us not to worry too much about proportions for the moment, and just concentrate on drawing instinctively.
- The model moved around the room slowly and I tried to capture the essence of the movement just with stick figures.
- The teacher gave us some exercises to make us braver and more experimental.  I tried drawing the figure without looking at the page at all (blind contour study).  I didn't enjoy this and the results looked very squiggly.  Then I tried drawing with my left hand, and then with my left hand and not looking at the page.  That really didn't look like a figure at all.
- We were allowed back into our comfort zone to do one more pose like the first one.
- Finally, I drew the last pose from five different angles.