Sunlit Bather
sunlit bather
Flicking through my many large charcoal sketchbooks, I realized I wanted to take one of these rough sketches and turn it into a more finished piece. However, without a source photo or any color reference, this would be challenging. I’ve been consistently attending weekly life drawing classes, both in California and now ‘Kroki’ classes in Sweden, for a few years. It’s such a helpful resource for practicing drawing the human figure quickly, as the poses can last anywhere between one to 20 minutes without getting overwhelmed by the idea that the body is difficult to draw.
A visit to a fantastic exhibition called ‘Bonnard and the Nordics’ at Stockholm’s National Gallery in April this year provided the inspiration that I was looking for. Everyday surroundings with vibrant colors, yet softness and intimacy, form the basis for most of Bonnard’s work. I also learned that he preferred to work from sketches or memories rather than paint from life.
I particularly loved his way with color; every painting practically glows with apricot yellows or azure blues, but they never feel garish or unbalanced.
INSPIRED BY BONNARD AND THE NORDICS EXHIBITION
Seeing his work made me more determined to do more with these charcoal sketches.From the elementary sketch, which depicted a model leaning on a wooden box in the studio, I decided that my composition would look through an open doorway to a bathroom, capturing the moment before she gets into the bath, with the sunlight highlighting the skin colors on her back. I then worked up a couple of quick studies. Firstly, in watercolor, as seen in the top right-hand picture, and then in oils, and finally, a more detailed anatomical drawing. This step-by-step process allowed me to work out the composition and the colors before scaling up to the finished piece.
BREATHING LIFE INTO A QUICK LIFE DRAWING SKETCH
