Around 2017 I decided to learn a formal drawing method that reached maturity during the golden age of illustration. It was taught to artists and illustrators before the 1950s, until abstract expressionism became dominant. The method has since been “rediscovered” and taught by instructors such as Jeff Watts and his student Stan Prokopenko. Rather than copying the model as seen, it reconstructs the figure using geometric volumes, training the draughtsman to invent forms without a reference.
Most of the drawings below are on 18 x 24 inch newsprint in charcoal pencil; some are on 18 x 24 inch museum rag paper in pencil. You might think that learning figure drawing would limit you to figures, but I found the skill transfers to landscapes as well. Before learning this approach, I struggled to draw a complete figure from head to toe in one sitting. This method excels at efficiency and capturing likeness: drawings unfold quickly as skill improves. It typically uses three passes—gesture, volumetric structure, and shadow mapping.
