Exact copying procedure

Close Scrutiny (copying of existing work)

Once you are convinced that having better (more accurate) memories of the way things look will help you to draw better, the next step is the building up your store of  memories (Mental Constructs).  Our emphasis in this class is in becoming more skillful at depicting the human form  and thus we use great drawings from the past to not only train our eye-hand skills but to increase our knowledge. Then, when we work from the live form we can summon enhanced knowledge (how others have dealt with drawing contours; what anatomical conventions they used) and produce better results.  This does not happen all at once, so we must be persistent, and approach each “copy” as a valuable learning experience.

Close Scrutiny as I define it relative to learning to draw is to copy works that are pertinent to our area of interest.  It is not enough to simply look longingly at work we admire we must “get into it”, “make it a part of ourselves”, and we can only do this by trying to reproduce it in our own hand.  If you wanted to learn to play the guitar you wouldn't just study chord diagrams in a manual;  you would actually try to imitate and test these diagrams by working with the instrument; over, and over, and over again.  And if the first few times you couldn't get the fingering correct, you would persist until your fingers and hands, “did what you wanted them to”.  You could probably learn to play the guitar without the manual and study of previous music, but it would be a much longer process.  In a like manner we must train our hands and enhance our memories if we wish to improve drawing abilities.  Think of the copying of the work of the Masters as a “manual”, and that by using the “manual” correctly you will make the most rapid progress.

To gain the most benefit from Close Scrutiny:
1.Copy drawings using the same or similar media  ---  We are trying to learn how the Master made his/her marks.  If we say, make a drawing copy of a painting then we are wasting that (learning how the master made marks) aspect of the learning experience.  Use good paper (quality sketch pad paper is adequate).

2.Use exact same proportions as the original  ---  To avoid distortions based on page shape.  For example, if the original illustration is 5”w x 7”h, and you want to make a slightly larger drawing that is say, 6”w, then use the simple formula 5 is to 6 as 7 is to X;  , cross multiply so that 5x = 42, and , or x = 8.4 so your new dimensions are  6”w x 8.2”h

3.Set up drawing BEFORE you start to render  ---  Use very light pencil lines  to set locations of key parts of the drawing before you start.  Then use very light, loose “shape volumes ”  to “block in” the figure. (See the "Touch" definition in an earlier post)

4.Note and Try to capture the “Spirit” of contours and shading technique  --- Also pay attention to “conventions for anatomy “ that show up and recur.  By drawing in "the spirit" of the original I mean you should not try to copy every line precisely as the original lines were done quickly and deftly.  Rather ty to emulate the quality of the line or shading without having to slow down so much that your copy looks "labored"

5.Make the current copy the “Best” you've ever done.  By that I mean, incorporate the knowledge of mistakes or missteps you made in a previous copies to help you avoid these problems in your current work.

6.More advanced copying to learn different styles and techniques should come later.  Try to copy at a level you can handle.  The knowledge you gain with each succeeding copy builds, so that more difficult projects become possible.