Day 1. Figuary is a month long drawing program hosted every February. I recently did the 2019 session, and am excited to do the 2020 session as it’s being produced. The instructional videos are produced by LoveLifeDrawing and the practices sessions by the Croquis Cafe. You can find the information here. Here’s my first day. Still getting used to drawing on a tablet.

Day 2. Today I decided to select some of the drawings and overlay the actual model. I tended to not make the horiontal poses wide enough, and I’m drawing the neck too long.

Day 3. Today’s session began with five fifteen second poses. In the really short ones, there are quite a few line pairs that should converge but diverge (and vice versa). Some of the later poses have good balance. I could probably slow down and make more deliberate longer strokes, I’m noticing many disconnected edges. I thought I did better in the one minutes poses than the five minutes pose.

Day 4. Today’s session featured the first male model. I’m consistently drawing the head too large. Overall pretty happy with the balance of each pose. I did lose the tension in the pose where the model is pulling the rope.

Day 5. Dialed the head size back a bit. I like how geometric some of these turned out. Spent an hour or so on the rendered head. Just pretend the ear doesn’t exist.

Day 6. Enjoyed this session’s poses, was in a hurry and would have liked to spend more time. I’m having a hard time using the brush dynamics. Should probably stick to something simpler.

Day 7. Today I had a hard time with several poses (specifically the third and fifth). I had success with the last pose, even though there was significant foreshortening. When I saw the last pose, I could easily identify large shapes. Whereas in the pose before, it felt like one large shape that depended on getting the nuance right.

I made several more attempts.

Day 8. In my mind’s eye, I was seeing a larger torso. Paused the clock for the last pose, and happy with the result. The legs are messy but it feels believable.

Day 9. Unhappy with the last pose. I’m using dark strokes to “correct” previous lines that just end up being distracting. Happy with some of the two minute poses.

Day 10.

Day 11. Goal this session was to focus on getting the proportions right. Not attempting to pixel match the model, but capture the big ideas.

Day 12. For this session, I’m going to try and incorporate the advice to see the lines before I make them. On the two minute poses, I want to capture some of the basic shadow shapes.

Day 13. I’m happy with the previous day’s shapes, the structure feels right. This time I’d like to develop the brow in my drawings. I think I’m being a bit too loose with the heads I’m drawing. In the longer drawings, I can apply a lighter foundation shadow, before reducing my brush size.

Day 14. Today I want to focus on capturing the entire pose and making it balanced. Looking at the photo for the ideas, but drawing from my understanding.

Day 15. I’m noticing a trend where I’m drawing the torso too long and the legs too short.

Day 16. My intention is to be more confident about the lines I make. Let’s see how it goes.

Day 17.

Day 18. Today’s goal: Focus on torso to leg ratio and in general try and keep the big picture in mind.

I paused the clock on each one, and I’m happy with the results.

Day 19.

Day 20. Many short poses today. My results didn’t turn out too well.

Day 21.

Day 22.

Day 23.

Day 24.

Day 25.

Day 26. Today I strictly adhered to the timings for each pose. Pretty tricky, lot’s of room for improvement. The last post was continuously moving, I did okay.

Day 27. Today had some more moving poses. I don’t feel like I stand a chance when I have to draw from memory.

Day 28.

Day 29. Frankly, I’m proud of myself for doing something for 29 days. In the span of the month, I became more sensitive to my line darkness–avoiding the tendency to correct a line by making it darker. I improved the proportions of the head on my figures. I have a better sense for the large building blocks of a figure–idenfifying the ribcage and hips. The instructional videos mentioned something which I found to be encouraging and true: that your eye develops as you practice. You do get better at seeing the way things should be.