I’ve been working this week on learning to draw the planes of the face in preparation for sculpting a bust at some point in the next couple of months. It seems very hard to learn how to do this, especially while following a master teacher like Glenn Vilippu at New Masters Academy. But the fact is that learning to draw can be hard at times. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t ‘getting it’–you just haven’t ‘mastered’ it.
I’m learning to just keep pushing through, drawing along with Glenn through the lessons, trusting that it’s ‘sticking’. 🙂
I was so surprised when I decided, ‘on a whim’ to sculpt a little 2″ bust, just to test out what I’d learned from drawing the planes of the face, on clay.
I’ve got a long way to go, but I have confirmed, at least to myself, that learning to draw like this is critical to sculpting a portrait! Most of the most experienced teachers say that drawing is essential preparation for sculpture and I can see why.
Anatomy knowledge, which you get in these drawing exercises makes all the difference!
I’ve got a long way to go, but I was very pleased with my ‘little man’.
Donna C. Rodgers, Sculptor 