Chelsea Ballerina Painting

Chelsea was a captivating, strong and attractive model. This session was organised as half nude and half clothed, the latter giving the opportunity for some truly unique images. Here, Chelsea is in a captivating seated pose, dressed in a way that evokes a classical dancer, wearing a tutu skirt and a style of corset with straps that are falling off the shoulder. The pose is strong, with powerful shoulders and arms draped in front of her. Asymmetry is introduced in the legs with one extended out and the other bent. She has an appealing slight smile on her face with eyes directed downwards, giving a very relaxed and casual air. I chose to approach this pose with black gouache on textured, brown craft paper (the reverse side is smooth), using a thick brush to make my bold, broad marks. Varying the amount of paint applied, I have areas of thick, dense tone where the brush was heavily laden for the dark areas, and areas of soft tone, which was especially appropriate for the tutu skirt, achieved by using a dry brush effect. The mark making is extremely varied - some areas are more worked, like around around the face, and more gestural and loose in other areas like around the skirt and legs. It was done in Portland, OR in a small atelier where a few people gather once a week for figure drawing.

 All of my figure drawings are from life - no photos were used at any point in their fabrication. The model is in front of you and you have a definite amount of time to get down as much information as you can or see fit. Because of this, each drawing is truly unique and a complete one of a kind, containing a spontaneity that can never be duplicated through photo inspired drawings/paintings.