Academic studies

So my semester with Russian academy of art in Florence has began and our anatomy module has started with head anatomy and scheme.

 My class:

Skull schematic:


Some of my unfinished attempts in understanding the structure of skull. It is really interesting to draw things when you know the scheme!

After studying the skull, next is studying the planes and muscles of the face. Here is one unfinished drawing I did last week(the one with facial muscles):

The approach here is to draw everything in a constructive way. Like you imagine the forms by breaking them down into simplest forms and start by drawing everything as if it's all transparent. Then gradually make it complex, by adding the details that are on the surface. So go from simple to complex and then again simplify. Shape, volume, and structure(how it is constructed)- three things to focus on. Everytime you draw something, think about the weight, which gives the volume, shape.

I have started with this portrait of Claudio, Ashish's housemate. It's interesting how one can apply the scheme to what we see and draw it in a constructive way. It's like you are drawing this portrait, but actually you are trying to find the points that you studied in the scheme. 

Now when I see the face, I can  imagine the structure beneath the skin(little bit), which is good. I know which points are the amplitude points on the face, and which ones are indents, which ones to highlight and all that.. It's fun, and I hope to capture the likeness in this portrait while applying all the rules that I learnt.

Also, I had taken a five days workshop in December to study hands, knee and feet. Its difficult to draw them without having the understanding of the underlying structure. So we studied the schematics and also tried to paint hands from life(unfinished).