Life-drawing day

On Monday we had a break from more imaginative tasks and turned to fine tuning our translation - working straight from eye to pen, or as was the case with most of us, eye to charcoal.

Working large always presents somewhat of a problem for a girl with such short arms, though I managed to complete several pieces without sacrificing too many of the correct proportions. Saying that, I've been adequately reminded of just.how useful an easel is.

After a series of quick sketches, we moved on to more time consuming, detailed works.

I was glad of the additional feature of the kimono, as I take great joy in observing and drawing draped fabrics; the pale silk gave off a magnificent sheen as it caught the light, as well as providing the curves of the body with contrasting straight lines as the fabric fell.

Ultimately I found it a very tiring day, as recording all the detail of the body is quite a challenge. However, as always the practise helps develop the important skill of drawing from life which can be transferred to any subject I encounter in life.