Steve Rude Blogging?!?
Ye Gods! It's time for...
The BLOG from the DUDE LAGOON!!
Yaaaaasss, my friends, the Humble Dude himself is finally joining Bloggers United to further his own personal causes into your hearts and homes. Since the Dude truly lives an exciting life, far more than your average comic book-type adaptoid, then you're free to put away the Melvin and James Joyce, none of whom I've ever read, and plug into Dudeland, the place where it really all happens. As the Blue Oyster Cult once asked me, "Are you ready to rock?" If the answer if "Yes", please press P for proceed on your computer keyboard, and we'll get it on!
MY FIFTEEN YEAR PLAN--WHETHER I LIKE IT OR NOT
What do you do when you turn 52? Well, for me, I decided that it was time to return to life-drawing and painting. On Sundays from 12:00-3:00, in my upstairs studio, I have 3 choices on how to spend my time: paint from live models, paint from still lives, or grab my watercolors and paint outside. For the past 6 months, I've been doing just that. The novice, or even the seasoned pro, may ask the benefits of these exercises. Why not just draw from a photo?
Drawing or painting from life sharpens your senses like no other form of learning. Drawing in 3-dimensions help you understand form in 3-dimensions. Having a direct relationship with your 2 eyes and the object before you causes a different kind of comprehension than working from a flat photograph. I've worked with photo's my whole life, and will continue to do so, but the experience of working from real objects, especially live models, is where a new kind of learning comes in. The large form as well as the small forms are there to offer all its infinite color and form subtleties. You can examine the object from all angles if one angle is incomplete with it's information. It's also the kind of learning you can store away at a later time in your mind, and use it as it's called upon in your next illustration.
As a beginner I wouldn't have understood squat about what I just said. I was too beginning struggling with holding a pencil right to worry about a proper figure drawing. When I turned 50, I recalled a quote from Loomis' Creative Illustration that said, "When all is said and done, working from life is your best teacher." He also said, "The simplest things are the last to be understood". Pretty heavy, huh? Well, I'm finally beginning to understand it.
Try the life-drawing thing for yourself and see if anything clicks. You never know what crater of knowledge might explode with your next discovery. For those of you hesitant about taking chances in life, it's an exciting way to live.
Next: Dave Stevens.
'Till Next time, I remain,
The Humble Dude
(Steve's blog is available on MySpace: www.myspace.com/steverudethedude)
