Week 10: Colour in Skin

Chalks - 30 minutes

The colours in this image are the main element which was to be focused on. Orange has been used all over the body to draw everything together, some areas more intensely than others. Shadows have also been formed with the use of purples and reds as these are these are actual colours of the skin which is semi- transparent and therefore colours from underneath are visible in certain lights. The fact that the colour of the material the model is lying on constists cool greens and blue colours helps balance the picture as all of the skin tones are warm colours: oranges, reds, purples and browns. These contrast with each other yet create a harmony at the same time, making it aesthetically pleasing. There has been attempt to balance it further by adding a subtle background but it is very similar colour to the skin so perhaps does have quite the desired effect.
The lines of the material the model is lying on have been drawn in an opposite direction to the lines the major contours of the body are facing. This breaks up the image and ensures everything is not moving in the same direction which creates more balance within the drawing.
The proportions of the drawing are fairly accurate though the ends of the feet have been cut off which would have been good to include because it would have shown the difference between the ellipsis of the head and the feet demonstrating foreshortening. Also, more attention should have been paid to tricky areas such as the hand because it is rather blobby. In in a similar area, there is an odd meeting of their arm and hand there it looks as if it has been completely cut off and demonstrates a lack of observation in this particular area.
Another odd element of the drawing is that it appears as though the model is lying on something that is slanted whereas this is not true otherwise she would slide down without something to keep her in place.
The curves of the model such as on the thighs and hips have been exaggerated slightly which helps display form more clearly and helps reduce the occurrence of sausage limbs, which has worked quite nicely along the whole leg area.  Your eye is particularly drawn to some of these curves because they fall within the rule of thirds within the drawing. For example the top shoulder is one of these and has been intensified with a shadow making it a area of interest within the image. Another area of interest is the curve of the hip/thigh which this time has been emphasised with a subtle highlight.