Week One
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Page Two
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Page Four
Welcome to Day TWO of class!
Compared to other areas of the body, the skull is, arguably, the most important for artists. This is not only because of how many visible landmarks there are to pay attention to and capture in our drawings, but also due to how familiar we are with them - even if we don't realize it. Faces are a big part of how we tell the difference between one person or another. We may know a person has a certain hair color, that they wear a certain style of clothes, or that they wear glasses, but the number one way we determine who is who is based on their face.
Consider how difficult it might be to tell the difference between two people who are the same height, have the same hair cut, and are wearing the same clothes - how could you possibly tell them apart? The answer is, by looking at their faces.
This familiarity with faces is why the uncanny valley exists. The uncanny valley is what we call it when something looks reasonably human, but ultimately doesn't match our expectations of what a face should look like. If it's imperfect it can provoke a feeling of uneasiness to its observers. This is why we put a lot of emphasis on what 'good' art is - because otherwise we can be left with a feeling of apprehension and may even find it uncomfortable to look at. This puts a lot of pressure on us to get it right, so the skull is where we will start.
Today we are looking at the anatomy of the skull, and the seven landmarks that are particularly important for artists. The cranium, the brow bone, the eye sockets, cheek bones, nasal and oral cavities, and mandible. If you haven't already I would like you to open the link to the 3D Model of the skull and take a bit of time to familiarize yourself with it.
Assignment One
Pull out your assignment from yesterday, and start to compare your drawing to the 3D model of the skull. Be sure to situate the model so that it is at the same angle as your drawing. Take some time and try to alter your drawing - to the best of your abilities - to better match what you see in the model. Being able to visually compare a reference to your work is one of the more important skills you should be learning as an artist. Take note of certain distances, such as what the length of the head is compared to the width, or how much space is between the eye sockets, or how many nasal cavities you could fit down the center of the face. Any arbitrary measurement is just as good as the next.