One of the most perplexing issues I have when looking for new traditional artists to feature is having to search through pages and pages of drawings of fan art devoted to copies of Johnny Depp or Dr House or whoever the latest and greatest icon is. It is difficult to discover new artists who are not content to just copy photographs but who are challenging themselves to draw the figure from life, and thus propel themselves to the rank of an artist and not an illustrator.

Many times I find artists who have great technical facility in rendering a photo and I send them a note asking if they ever draw from live models. Most of the time I get a response saying that they are happy just to draw from photos and don’t feel that life drawing is not interesting enough for them to pursue. For me I disagree, for it is only through life drawing that one acquires the skill to transfer a three dimensional object to a two dimensional space. When copying from a photo, non of the creative choices are yours… they are the photographers. You bring nothing of yourself as an artist to the drawing. The photographer has made all the important decisions regarding lighting, pose, choice of model, composition and how to compose or crop the figure. You are just copying his/her decisions. Unless the photograph in question is of course your own!

When drawing from life the artist is in charge of lighting, pose, angle, value, color, line quality and it is only through pursuing these decisions, that the artist determines his or her own original viewpoint or style not someone else’s. Life drawings have a certain energy and flow, as the artist struggles to find the correct line and form. There is a record of this conversation between artist and model. The artist in drawing from life is training his eye and his observational skills to an advanced level. If the artist wants to improve he/she will study anatomy, do master copies, practice value, line and form so that when he looks at the model he is making informed choices.

There is also a sensitive relationship that occurs between and artist and his/her favorite models. An intimacy that develops that appears in the drawings over time. Often artists will draw the same model many times and you can see this relationship form in their work as they understand who the model is as a person. Are they timid or bold in regards to self image, are they interesting, what is their favorite pose, what facial and hand gestures are unique to them alone. This dialogue can never occur between an artist and a photograph of a person you have never met.

So here I have presented some of whom I consider advanced in their craft, who have diligently taken the time to transcend copying art and to actually create it. I hope you enjoy their work!