In my previous post I described how I went to the National Gallery in Edinburgh to see Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss. It’s a famous marble sculpture. I made a couple of sketchbook studies in charcoal then an A6 watercolour. After analysing my studies, I decided to do a 14″ x 10″ watercolour of The Kiss in the studio. This small watercolour came out really well.
I’ve since produced a larger 29″ x 20″ original watercolour of Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss which has been reproduced as a limited edition giclee print It’s available in three sizes.
I find drawing and painting sculptures particularly rewarding, particularly figurative. I love life drawing, however it’s not always possible to get to a class. Making studies of figurative sculptures is a great alternative and there are advantages over a live model.
First of all, they don’t move! Secondly, you don’t have to worry too much about flesh tones. You can keep your studies very monochromatic. When I studied Sight Size in Florence, I discovered that first year students draw casts in charcoal. It’s a great way of discovering how to handle tonal values. I had a go at painting a cast ofSt Jerome in oils. I used the Sight Size method. It was an excellent exercise.
The painting forms part of my Spring Exhibition at my Studio & Gallery in Ponteland. The exhibition is on until Sunday 28th April. The first copy of Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss has already been sold. Whilst I was doing this painting, I was photographed by a street photographer called Victor Adams. Check out his blog here.