linksoep
Pretending to be Raphael.

It may be blasphemy, but the paintings from Raphael (1483 - 1520) don’t really hit that chord with me. However, I’m blown away by his drawings and studies. This dude could draw!

Recently, I bought a book “Raphael The Drawings” (2017) that I highly recommended for everyone interested in drawing (or art in general). Every now and then I pick it up to admire his craftsmanship. And sometimes I grab my sketchbook with it and study his studies. It’s great learning material.

Of course, I am nowhere near his artistic skills nor do I necessarily want to be (well, the latter is a lie), and I don’t use the same materials he did (I’m just “sketchbooking” here with my trusted fountain pen), but it is fascinating to discover how he solved certain problems while drawing the figure.

#drawing #sketch #fountainpen #sketchbook #ink #art #figuredrawing
Feb 6 at 9:30amWeb
Show threadTekahemFeb 6
Nice work, nice hatching exercice
Show threadlinksoepFeb 6
@tekahem Thanks! Indeed a great exercise to see what “works” and what not.
Show threadTekahemFeb 6
I'm struggling with hatching going from trying to favour the shape ('following' the forms') or the values (without 'following' the shape)
Show threadlinksoepFeb 6
Exactly that is what I’m also investigating. I always thought that following form was superior (still kind of think so, even if you intend to bring values), but to my surprise Raphael doesn’t shy away from just straight hatching, and it still looks convincing.
Show threadTekahemFeb 6
Here is a link to a young French artist living here in Brussels. He works with pens and only with values, his hatching doesn't follow the forms. It's gives his artworks a loose yet very accurate feeling: https://www.robinwen.be/dessin?pgid=lthhbvft-4622c233-ec68-43d7-b389-dc9464006d0b
Blue Rave | Dessin

19,5 x 19,5 cm Stylo à bille sur papier 2023 Robin WEN

robinwen.be
Show threadlinksoepFeb 6
Wonderful! Thanks for the link!
Show threadhestenFeb 6
@linksoep Oh these look good! I can really sense the roundness in the forms you've drawn. What is it about Raphael's drawings that speaks to you most (if you don't me asking)?
Show threadlinksoepFeb 6
Thanks! Well, lately I’m kind of obsessed with old master drawings from the Renaissance, and Raphael is a prime example. I admire how they seem to have total understanding of the body, while still being able to simplify it into basic forms somehow. Yet it is also the “historic sensation” that appeals to me, the thought of them drawing like this centuries ago. A couple of months ago I was at an exhibition of drawings by Michaelangelo and stood eye to eye with his work. I was mesmerized.

Interestingly enough, I’m not trying to draw like them per se. I want to get better at figure drawing, and Raphael is a great teacher. My aim eventually is to draw the human body more expressively, any way I like it, and I try to pick up any knowledge I can get.