Concept sketches: Woman

Have you ever had a cloudy, unformed thought?

This occurs often for me, and I sketch it out. It also helps me to find inspirational images to sketch next to; I found these watercolors to capture the gauzy romance and lightness I wanted. For my final project I wanted to do a figure drawing; I came up with a few concept sketches, but ended up dissatisfied with all of them. I was particularly inspired by Woman at the Height of Her Beauty by Kitagawa Utamaro:

What I always found lovely about this print is that it was done by a male artist attempting to capture a woman at her most beautiful moment, and it reveals itself to be completely unintended: stretching and looking elsewhere. I also drew from the Roman scultpure, The Dying Gaul, because there is some poetry to be found in death and sadness.

This is reality, don't you think? I've always found people to be most beautiful when they are trying the least; modesty and innateness are some of the most admirable qualities for me.

I tried to use different aspects of Kitagawa's artwork; women stretching, looking away, etc. The drapery and fabric textile is also key. I will try again tomorrow.

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