Quiet Reclining Position

This charcoal and pastel drawing, Model Session – 2026‑06‑20‑2, portrays our life model Henriëtte in a quiet reclining pose. The position itself is not unusual, yet the cropped lower body creates a graceful diagonal movement across the composition. This cascade runs from the upper right corner toward the lower left area. Many life‑drawing artists tend to include the full figure, and I once did the same. The more you show, the smaller everything appears. Viewers already know the rest of the body exists beyond the frame, right? Leaving part of it unseen allows the visible form to feel larger and more powerful.

Not Measuring Out

Unlike the first session of today’s life‑drawing event, I felt no need to measure the overall proportions. I positioned her arms and head first, trusting the rest to fall into place. This approach guided me toward the area where her body would land to the right. Eventually, I reached the upper right corner where her hip begins. Perhaps this result came from intuition rather than planning. Gut feeling often plays a role in these sessions.

Tonal Rhythm and Linear Structures

The folds in the pillows on the left echoed the angle of her right upper arm. Their rhythm added a subtle structural balance to the drawing. I was also drawn to the tonal movement running vertically and horizontally across the figure. Light and dark planes shaped the composition and created a calm visual flow. To strengthen this structure, I added a few dark contour lines. These lines define the body and counterbalance the introspective nature of the reclining woman at rest. This drawing concludes the season’s model‑sketching sessions at ‘De Blauwe Tram’. I look forward to September 2026.

Pastel drawing on Hahnemühle Dürer Ingres-Bütten Night Blue paper (62.5 x 48 x 0.1 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: info@corneakkers.com

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