Origins of Contour Drawing

 The contour drawing defines the perimeter of the figure against its background, as so eloquently illustrated in the Durer engravings circa 1530 .Photographic realism before the camera often relied on the sight size execution as well as camera obscura and various grid transfer techniques. These are all forms of measurement that rely on the projection of a matrix grid that corresponds precisely with the image seen from one point of view, hence the stationary "eye pointer" that establishes the position of the viewer's eyeball.

Mechanics of Sight

To understand the process of visualization, it is important to first consider its mechanics. This may all sound a bit arcane but I can't help resisting the science nerd part of me. Knowing how the brain processes visual information can afford the artist insight into how to craft their creation. As will be shown later, the artist can intentionally orchestrate a trajectory or visual pathway for the viewer to follow by knowing what visual clues have the most impact. Understanding the cognitive process of how the brain visualizes geometry can also be instructive in imparting a sense of volume in one's work. 

How it works:
 When we open our eyes, the available light that is illuminating our world and reflecting off of objects, is instantaneously transduced by the retina through neural ganglion to the thalamus and then to the occipital cortex of the brain. There it is coded and processed into a mental image of that world around us. Although grossly oversimplified, this is basically a description of the mechanics of sight. Incredibly, the coding and processing of sight all occur almost instantaneously, as the brain updates, cross-references, evaluates, remembers, and learns: all within the blink of an eye.
 As our eyes gaze at the world around us, the electromagnetic energy of light permeates back into the inner lining of our eyeballs which is called the retina (1). The retina is lined with specialized cells, which are stratified into layers. The layers toward the back of the retina are arranged radially into a honeycomb – like configuration. and are the photoreceptor cells- the rods and cones. Photoreceptors ate a specialized type of neuron found in the retina that is capable of photo transduction.The great biological importance of photoreceptors is that they convert light(electromagnetic radiation) into signals that can stimulate the biological processes. More specifically, photoreceptor proteins- Rhodopsin and Opsin absorb photons triggering a change in that cells membrane potential.(2) Stacked by the thousands inside these cylindrical like rods and cones, are membrane cells containing the photoreceptor protein Rhodopsin. Rhodopsin reacts with light and undergoes a chemical reaction which is the first in an entire chain of catalyzed reactions.The mechanism that seems to drive all this is the electrical flux of membrane potential- newly created binding sites generated by changes in the Rhodopsin provoke Sodium ions to enter the cell through a gateway in the cell membrane.When too many Sodium ions saturate the cell it results in a resulting in a flood of Glutamate which neutralizes the excessive accumulation of ions.This process results in membrane potentials hyperpolarizing and depolarizing up along the retinal structure from the rods and cones to the bipolar cells which are stimulated to produce a burst of electrical impulses.(3) It is the bipolar cell that can fire an electrical signal to the ganglia neuron which creates an action potential.This now is the encoded signal which can be transmitted from the ganglion,(4) and then routed to the brain through the thalamus.(5)
This is very simply the process of phototransduction.

Light and Neuronal Activity

How rods and Cones respond to light

Volumetric Drawing and the Human Figure

The class: Volumetric Drawing and the Human Figure  , an ongoing class at theWoodstock School of Art, is a drawing course which uses spatial visualization to interpret volumetric form and applies it to drawing the human figure. Although the figure is its emphasis, the course is less a survey of anatomy and more about the psychology of seeing; what Da Vinci refers to as saper vedere : knowing how to see. It is about data transfer and communication, and how the artist can transcribe his or her own expression into a visual reality with which others can engage. These strategies all contribute to the creation of a cognitive model that is then refined with anatomical as well as mechanical data. This cognitive model in its most developed form is a volumetric manikin figure, similar to a holograph, which is quite literally projected from the artist’s mind onto the paper via his or her visualization skills. Equipped with this spatial visualization tool, the student can apply anatomical information as it is learned; the manikin visualization updating itself every time one draws. In this sense, the artist is not copying or measuring the image that is projected on the retina of the eye, but rather is visualizing a cognitive manikin that is a kind of template the artist uses to draw on top.

The learning objectives of this course are focused on providing the student with tools of visualization and ways to then code this information into a cogent and expressive workflow. I find the categorization of this process as a workflow to be particularly appropriate as it implies that a workflow can often adapt itself to a changing environment. Likewise, the artist can learn to adapt their own cognitive approach to their practice to reflect changing parameters as well as evolving goals.. Within the course syllabus are exercises designed to increase capacity for spatial visualization of three dimensional space. As is apparent to most people once they pause to reflect, they can reach for a coffee cup outside of their field of vision and cup their hand to perfectly conform to the geometry of the cup. This is spatial visualization at work- the mind casting a wider net based on small bits of information and projecting a matrix on the field beyond its periphery.

Ecorche Armature Design

Available here is my design for the Ecorche Armature

I've assembled detailed plans and explanation for building your own Ecorche Human Anatomy Armature.

I currently teach Artistic Anatomy- Drawing the Human figure at the Woodstock School of Art in Woodstock, New York for the last six years. I have also taught a class in Sculptural Ecorche.

My first Ecorche was with Eliot Goldfinger at the New York Academy of Art in New York.

I've had quite a bit of experience in building these Ecorche armatures as I've fabricated about ten of these and have perfected my design on each succesive one that I build.

For those interested in purchasing one I have a few available through this website as  well as detailed plans for how to fabricate your own Ecorche armature.

They can be obtained here:

Full sized Armature with base:  $200.00 plus shipping.

Complete plans and instructions on how to build an anatomical armature
download pdf. file

$ 40.00

Life Drawings

From Sketch class

Ecorche and Artistic Anatomy at the Woodstock School of Art

Ecorche and Artistic Anatomy at the Woodstock School of Art

Ecorche Class

Ecorche Armature

Here's the basic armature I created for my Ecorche class at the Woodstock School of Art .

Based on a single pole concept rather than a side mount, I felt that the side mounted galvanized pipe occluded too much area so I opted to hang the armature off a single thin threaded steel rod which was made rigid through wing nut compression. The base had a countersunk void to accommodate a locking nut. I spent alot of time poking through the plumbing fixture bins at the hardware store. This is actually the second prototype of my ecorche, which  was later improved upon. Hands and feet were added later, fab'd from smaller gauge wire and the pelvis and rib cage was refined to avoid any metal poking through the clay skin. This was especially evident around the lumbar and sacral area as I had to attach the leg wire assembly to this  junction and have it still appear delicate. More pixs to come.