Anatomical Studies by Domenico Beccafumi
Sienese, c. 1485 – 1551, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
This lovely study of anatomy by Domenico Beccafumi shows us so much into the mind of the Renaissance artist. By the 16th-century, artists were years away from the Medieval model of painting the spiritual. Drawing from life and studying the human body the way it is actually constructed had replaced the iconographic model of painting that was prevalent until Giotto painted the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.
In this drawing, Beccafumi used pen and brown ink and he drew in red chalk in another hand. You could tone your own paper with tea or coffee grounds. Otherwise, the Strathmore toned paper or the Canson Ingres paper would be perfect for this drawing. However, if you like to keep your drawings in a notebook, no special paper is needed for Master Drawing Mondays.
The key principle here is to spend time looking closely and studying the quality of line of an old Master Drawing.
Wait… I missed what all of this is about!
The challenge of Master Drawing Mondays is to set aside time to copy a drawing. You can either choose from a book, or I will provide a weekly prompt from a museum collection. If you are on social media, use the hashtag #MasterDrawingMonday and tag me on Instagram @SarahHI. Let’s see how many out-of-practice artists we can encourage to take up a regular practice of copying the old masters!
Share your drawings on social media, or hang it on your mom’s fridge!
#MasterDrawingMondays
#MasterDrawing Mondays is free and open to anyone. All of the links on this page are to outside sources. I do not receive compensation for any sales of books or art supplies.
