Too Cocky. Not Enough Measuring. Amature Work..

A Disaster in graphite; 6 x 8, TMDD Series, 2015

Harsh criticism for someone who should have known better.  Too cocky and not enough measurement notes about sums up what went wrong this morning--and as soon as I opened my mouth about taking all those life drawing classes who needs any more of them! How egotistical can one be? 

 But at least I know where I cut corners:  I didn't match up strategic points.  Note the vertical midline that starts at his ear lobe and passes through his sternum, the groin and the outside of his ankle. My midline was noted and drawn too late. I am about one quarter inch off on the placement of that leg. The bottom of his right hand cupping the edge of the chaise sets the bottom of the calf on his left leg. I really should have dissected the reference.  My ego got the better of me.

--And my errors go on:   I am also off on the other one for both his feet end at the horizontal line across the bottom of the page.  This drawing is a disaster that wouldn't have happened had I followed my own advice to measure relationships and match points initially and  periodically throughout a drawing.  This guy's pose is worthy of a do over though-not in graphite on a small sheet of paper, but in charcoal on a larger format where a gestural stroke has the room to be gestural.