“Muscle Memory”

During weeks 6 through 9 in Ecorche with Rey Bustos at LAAFA we added “musculature” to our ecorches. Using “chocolate” Sculpey, we crafted each muscle according to helpful guidelines Rey provided for us.

 

With Rey’s detailed drawings and demonstrations to lead us in the right direction, we worked our way up the body, all the way from lower leg, through the abdomen and upper body to the facial muscles.

 

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of Ecorche with Rey Bustos at LAAFA in our upcoming Week 10 blog post.

 

 

One of the most transformational parts of Ecorche with Rey Bustos at LAAFA was spray painting the baked ecorche.  I was careful to mask the hand and foot that I wanted to remain the fleshy color of Sculpey with aluminum foil before painting.  You can see below how a light coat of off-white spray paint really shows off all the sculpting work that goes into the skeletal portion of the ecorche.

In class, Rey had a “varnishing station’ set up for us. We lightly brushed varnish over our spray painted ecorches. We only applied the varnish to the left side, the side that will remain as exposed skeleton. We left the right side coated with spray paint only, so the clay we apply to represent muscles will stick. The effect of the varnish over the spray paint is fantastic- don’t you think?

I can’t believe we have already reached the halfway point- week 5 in Ecorche with Rey Bustos at LAAFA!  Class number five focused largely on process, as this week’s tasks were to complete the skeletal body and “bake” the ecorche to permanently harden the Sculpey.

In class, Rey demonstrated how to finish the delicate bones of the lower arm, the radius and the ulna.  Rey recommended stringing the tiny finger bones onto the wire like beads. This simple technique creates a sophisticated skeletal model of the
human hand.

For the fleshed out right hand, Rey drew us a diagram of the palm. He encouraged us to make our ecorches’ hands expressive, and to add creases, or flexure lines, for a lifelike effect.  Everyone had more than enough armature wire to support the fingers on each hand.
We just cut off what we didn’t need after
completing both hands.

The next lecture topic was Rey’s favorite bone: the scapula.  I have to admit, floating like wings on the human back, scapulae are beautiful bones.  Rey showed us how to mold the organic protrusions that define the scapulae. He also showed us how to attach the left scapula so that only the socket, or glenoid fossa rests against the head of the humerus. As you can see, this was a well-documented moment of the class. 😉

Back at home, I carefully followed the written instructions Rey gave us on baking our ecorches. Behold! Five weeks of sculpting permanently set in polymer clay! Now, before adding the muscles, all I have to do is paint and varnish the bones.
I’ll post an update on the painting and finishing process soon!

Does your artwork leave you feeling flat?  Pick a remedy from LAAFA’s exciting Spring Quarter schedule!

LAAFA instructor Rey Bustos recommends that students seeking improved drawing and painting skills start their study of anatomy with his 3D Anatomy/ Ecorche’ class, and then follow up with his class in Drawing the Figure.  Bustos says that a tactile, hands-on experience in 3D Anatomy or figure sculpting is an essential basis for convincing figurative work on flat surfaces.

David Simon’s Figure Sculptingclass starts April 18th, and provides an accessible approach to sculpting the figure for students of all levels.  After starting with a one-week pose sculpted on a small scale, students in the class will gradually work up to creating larger pieces based on longer-duration poses.

For students who want to capture dynamic poses on paper, Paul Wee’s Figure Drawing: Action & Form is the key. Paul’s approach emphasizes both speed and accuracy.  Paul strives to give his students “techniques to tackle anything that comes your way!”


Danny Galieote will be offering two drawing classes as well.  Danny’s Analytical Head & Portrait Drawing class examines the drawing technique of Renaissance and Golden Age illustration Masters. Students then apply the Masters’ knowledge to bring three-dimensional form to their work from a live model.  Similarly, Danny’s Analytical Figure Drawing class helps students bring a sense of life and depth to works on paper.

Want to watch the amazing Sean Cheetham demonstrate his approach and techniques in Contemporary Portraiture Painting or Head Painting?

Interested students may purchase a demo pass starting from $50.00. Please contact our business office to take advantage of this special opportunity.

LAAFA is proud to feature Michael Siegel as our current Spotlight Artist.

A limited number of demonstration passes are available starting at $50.00 for students who want to observe Michael demonstrate his masterful technique in Still Life or Portraiture/ Figure Painting. Please contact our business office to purchase demo passes.

 

Congratulations to Michael Siegel, LAAFA’s Spring Quarter 2012 Spotlight Artist!  Reading Michael’s humorous and insightful Spotlight Artist interviewgives you an idea of what it’s like to take his classes. Here’s a sample of his wonderful work.

You can see more of his paintings on his website www.siegelfineart.com.

Michael’s Spring Quarter classes start 4/2/2012. Don’t miss your chance to sign up!

 Steven Assael, the New York artist hailed by The Art Newspaper as “the foremost figurative painter of his generation” is coming to LAAFA!

He will be leading a workshop, open to all levels, Thursday thru Sunday 3/29 to 4/1 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily.  See the supplies list and more details from LAAFA here.

Steven Assael was born in New York in 1957. He attended the Pratt Institute and presently teaches in New York. The focus of his work is the human figure, rendered in glowing relief by gentle beams of warm and cool light. 

Steven Assael’s work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at museums from Chattanooga to Seattle and at galleries throughout the United States.  Works have been chosen for curated group exhibitions at the Naples Museum of Art, FL; the Arkansas Art Center, the Evansville Museum, IN; and the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK; among many.  Paintings and drawings can be found in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art & Design, Kansas City; The Columbus Museum, GA; and many other museum and distinguished private collections.

 Students now have the opportunity to view a demonstration in the following select classes prior to enrolling in the class. Please note: We require an RSVP and payment for the demonstration. Please call to RSVP during our normal business hours, 818-708-9232.
  
Aaron Westerberg – January 23rd – Head/Figure Painting Demonstration, 10am to 3:30pm.

Vadim Zanginian – January 23rd – Contemporary Head/Figure Demonstration, 7pm to 10pm.

Sergio Sanchez – January 24th – Life Painting with Focus on Light Demonstration, 11am to 4:30pm.

Cost of demo: $50.00/3-HRS and $65.00/5-HRS (Tuition rate for class will be adjusted to include the demo cost if student registers for the full quarter.)

 

 

 

We are happy to announce Sergio Sanchez as our winter quarter spotlight artist. Sergio has taught at LAAFA for many years and is very dedicated in teaching his craft to students who are enthusiastic in learning how to create meaningful artwork. Sergio is passionate and gives his students the skills to reach their individual goals. Sergio will be teaching a 3-HR and 5-HR 10-week Life Painting with Focus on Light class starting January 24th. Learn more about the talented Sergio Sanchez in our Spotlight Artist feature!

Today (Dec. 20th) is LAAFA’s Registration Deadline! $50 will be added per class. Affordable Classes & Talented Artists! http://ow.ly/3sfjA