Thank you all so much for sharing such great replies. This thread has turned out to be much more than I had expected (in a great way).
I took 6 life drawing classes while getting my degree and had the opportunity to create two sculptures from live models. I have spent a fair amount of time completing studies from magazines and from several of Burne Hogarth's books. All of which have inherently taught me to work from basic shapes and from simple to complex. The good news is that I think I have created a good starting point for myself.
I know that my eyes are keen and that there is more talent inside, but the fact remains that I have only touched on the training and experience that I want and need.
I have no qualms with using a projector to create, any more than I do using a welder to piece together a sculpture. I have no less respect for the work of Chuck Close knowing that he used a small celled grid. In my opinion, one of the biggest questions that should be asked of a work of art is whether or not it touches the viewer(s). This of course raises many questions as to the definition of "art" (something that simply cannot be accurately defined).
I remember watching one of my professors give a demonstration on painting skin tones. She had a student sit in front of her and then immediately starting mixing and painting as she talked. In less than 20 minutes she had amazingly recreated the young man's face. She did this with several other students and with the same amazing results. Come to find out, she had been a portrait painter for 20 years. She completed the painting via pure instinct and without thought or care. I remember thinking to myself, "THAT, is what I want to be able to do". This thread has brought me back to that feeling and re-sparked that same flame.
I honestly cannot pinpoint why this drive exists. Can art be created from grids, photos, or projectors and still move a viewer. I say yes! The question that I cannot seem to answer for myself is why that desire still exists within me to have the same ability displayed by my professor and her 20 minute portraits. Is it so I can "say" that I can do it? Is it because the most typical route to success is long and challenging? Is it because of the unexplainable joy that comes from drawing from life? I can't answer these questions at this point. I just know that the drive is there.
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Originally Posted by Alexandra Tyng
Real artists use all kinds of methods and references. Personally, Justin, I would encourage you to continue drawing from life. But I also think the large-scale portrait that you posted would be awfully hard to sketch out accurately from life. You would need a very long arm to get far enough away from the canvas. A grid would serve the same purpose as projection and allow for a lot of freehand drawing, especially if the grid is large. If you worked life-size, you could practice sketching out the figure freehand.
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This is a great point and excellent advice. Thank you. I think that one of the drawbacks of using the projector with large-scale work is that the shapes within the image are so large that the drawing process in somewhat lost in that you must stand within arm's reach of the canvas. The shapes come into play when I start painting and am able to step back and compare the work with the image. I think that using a large celled grid is an excellent idea and would allow me to work out the shapes during the drawing process. This would be much more productive in terms of training my eyes.
This discussion has stirred up so much in me. I have much to think about as to my next step. I will be buying
Charles Bargue Et Jean-Leon Gerome: Drawing Course as well as
Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice. I have also started looking into taking some more life drawing classes and finding an open studio in my area.
Again, thank you all so much!