I feel that this second shell drawing was a bit more successful. I tried to focus more on following the shell in one direction, using mostly cross contours. This produced a better effect than the grid-work I had done in the previous attempt. I enjoy that I was able to get more detail in the front of the shell and got some diversity in line separation and darkness. I feel that I could definitely improve in diversity in line width, and still work on getting a perfect angle, as well as more fading as I get to the receding parts of the shell to get depth. I tried some 's' lines to get some of the spiraling parts of the shell to stand out, as well as trying to get the lines to follow the natural ellipses of the form, but I feel that both of these could be improved upon in further drawings.
In other classwork we have been working on more gestural and long drawings with figures, still paying attention to the spine, ribs, and hips. Some more attention has recently been put on the feet, and we have done some model studies completely centered around feet. I feel that feet and hands are truly unique parts of human anatomy, as they are far more shaped by the bones than the muscles, which is different than the muscular structures of the arms, legs, and abdomen. They have so many structures to them, each little bone making it's own concave or convex piece to a complicated organic puzzle. Most people find the hands and feet intimidating, but I've always enjoyed the challenge. I'm looking forward to paying specific attention to the hands later. Below, another long drawing:
