Jeffrey R. Watts: Drawing from the Model

He says, "What we want to do as a student is to acquire an intuitive sense for value and design through repetition of correct theories and information. How fast can you do that? It depends on the individual's ability to acquire this information, aptitude, and willingness to work hard at it. Work ethic I would take any day over talent. I would take heart and character over natural ability any day of the week. So if you're not one of those natural people, don't fret. You may pass up the naturals ten times over just out of work ethic."

In this video, Jeff gives you the underlying relationships of all heads that you can refer to when drawing from the model or from photographs to achieve a likeness, and demonstrates warm-up drawings in sets of four 5-minute exercises before tackling a long drawing of the same model. This is the exercise that he sets out in his classes in his Atelier for his drawing students and the process they go through every week of class. Now you can sit in on one of his classes, where he demonstrates on this video exactly as he would in each weekly class.

It's rare to find a teacher who is so articulate about exactly what he/she is doing on the camera, but Jeff is one of those individuals who has no trouble talking and drawing at the same time, which makes his a wonderful resource for learning a great deal in a very short period of time. If you are struggling with your efforts at drawing or painting likenesses, this video is surely one that should be in your library to help you over that hump.

"Work ethic I would take any day over talent. I would take heart and character over natural ability any day of the week. So if you're not one of those natural people, don't fret. You may pass up the naturals ten times over just out of work ethic."
-Jeffrey Watts