The Study: Foundation of the Creative Process.

Michael Whynot. Head study, 2013. Red chalk.

Design, or as it is called by another name, drawing, constitutes the fountainhead and substance of painting and sculpture and architecture and every other kind of painting and is the root of all knowledge.  (Michelangelo)


Just posting a quick head study (3"x4") done this morning in preparation for a clay figure. Sometimes it is faster to find the pose in chalk than to work directly in the clay. There is such an economy of effort with drawing which allows the artist to explore a range of possibilities he might otherwise neglect. And, it is the process of exploring different concepts in the drawn form, from which can spring a totally unique idea. The act of creation is mysterious, indeed, but I believe drawing plays a fundamental role.

When God created man, I like to imagine that He began by first exploring His concepts for the human form through a series of loose, preliminary drawings before ever committing them to flesh and bone.