Drawing From... Matisse

The next artist I am looking at is Henri Matisse (1869-1954). I know a little bit about his work and style because I had to write an essay about him and the fauves when I was in third year at high school.

 In 1938, Matisse drew "A Seated Woman, Wearing a Taffeta Dress" using charcoal.

I love the way Matisse used the shading and direction of the lines to make the figure more 3D. I think the use of charcoal in this drawing is very impressive. I also really like the style of Matisse's work.

When I tried to replicate this drawing, I found it hard to get the scale right.

At first, I made her head way too big so I only managed to fit the top half of the drawing on the paper. My second attempt was more successful and I am quite pleased with it.

I quite like this sort of sketchy style of drawing and may use it again in the future.