Lane.Draws

Threadbare Drawing : Veiled

I expect that this series is going to be a bit playful!

Some figures will be completely enveloped by fabric, others not so much.

With this one, because so much of the figure is concealed, I had to handle the exposed portion very carefully.

As a general rule—the less information you have to work with, the more precise it needs to be.

Sargent at the Met /// Technique and Wit

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to see John Singer Sargent’s current exhibit at the Met Museum in NYC with my wife, Kacey, while we were visiting her family in New Jersey.

This show focused on his early works, but I'll also share a few others from later in his career.

I’ve studied Sargent in great depth over the past decade, mostly through books and online images. But once or twice a year, I stumble upon his work in a museum. It’s always a real treat to see it in per...

More Fun Figures + Reference

As with my previous post, these are relatively quick studies. Roughly 15-20 minutes.

I'm also sharing the earlier stage of each drawing. Whenever possible, I aim for the lines I place to go unaltered through to the finish. It's cause for celebration when that happens! However, my main goal with the initial lines is to plot out the figure on the page. Once the big decisions have been made, then I take another pass where I nail things down with more confident strokes and smaller details....

Fun Figure Studies + Reference

A great perk of this platform—compared to social media—is that I can share my reference images alongside the drawings. I think this is a great way to offer insight into the thought process. You can see where I choose to follow the subject and where I decide to depart from it.

As with these drawings, I often redesign the hair of my figures. It’s the most malleable feature, so I see it as an opportunity to simply play around with fun shapes that might better serve the composition. 2025-05-15 14:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post

Lighting for Figure Drawing

Whether you're working from a live model or photo reference, the quality of light on your subject can make or break the experience.

Whether you're working from a live model or photo reference, the quality of light on your subject can make or break the experience. Strong, simple lighting is a pleasure to work with, while overly complex lighting can make the process beyond frustrating.

I’ve found that many life drawing groups operate under poor lighting conditions. Most commonly, ...

Saturday Study

A fun little figure study for today.

More "Low Resolution" Studies

Using a big charcoal stick (digital or otherwise) is a great way to encourage simplification.

If your motive is to capture the big ideas of a subject—such as mood, gesture, or light/shadow contrast—a "low resolution" approach like this is quite effective.

When we render something more tightly, we inherently shift the focus from big statements to more specific statements. ...

Threadbare Drawing : Twist

I'm going to have to invent some sort of title structure for these drawings at some point. I'll soon run out of simple descriptions like bend and twist.

I often find more satisfaction in loose drawings like this than in tighter renderings. It’s simply trying to capture an impression—and to do so through interesting mark-making. If I dared to resolve the details further, it would likely lose all of its liveliness. So to me, it feels just the way it wants t...

Smooth Newsprint Paper + Alternatives

Newsprint paper is a cheap, disposable packaging material. It’s fragile, flimsy, and reverts to pulp upon slightest contact with water.

And yet—it’s also a delightful surface for figure drawing. (At least for the sort of short-pose style that I enjoy)

More specifically, smooth surface newsprint is something truly special. So much so, I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it.

First, it’s important to distinguish between the ...

Threadbare Drawing : Bend

I’ll be sharing both finished images and works in progress. This one feels finished to me at the moment, but until the book is printed, I’m giving myself permission to make touch-ups as needed.

The current plan is to include a nice variety of loose, quick sketches alongside more tightly rendered images.

Intro to Threadbare /// Pt. 3 : An Idyllic Setting

A sense of place is important for escapism. It allows us, as viewers and creators alike, to be transported out of the ordinary and into something quieter, more blissful, or exotic. A compelling setting doesn’t just frame the work—it invites us to dwell inside it.

In Threadbare, even when the environment isn’t visible in every composition, I want its presence to be felt. The place itself—its textures, its silence, its light—should evoke an atmo...