Cast Drawing of an African Girl

Cast drawing of an African girl
8 x 9 inches
Graphite pencil on coquille paper

 

I did this drawing of an old, life-size, plaster cast bust of an indigenous African girl several years ago. Although it is not recent work it is one of my favorite drawings, which is why I decided to include it in this journal.

Western artists have been making “cast drawings” since the 16th century. These drawings were and still are formal training exercises that are part of the “atelier method” of traditional drawing or painting. A white plaster cast allows the artist to focus on value (the range of light and dark) rather than color. Also, unlike living models, plaster busts don’t move, so the artist does not have to make the minute adjustments to compensate for a shift in perspective.

Creating a convincing illusion of three dimensions on paper by accurately capturing the highlights, cast shadows, and reflected light was my initial goal. As the drawing evolved, I had to make decisions on how to interpret what I saw and how to visually describe that to the viewer.

I deliberately cropped the girl’s profile. What is missing is her braided hair and hair ornament.

I  chose to focus only on a section of the bust that had the most emotional impact and then created a nontraditional “frame” for that section. In other words, avoiding the traditional square or rectangular format. My frame was inspired in part by a Japanese fan and a ginkgo leaf.

The paper I used is called “coquille.” It has a stippled textured surface and when drawn upon produces a texture that can resemble porous stone.

 Close-up of Cast Drawing of an African Girl

Life size plaster busts of African people are very rare ( at least in North America ), so I was glad to have the opportunity to draw this particular bust. This African child’s beautiful profile is a contrast of strong and gentle curves that undulate in harmony. I could see that the creator of the original sculpture had a real sensitivity for form.

Unfortunately, the plaster bust does not have the name of the artist on it, so I can’t give credit to its creator. And I wonder, did the artist use a real child or, more likely, a photograph of a real child as a model for the original sculpture? Or was she pure invention, a composite created from more than one child?

I would like to think that she was real person, and not a composite.

So now, when I look at my drawing, which was only supposed to be an exercise, I find myself wondering about her name, her nationality, her tribe, what dreams she had for herself, and how her girl’s life ultimately blossomed into womanhood.

• • •

“The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” — African proverb

copyright ©  2014–2018  by Norman Guy. All rights reserved.