blue bayou

another nude study. the advantage to using photo reference from the fifties is that the models all have real bodies and rather varied looks. a disadvantage, however, may be the tendency toward the weird sucked-in stomach thing that was popular in posing...

this pose was challenging; the position of the sholder, the lack of a visable neck, capturing the appropriate negative space around her limbs. it is also interesting to take a pose out of context. without the background, she looks a bit as if she's doing an interpretive dance in homage of the flamingo. she was actually stand-leaning against an enormous knarled tree, which i did not draw because, well, i hate doing backgrounds.

gold, girls, gambling dens

here's a great cover from a 1947 paperback. it looks pretty pulp-y for a self-proclaimed "history" book. i'm not sure if i'll ever get around to reading it...mostly i bought it for those adorable dancing girls in pink and black, not to mention the great old-paper-smell. though a quick skimming of the book reveals delectable language that begs to be read, with phrases such as "king of the hoodlams," a saloon called "the cobweb palace," and a chapter titled "hounds and harlots."

might as well dance

another nude study, focusing on a dynamic pose that conveys motion.

"we're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." -japanese proverb