One Word:

H-A-R-D!

This was a hard drawing to accomplish, plain and simple. There's so much subtlety and technique that needs to go in to a drawing like this. It came out better than I expected it to, but there's one part that I knew I probably wouldn't get right when I started and my suspicions were met. Damn those curvy stems!

I've never been very good at knees and legs in general. I never get the proportions right and the knees always seem lumpy in the wrong places. I should do some straight up knee and leg studies, ankles and feet included. I think there are also places where I could have exaggerated features more; in the hair; in the floofy bottom of the dress.

The biggest problem I have with my drawing (left) is that it looks like the dancer should be leaning on a chair or something rather than taking a step with the front leg as in the picture from Preston Blair (right). I think it came out that way in my drawing because I drew the hips more tilted than they are in Preston's. That, of course, set off all the anatomy below them. The knee of the front leg looks a little hyper-extended and the back leg looks as though it isn't quite pushing off for the next step. Ah, but this is what practice is for, yes? Also, the bow is bent on the one side in mine.

I give myself a B on this one. I might try something a little easier next time. Oh, and I'm going to try and update more often with less material. I'm using my lunch periods at work to get these done. Usually I can bang one out in 2 days, but this last one took me over a week! Well, until next time.