Frippery presents: The Human form, Illustrated

Or: The Uncomfortable Art of Drawing Humans

Drumroll please.....

Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on my June challenge:

An illustrated human!

Behind the feather fan

Behind the plant

Too shy..

Believe me, they're really here! Behind the feather fan... or the plant... Never mind - too shy.

Maybe you’ve guessed it.

Otherwise, here’s my confession:

I don’t really like drawing people.

It’s not that they’re uninteresting - far from it.

I’m fascinated by how bodies work, by their quirks and differences.

Human curiosity and wanderlust are my biggest inspirations.

But actually drawing them?

That’s where I get stuck.

Everyone knows what a human is “supposed” to look like -

so I get caught trying to make it just right.

So this month, I challenged myself to search for “the human form”, on my own terms.

Traces of the Species

Forensic drawing

Like a detective, I started searching for humans through what they leave behind: - A footprint. - A banana peel. - Lipstick on a glass. - Shoes kicked off without care. - And yes, hairs in the shower drain.

Maybe presence can be found in absence.

Things I Do Like Drawing

Hill or hip? Why not both.

So, what do I enjoy drawing?

Lately, stylized landscapes: hills and shadows. But look closely - those curves could easily be shoulders, hips, or collarbones. A body, reimagined.

The Sphinx’s Nose

I also love museum artifacts.

When carved from stone, a body part becomes a shape.

Easier to see. Easier to draw.

Detached from perfection.

Maybe it’s not the shape itself, but the fragmentation that makes it easier.

Bite-sized portions

Start small.

Assembly required.

So if I am going to draw a human, maybe I should start in pieces.

A mouth, mid-thought. An ear, half-listening. An eye, looking back.

Little by little, I’ll build a person of my own.

Stay tuned for the next chapter: Creating life!