Life Drawing Demo Using The View Frame and Miira for iOS. A guest post by Alex Loza

During a recent intro. to Life Drawing class I incorporated The View Frame and the Miira app to my class demos. Using both tools have helped my students visualize the creation of the "envelope", a concept which sometimes can be difficult to grasp. In the following paragraphs I will illustrate the process I used during my demo; a process that can also be employed when drawing still-lifes, portraits, landscapes, etc.

  1. The View Frame: I began by setting up the envelope on the View Frame by adjusting the magnetic guides to surround the model. i.e. right toe to left knee, left knee to left side of the head, etc.

  1. Drawing the Envelope: Using my whole arm I softly drew long, straight lines to construct the "envelope". These lines will place the figure on the page and establish the general proportions. Lines are made to match the angles of the pose. I've also established the plumb-line (the vertical grid) and the unit of measurement, in this case the model's head. Then I measure how many heads-height is the height and width of the pose.  

  1. Envelope with Miira App: I also used the Miira app to construct the "envelope". After placing the plumb line I used the grid feature to find height and width of the pose. * I aligned the height of one of the squares to the height of the model's head.

  

  1. Comparing: Using the "Overlay" feature I compared the web on my drawing paper to the guide I constructed on the Miira App.

  1. Continuing the Demo: Once I was pleased with the placement of the web I used the next 30 minutes of my demo time to develop the block-in, the construct and the shadow shape.

*Shadow-shapes were hand drawn but if you have the Miira app you can use the Shape & Draw tools for reference.

  

My recommendation to the beginner artist is to use the Miira app and/or The View Frame at least once daily. This measuring exercise will help train and tune your eyes to see and draw accurately.

Learn about Alex Loza by visiting his website here: http://www.lozastudioatelier.com