The human form is perhaps the greatest challenge any artist can ever attempt to replicate. . . yet Kieran Ingram has made this challenge a significant part of his art.
Born in Perth, Australia, in 1989, Kieran went on to pursue technical excellence in drawing by attending the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. As you’ll see in just a moment, his hard work has more than paid off. The amazing figurative drawings below are results of weeks of studying live models—which is necessary for such realistic, lifelike detail.
Now, in order to successfully draw figures one must understand proportion, shape and shading. . . and Kieran has certainly mastered all of these.
In the drawing below, he perfectly captured the curve and definition of the model’s spine, the foreshortened crossing of her legs and even the texture of her hair—and his shading technique is so smooth as to be flawless.
Compositionally, Kieran’s use of a dark background helps accentuate the model’s illuminated skin, as well as being a nod to the chiaroscuro tradition.
Of course, every talented figurative artist must start out with, or learn to develop, excellent powers of observation. They must be able to discern the subtle shifts in perspective, value (shadow and light) and texture.
From the drawing below, it’s easy to see that Kieran’s observation of the human structure is incredible. The pose the model took is inherently difficult to render (with nearly every part of the model’s body bent or twisted in a different direction) yet Kieran’s careful use of texture, light, and shadow has still created a perfect three-dimensional drawing of a reclining woman.
In addition to his figurative art, Kieran also creates emotionally-charged landscapes.
To re-create the character, or feel of a landscape, Kieran will manipulate the light and texture of the image as much as necessary. For instance, the landscape below is harsh, and strong, and even the sky has a dramatic Van Gogh-esque texture to cast a more intense mood over the drawing.
All in all, Kieran’s dedication to his art and to the technical aspects of drawing is simply amazing. I encourage you to visit his website at www.kieraningram.com to experience more of his captivating drawings.