Put Your Best Foot Forward

People hate drawing feet…and I can understand why. Feet are oddly shaped, and toes can go in all different directions. It’s hard to get the proportions right. Even then, feet…well, they’re just funny-looking, at times.

Of course, now that I’m studying figure drawing, I have to contend with feet. Oh, boy.

Here’s the very first “foot” drawing I ever attempted. Yes, this is my foot, sketched last summer while I was sitting outside on the porch.

For a first attempt, it’s not too bad, really. I won’t say that it’s my best foot, however. Actually, I don’t think I’ve discovered my best foot yet.

One foot…

A more recent attempt was this slightly-elongated foot. Yep, getting the proportions right is a bit tricky.

The foot is too long, and the toes are much too long, too. The ankle bone looks good, though.

It’s a bit of an improvement over my first foot, I think.

Of course, if drawing one foot is, uh, fun…well, think of all the fun an artist can have drawing two of them. Together. On one body.

Two foot…

 

As I’m posting these sketches, I’m hearing Dr. Seuss in my head, of course. You probably  know the little rhyme:

One foot, two foot

Red foot, blue foot

And, as chance would have it, I happen to have a rather reddish-colored foot. It’s a quick watercolor I did using another photo from our  California Girl. I thought these were her feet as she was lounging on the beach.

Wrong. When I showed her the painting she laughed and told me these aren’t her feet, at all. She just saw this picture somewhere, liked it, and posted it on Facebook. So, I actually have no idea whose feet these are!

And it’s suddenly occurred to me that Dr. Seuss was writing about fish, not feet. Oh, well.

All the same, it was a fun challenge. The ankle bracelet on the right foot — which is the one on the left — is silver, and I had no idea how to convey that. The pink ankle bracelet is woven fabric, but in this small photo it’s hard to see the texturing I created with brushstrokes.

Later, Liz posted a photo from the playground of the elementary school where she teaches.

“Are these your feet?” I asked.

Yes, these really are her feet, which do look a lot like the feet I painted. But, then again, how do you tell one foot from another?

Now, to finish off my misinterpretation of the  Dr. Seuss rhyme, I figured I’d have to draw a blue foot. What better inspiration than a smurf? Did you know, smurfs have only four toes!

Ah, yes! I’ve finally found my best foot, er, feet… and I’ll happily put them forward here. Artistically they may not be all that great, but at least they might bring a smile to your face.

And, remember: