Block-ins are the second step of the morning program. During this step, students train their eyes to accurately see and reproduce the shapes that make up an object. This image done by one of the Safehouse students shows the steps of a block-in done over one morning session (~three hours) with progress photos taken every twenty minutes, along with a photograph of the actual skull being drawn for reference.
Many students consider block-ins to be one of the most important steps of the program, as it trains an artist to be able to draw shapes as they are rather than as we think they are. Most students see immediate improvement in their sketching, figure drawing, and still life studies after beginning block-ins. For a more in-depth explanation of the block-in process, you can pick up a copy of Anthony Ryder's “The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing” .
