Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The Value Of Things.....Going "Dark Side"

Today, I am working on this new drawing.  I approach each drawing in a different way depending on what I'm trying to achieve. You can probably already tell what my subject here is.

  I will put all the values in first which will also pretty much, draw in the subject as I move along. There was no need for an elaborate initial sketch with this drawing. Detail will come much later. 

  I can't really say what my attraction to skulls is all about, but I do know that being able to draw a human skull also aids me in rendering a portrait. Knowing how the human face is designed, primarily by it's foundation, the skull, I can much easier depict a person accurately. 

  So here is the start........more progress yet to come.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

My Darkest, Darks

Here I go, starting to lay in some of the darkest darks. I do not start putting the darks in until I am positive that what I have so far is correct. Once you lay that dark in there, it's very difficult to lift it back out if you make a boo boo. The darkest darks are absolutely essential to make everything stand out and really pop. 

  I use, what I affectionately refer to as my "Fat Boys". Basically it is a 9XXB pencil. It's a hybrid, a graphite and carbon mix. Very soft and dark and as a bonus, they don't leave that nasty graphite shine that plague us pencil artists but they do have a drawback. They are grainy. In this case, I am liking the grainy texture for this piece but it doesn't work for all applications. 

 My hubby, a great pencil artist in his own right, doesn't care for the Fat Boys and really won't use them. They can be difficult but I seem to have figured them out. Well, back to my drawing board to see just how far along I can get on this guy today.


Wednesday, September 9, 2015

The Old Man

I have been working on this guy for awhile now. He's being done in several layers. The most time consuming part is the skin texture. It has to be done in small areas at a time. I must say that I do take frequent breaks. If not, I would probably end up cross-eyed. But, stepping back from what you are creating also lets you see what needs to still be done. 

  It just takes patience. It's not a race. I still have my hippo to finish and another 8X10 portrait that needs some finishing touches added. I also sketched a new drawing up this morning. So much to do, it keeps me off the streets. More updates to come soon!


Friday, September 4, 2015

On My Drawing Board

A pair of eyes..........So far........graphite on Bristol. 11X14. It's Friday and the start of a three day weekend, at least for some. I hope y'all have a great and relaxing labor day weekend and I will be back on Tuesday with some more progress, barring any unforseen circumstances. Bye for now!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Third Times The Charm

Ok, so I had a couple issues with this painting.  This is the third attempt at blocking in the subject. The first time, I did like the proportion of my subject but, didn't like the position on the canvas, so I gessoed over it. 

  The second attempt...... Position was better, the subject was not, in my opinion. Because the subject is my hubby, I suppose I'm a bit picky over how I depict him. So, I gessoed over it again. 

  Now!  I like it!  Position is good, there is already a tiny likeness of my hubby and proportions are good. This initial blocking in does not have to be perfect just close. I will adjust as I go along. The next step will be laying in the darks. To be continued.......