Works in Progress

I've been following my studies of portraiture lately, trying to develop the techniques I was working with in my last posting.  Since I commonly work on more than one project at a time, right now I have three drawings in various stages of completion.

This one is from a photograph by Edward S. Curtis of an Apache Indian named Eskadia.  Whatever his faults as an ethnographer, Curtis was a gifted photographer and many of his images lend themselves to the study of light falling across the face.  The scan was substantially darkened so it would be visible at all -- I did this with a 2H pencil.  You can see here how I'm working.  The line art comes first, followed by a light tonal wash as I lay in the primary shadow areas.

This is a drawing of the Kiowa chief Satanta, who fought against the United States on the southern plains.  This drawing is a little further along.  The shadow areas are more defined, and it's nearly ready for more delicate hatching that will better define the planes and texture of the face.  Once more, this image is a lot darker than the original.

This image, on the other hand, is about as dark as the original pencil drawing.  The hatched lines over the softer tones really help to define the image, and cautious blending (with the best blending tool ever devised, the paper towel) has kept the paper from becoming stained where I need to place the highlights.  I'm looking forward to finishing this drawing soon.

The subject of this last drawing is the great Lakota (Sioux) chief and medicine man, Sitting Bull.  I've always been impressed by his great courage and fierce dedication to preserving his people, but there's something else about him in the biographies that doesn't get as much attention.  I suspect that Sitting Bull was nearly as compassionate as he was brave.  Perhaps because he was so brave.  That's a long story for another time, however.

Thanks for stopping by!

JH

More Portrait Studies -- Abraham Lincoln

I've continued my studies from Holbein, but this isn't one of them.  I was watching an instructional DVD by David Jon Kassan, and it inspired me to try my hand at a different rendering technique.  Essentially, Kassan lays in a tonal wash and then cross hatches over it (then rinse and repeat).  As Kassan points out, this is how Prud'hon created his fantastic figure studies.

I had a pencil and a sheet of bristol in my hand, and this is what happened. 

I think the forehead's a bit high, personally, but I still feel that I learned a lot doing this one.

I have a book of portraits by John Singer Sargent here that I may start studying from in the near future.  Much of the Sargent work is in good, honest charcoal and I think it will help me further develop my use of strong values.

Thanks, as always, for dropping by!

JH

Variety Show

Lots of different projects over the past few days:

Joshua Chamberlain, a Union officer famous for service at Gettysburg.  I've been scarfing down lunch at my pesky day job and using the remaining time to do quick copies of Holbein portraits in my sketchbook.  I definitely need to keep that up -- I'm seeing real improvement in my portrait work after just a week of Holbein studies.  I don't know if I have the stamina to do this for a month, but even one more week will be fantastic practice.

Anatomy of the leg.  This is from Paul Richer, so it's less stylized than the Bridgman copies.  Less dynamic, as well, but I've never had this much success understanding the muscles of the lower leg and how they feed into the foot, so it was well worth doing.

And a little life drawing project.  I purchased a coyote skull on a visit to the Museum of Osteology (http://www.museumofosteology.org/) a while back and finally sat down to draw it.  Lots of fascinating things to learn about carnivore skulls; maybe I'll pick up a medium-sized feline like a bobcat or something next time I'm there.

Thanks for bringing your eyes this way, and good evening to you!

Anatomy Studies (In Color!)

I've been working on anatomy this week, using Bridgman as my reference.  I've also been studying works by Michelangelo and Rubens.  I hope to bring a bit more of the dynamic character of these two masters into my own work.

Also, color! (Cretacolor Pastel Pencils, to be precise)

Okay, so that last one isn't in color.  But I've really enjoyed working with the pastels.  I'd like to make time to work on some portrait studies with them -- perhaps a copy from one of the masters I've been studying.  Back to work!

Fantasy Art -- Dark Priestess

Finally something else to post!  Even if I did have to fudge the snake skeletons. . .

Got Rhythm?

It's true that technical skill is really, really cool.  But it's not knowledge of the skeletal system that makes a drawing pleasing to look at.  It's other things.  Things like rhythm. 

"To express rhythm in drawing a figure we have in the balance of masses a subordination of the passive or inactive side to the more forceful and angular side in action, keeping constantly in mind the hidden, subtle flow of symmetry throughout."  -- George Bridgman, Bridgman's Life Drawing

It's the word "subordination" that catches my eye right now.  Drawings that have life in them emerge from choices.  If an artist creates a figure standing equally balanced on both feet, standing upright, and staring straight ahead, no choice has been made.  No choice by the artist, no action in the figure, no rhythm, no life.  But when the artist makes that first decision -- this side will be stretched wide, that side will be compressed -- and that decision leads to other decisions -- this foot must be planted here, that arm must be stretched out to the side -- that's when a drawing really comes to life. 

For all his contempt for 2-dimensional art, I think Michelangelo really got this in his drawings and paintings.  The great masters of figurative art create worlds where the body, not the voice, is the means of expression.  Worlds where everyone is a dancer.  Rubens was another expert at this.  It's no coincidence that we still have several studies Rubens made of Michelangelo's work.

Of course, Rembrandt van Rijn created worlds where every line and brushstroke is a dancer.  But that's another story.

A couple of lesser efforts by your humble host are coming along on the drawing board.  I don't know how soon they'll be finished, but I may post them as works in progress later in the week.

Thanks for dropping by!  Now get back to your sketchbooks. . .

Fantasy Art - Forest Guardian

The point of the pencil is for line; the side of the pencil is for tone.  Except when they aren't, naturally.  I'm seeing improvement in how I handle values while rendering the figure.  I should probably go back and review Bridgman's thoughts on the subject.  Every time I go back to his books I understand just a little more about what he's getting at.  I think I'll really have a handle on it in another decade or two.

After generations of using magic to shape and protect the woodlands, many of those who dwell within the Heartwood are no longer entirely human.  While they are less monstrous than most who have been altered by magic, they are no less dangerous, and even in the most peaceful of circumstances outsiders find their mannerisms and abilities quite unsettling.