Phoebe

Phoebe - progress 6

So close to finishing!

Since the last post I took the HB lead out of my pacer and replaced it with a 2B one. I was completely amazed at the difference in darkness. I shaded using 2B on certain sections of the hair, the eyes and corners of the mouth. I feel it gives so much more depth to the picture, especially in the hair.

I look back at pictures I did at the start of the year (of my brother and myself), where I thought I had been so brave to go so dark, and now I see that, compared to this, they're a bit washed out.

I was looking at a picture I drew of me and my wife. At the time she suggested that I go darker, but I'd spent sixteen hours of the thing and the thought of going over the whole thing again just didn't appeal.

Now I know it's worth it.

Okay, back to the drawing board - not much longer now...

Phoebe - progress 5

Phew! I've been working on this for a total of around 14 hours.
When I spend so much time on a drawing of someone I know and love, it reminds me of the actual time I should be invest in them.


Her hair really makes this picture I think. The ringlets are just beautiful.
Just for a bit of marketing, Phoebe is wearing a hairtie made by my wonderful wife. She sells them at markets, but check her out online here at Made it. You might find something for yourself or a gift for someone else.

Phoebe - progress 4

Faces are so enjoyable to shade.

From a freaky outline to a recognisable person.

As in life, often the small things can make the biggest difference. I find when shading the face, the eyelashes are such a key part of the drawing - before I draw them things just don't look right, but once their in, everything seems to fit together better.

Skin tones can be tricky. You're mind tells you not to go too dark, so you have to really rely on your eyes. Often you have to walk away from the drawing for a few hours and come back with a fresh perspective.

The two scans above may look identical, but the one on the right has been worked over for around an hour and a half - readjusting the shape of the nose, darkening the lips and general skin tones. 

The patience will pay off.

Phoebe - progress 3

There's an artist in the UK that has a blog somewhat similar to mine. Click here to check it out. I think her work is spectacular.

Last week I emailed her regarding the type of paper she uses. She wrote back saying that she checked this blog out and that I have a "great eye". It's always nice to be encouraged by someone. She also encouraged me not to be too afraid to go darker, and that my portraits were erring on the side of caution. That's good advice.

Right from the outset of the shading I'm making sure that I'm spending the time to really acheive the darks that I'm after. It's a bit scary after dealing with a clean white piece of paper for a number of hours.

Phoebe - progress 2

Outline completed. I'm glad my daughter doesn't really look like this!
This is around 6 hours into the drawing.

Before shading I need to double check that the outline is to my liking.
To do this I get some tracing paper and trace my drawing. I then lay it over the original photo. If I notice any differences between my drawing and the photo, I make the changes.

Going from the outlining stage to the shading stage is exciting. Both processes take patience, yet they are so different from each other.

Phoebe - progress 1

The first two scans of the outline (around the 4 hour mark)
Up to this point it's all fairly relaxed - time consuming, but relaxed.
For here on in with the ouline, it's precision central.
It's critical to be accurate with the details of the eyes, nose and mouth, as well as the shapes of the shadows on the face.
Comparing the first two scans of my drawings always gives me confidence that although it's a painstaking task, it is coming together and will look amazing.
Definitely a game of patience.