Dear Diary...
Alright, so, I give this a 7 out of 10. Q: Why such an easy going score? A: I challenged myself.
I like the challenge, but I think the positions of the hands became a bit skewed, and that is why the hoop looks a bit deformed yet again. One of these days, I am going to get it. I actually stayed pretty true to the distorted nature of the photo, which is what I liked...and I actually think I may do another piece from this reference with a more exaggerated approach.
For now though, I am going to break from the rigidity of portraiture with some sketches, but in the same scale and tools. This particular portrait has been staring at me since February, and the psychological burden seems to have risen with each new portrait. This is good, but I would like to be looser. The style in which this is done seems to be a bit looser and thus livelier...but it was actually quite labored over...which may be evident in many areas.
Either way...I am glad that I finished it, and can move on to the next phase of self-knowledge.
Same technique as the previous post. I am using a Col-Erase colored pencil and a red Bic pen. I think it looks a bit stronger when it is done completely in pen, but I also like this...mainly because the large, even tones (such as her jacket) are much easier to achieve.
This is a redraw I did of a talented artist/co-worker pal by the name of Casey. The first drawing I did was live at the park, after a slew of descent park drawings. I always freeze up when I draw people I know live...I freakin' hate that. Anyway, the drawing turned out horrible...I mean really horrible. What's even worse is that she went to be drawn by Tom Richmond probably 5 minutes after that (she must've been on a mission that day). So not only did he see the drawing, but he also did a flippin' sweet drawing of her. Then she brought them both back...to look at them side by side made me feel like dirt. She was really polite about it though.
Alright...so it has been a while since I have done a self portrait. This one took about 3 hours, so fairly quickly. I used the same technique, starting with vine, smearing it out, redrawing it in Derwent Charcoal Pencil (dark), smearing it, and then I used a Wolfcarbon 4B for the finishing touches this time (instead of conte). Before the finishing stages, I went back in with a kneaded eraser to bring some lightness back in...I think the next time I use this approach; I will do another wipe out phase using a white pastel pencil of some sort. For the smearing and wiping, I used a napkin, and also a crafted piece of foam rubber material that I cut out from the sole of a sandal. I borrowed this idea from Mau Kun, a master from China. Check out his art at http://www.yimaukun.com/ and prepare to be blown away (there is music, so be aware).
