Work In Progress: Savannah, Update 2

Work In Progress: Savannah, Update 2

This has been a very busy week and very little artwork. The holidays, new grandchildren, enjoyable visits from relatives – it’s all been wonderful. I also will be holding some classes on colored pencil drawing this spring at a local art gallery and planning for that has taken some of my time. I was also approached to do a fiftieth wedding anniversary portrait for a couple, so some preparation and discussions took place relative to that. That is a project which may be started in the near future and one I look forward to.

In the first update I blocked in the figure and roughly indicated the features. The next step was to check all the measurements for accuracy. After that, I started refining the features and worked toward more detail. I found I had to make some changes but wasn’t too far off. Most importantly, I made an effort to keep my lines light, so erasing, when necessary, could be accomplished easily. I don’t want them to show when I begin adding tone.

            After establishing detail in the eyes, nose, mouth and ears and checking once again for accuracy, I added more detail to the clothing. I left the detail in the hair until later.

            The last step in the block-in is indicating the light and shadow areas. I don’t want to add gradations or halftones to the figure but just establish the broad area of light and dark, using just two tones – and ignore gradations for now. The single value of the shadows is laid in just darker than the paper.

            Now that the hectic pace of the holidays are receding I hope work will proceed at a faster pace. I’ll begin adding tone by “keying” the figure, that is, deciding how light or dark to make the portrait.