Sally study
 

This is a quick charcoal study of Sally, 17" x 14", done on standard drawing paper. It's a possible pose for her portrait. What do you think?

Jean

Hi Jean,

I had an unusual response to the model

"C" Composition
 

Mari, you might be right about the observations you have made, but I rather like the pose.
It seems like a moment in time has been captured and that to me is refreshing. It almost looks like someone got the model's attention and just as she turned to look, the moment was captured. It gives the drawing an inquisitive feel.

Remember when Chris Saper was talking about leading the eye into the frame? From the top of her head towards her breast forms a

Conventions?
 

All the same, check out Stanka Kordic's website... even unconventional portrait artists seem to adapt to certain conventions. Any thoughts, Stanka? (I've certainly been off-the-normal-opinion before, but I'm curious what an "unconventional" portrait artist's remarks are, especially since I love your work.)

Regardless, I see some of the same tonal drifting occuring here that Karin Wells remarked on in the other thread. I'm aware of this because I have to guard against the same thing in my work.

Sally contorted
 

Hi Mari, Thank you for your time and comments, and guiding me to Stanka's incredible site. I hope she will comment on unconventional portraiture, and how far the envelope can be pushed successfully.

I purposely contorted this drawing because it is more like Sally's personality than calmly sitting still. Even when reading the paper she is wired like a taut spring. I tried to catch some of her energy, but didn't realize I was making her look so uncomfortable! Are there any other opinions on this? It was only a 40-minute drawing, so I hope she wasn't too sore.

Enzie, thanks, I like capturing the moment, too. The likeness is fairly good, not perfect but getting there. Didn't know that I made a "c" composition, so now I'll have to look that up, too! I was trying to put some "grace" in the pose.

About the tonal quality. I knew I was going to get nailed on this. This is my first charcoal drawing in 30 years, and I have a very heavy hand. I'll have to get more grades than just the soft. If I were to do it again I would also use a toned paper of better quality.

Thanks again for the input.

Jean

I like the candor of this drawing. You did quite well considering how long you have been away from charcoal.

I think the drawing would have been better without the white highlights. I never liked adding white to a charcoal. (I never mix drawing media anyway.) The white highlights are a little overdone in some areas, but overall, I think you have a pleasing style and a good eye for form.

I think the eyes perhaps are a little small. It is sometimes good to error on the side of the eyes being too big than too small.

Hi Lon
 

Thanks for your reply. I believe that you're right on about the white. I will never do it again. Also, her right eye is too far away from her nose, and her mouth is distorted. I am by far my own worst critic. But it was from life, I had fun, and I'll do it again and I won't use any white! :)

Jean

Jean,

The trouble you ran into here with the white is very common and shouldn't deter you from experimenting with it in subsequent work.

You just have to keep in mind that the white is for highlights, not to define or describe larger (even if light) value areas. You

Hi Steven
 

Point taken and understood, I think my hand got away from my head!

Jean

Modeling the form is key
 

This is a drawing of a male model by Pierre Paul Prud'hon, arguably one of the greatest draftsmen of all time. He used and intermixed charcoal and chalk on a toned paper. As you can see this technique served him quite well.

Prud'hon considered the position of the light source and how it gradated around the form. The smaller forms diminish in the amount of illumination they receive as they turn around the form away from the light source.

This understanding of the effect of light on form is the main factor which separates the truly great from the wannabe's. This understanding and not technique is what those who aspire towards greatness must master.

Thanks Marvin
 

It is truly quite beautiful. I'll look up more of his work. I'd like to take my own work to this level of mastery (hoping not to sound arrogant). At least this is what I'm shooting for and if I attain even 75% of my goal I will have improved immensely. I'll do this exercise again, but on toned paper.

Thank you for showing me this, its appreciated :).

Jean

Technique is part of understanding. This guy did not exactly scribble his way to the form.

Aim high
 

Shoot for the stars. If you miss you will still be on top of the mountain.

Which came first?
 

Lon,

In my experience technique is formed by understanding. Understanding is not necessarily formed by technique. They are obviously both necessary.

Art Renewal Center
 

Just visited the Art Renewal Center to see more of Prud'hon's drawings. They are amazing. I'll print one out and put it up by my easel to remind me of where I'm going. Wonder if Sally will pose nude for me. (haha)

Jean

Jean,

Since you characterized your drawing as a quick charcoal study, which you attempted to heighten (in this case with white chalk), allowing the toned paper to serve as your middle value range, I would commend to your attention the many examples of this in Robert Beverly Hale's Master Class in Figure Drawing. (I mention this reference in part because it's very accessible, both in terms of getting hold of a copy, and understanding his "lessons".)

Descriptive of the technique are pieces such as Durer's "Head of an Apostle in the Heller Altarpiece", a brush drawing with black and white ink. An image of that work (scanned from Hale's book -- this one's a bit dark, sorry, but I was trying to focus on the lights, anyway) is attached. The use of the technique is easy to spot here, in the white-ink lines in both parallel and crosshatched orientation (as well as, of course, the use of black lines to their own form-defining purposes). Incidentally, Hale is actually using the image in a section on drawing the nose, hence the structural lines around that feature.

There are, to be sure, other works in Hale's book depicting the rendering of planes and values to show form, but they are both more highly resolved than the "quick study" form you were working with and they employ techniques other than the very useful (but difficult to master) heightening or highlighting with white.

Cheers.

Durer's image:

In my own experience, technique definitely came first.

The chicken?
 

I have been teaching for 30 years. Originally In taught a technique first approach. In the last several years I have shifted and taken an approach which emphasizes understanding as a guiding light for technique to follow. This shift has resulted in a much more rapid rate of improvement in my students overall skills.

Obviously technique is required to manifest one's art, but, ironically by not stressing it initially, it develops much more quickly. Something akin to watching a pot boil.

And after all, doesn't thought always precede action (especially if you count to ten first)?

Hi Jean,

First a note about the charcoal/white topic. I think what makes your drawing less strong than it could be is the distribution of values, both in placement on the page as well as percentage of total surface area. These are indeed things you will want to resolve before moving on to the painting.

Here, the toned paper is called upon to act as the middle value. There is a lot of dark that isn't really dark, and a somewhat lesser amount of white, that isn't really white. The three values are sort of interwoven across the surface, so that there aren't clearly stated solid areas of value. The Prudon drawing emphasizes a really solid and very light form, where the majority of the modeling information lies. The careful placement of a much smaller amount of very dark areas, which contain no real detail, serves to set up the tonal pattern of the piece. The torso commits to a dominant light value, and just uses tiny dark accents.

The Durer piece, in contrast, commits to a dominant dark value, with proportionately very small amount of white; the lights however, are still grouped in proximity rather than being equally distributed over the surface. As I scroll back to your drawing, I don't feel that it has any clearly committed dominant value.

It's important for you to resolve the value scheme now, because that is what will hold your painting together, much more significantly than color, edges or any of the other elements you will consider over the course of its development.

And now, back to the question at hand....the pose! Personally, I like the pose a great deal, although the mouth is in an awkward position, and if it were my painting, I would revisit that part. The only other comment is that it is unclear to me whether she has glasses perched on her head, or whether that is just the hairstyle, so that would be a point to resolve, too. I think you have done a beautiful job on the drawing, and I very much look forward to seeing the painting itself.

Best wishes,

Back in school
 

This has been an amazing thread. When I saw Steven's example of highlighting I immediately had a flashback to 1971. My art professor, Jim Schwalbach (prof Schwalby) taught by exposing us to everything. He didn't really critique my work, just showed me examples of what a beautifully rendered charcoal drawing was. Then would look at me and raise one eyebrow. Believe me, I got the message. There were only 5 art majors (only the second year the school was open). We brought sleeping bags to the artroom, cooked hamburger in the microwave. When caught by the Dean we pitched tents in the woods behind the school. It was great. Thanks to all for responding, there is a lot of good solid instruction in this thread. :)

Jean

Forgot something
 

And Chris, I'm glad you like the pose. I really did screw up her mouth, but since people were baring their souls in the open studio I decided to post one of my attempts. Prof Schwalby would have raised his eyebrow on this one!

Jean

It really comes down to personal preferences.

And that's one of the things, Lon, that sometimes gets glossed over in even a top-level site like this, is that we've come from myriad backgrounds, trainings, teachers, experiences and intentions. I enjoy seeing what you do, and I hope you'll keep enjoying seeing what other practitioners do, too, even if it's not your style or preference or credo or teaching. I appreciate hearing what you've learned from a successful career's worth of experience. Lots of folks on site are working along a different lesson, and I'm sure you aren't offended by that. We all turn to dust, don't we, so let's enjoy what we have here, and have some fun. There's too little fun in today's headlines.

I'll go ahead and tell you, Lon, that I've watched with eagerness and in amazement, folks doing what you do, from Florence and Rome, Italy, to Dublin, to Naples, Florida, to Taipei, Taiwan, and I ALWAYS stop and watch (my family always says, "We'll be back in three hours"), because I'm fascinated, amazed at what can be accomplished in what you call "ten-minute" drawings. I stand there and steal everything that looks useful.

Good on you, too, even if I can't do what you do (and I can't -- I don't have the training or the personality or the confidence, and I hope I've never suggested otherwise) and I hope as well that you'll keep posting, understanding that there are folks from every experience and energy and intent here.

Prud'hon tutorial
 

I found a tutorial on Prud'hon's hatching technique last night, and plan to try it. If it's appropriate to I'll post the link. One thing that was impressed upon was the importance of the lines being accurate. In other words, don't even start to take your drawing any further until your "first" line is right. Lon, this reminded me of your technique for portrait work. Draw it once and draw it right! Like Steven, I also get lost in front of "on demand" portrait artists. Not only is it fun to watch, but I've found that the artists who do them tend to be fun people! I'm much too introverted, and use too many lines. Now to look up Durer, then I can really draw lots of lines.

Jean

Experimentation is the duty of every artist.

Marvin, that Prud'hon post looks like a tutorial in technique, part being finished (torso and head) and part not finished (arm) showing the technique employed. The outline and rough shading and then the blocked in white highlight are applied as on the arm, then smeared together delicately forming the contours as in the torso. I would bet that this sketch took less than an hour because of the way that it was constructed.

The placement and dissolving of the white is key, and something the artist was trying to communicate.

I employ this technique in pastel, but not in black and white media. It is very appealing, and perhaps I will try it.

I render my opinion
 

I have a book of large reproductions of his work and his technique is very interesting. The drawings are better

Hi Marvin
 

I'm glad you mentioned that his paintings were not of the same quality as his drawings. As I was looking for his work I found it hard to believe that the same person did the paintings and drawings. What do you mean by "detante observations"? Maybe he was colorblind.

Jean

Typo
 

Sorry about that. I corrected the word. It was a typo I missed before posting.