Danielle at 14
 

I had posted pictures of my niece in photo references. I finished her tonight and wanted to post it here for critique.

I will be attending the Tony Ryder workshop in Florida in three weeks so wanted to work on his techniques using graphite and white pastel on toned paper. I am pretty happy with the results and really enjoyed the process. This is the largest piece I have done, on 36" x 24" paper, so that she is life size. Makes it so much fun to work on minute details. My sister specifically asked me to put in her freckles. Might mom be a bit wary of her little girl growing up!

This may be a better reference:

It looks like her jawline and chin are mottled. Not so obvious in the actual portrait, but it does need some adjustment. It helps to see it here.

It's 3 a.m., time to sleep!

Really looks good, Pat. You're working very hard, and it's paying off.

I have a neice waiting in the wings myself. I saw her for the holidays and asked if she'd pose for a life drawing. I was shocked to hear her say yes. In the interest of full disclosure, I warned her that it was very boring, and could take several hours. She said that was fine with her. This'll be fun. She even agreed to turn off her cell phone.

She comes in from college most weekends, so I'm hoping to get something done this month.

Pat,

Great work and progress. Always a fan of the "unfinished" look. Sure you'll have lots of fun at the workshop, please take some pics if it's allowed. Good luck.

Thanks for the compliment, Jeff.

You should really enjoy drawing your niece. It is pleasure to study a face that is already familiar to you (well, you know this already by drawing your wife!) Danielle sat for me three times and it was really what enabled me to pull this portrait off, since my photo was not real accurate. There was distortion in the photos so I had to go back and have Danielle sit for me again to be sure I was not exaggerating her features.

I am looking forward to seeing what you do, Jeff. I like your drawings, a lot. Tell me, which one of us is going to get up the nerve to start in color?? I have NO experience so it intimidates me. However, my resolution is to begin with oils before spring! How about you?

Thanks, Jimmie!

I thought of you in the middle of the night when I was "stuck". I pulled up your website and studied your drawings a bit. Then I pulled out Tony Ryder's book. It feels like it's starting to come together more. Yesterday I forced myself to set a timer to go off once an hour to take a break. It paced me and allowed me to step back more often. Really helped!

I am going to Florida with my camera - will try to document if allowed!! My immediate goal is to show up at the workshop without feeling too nervous or intimidated - YIKES!

To me, it looks like you're ready to paint. Are you attending Ryder's drawing workshop, or painting? If it's the drawing one, please give us field reports like Michele did for the painting workshop. I'd really like to know how that goes.

I am taking the drawing workshop, life drawing. It was supposed to be portraits but was changed and I am a bit disappointed about that. I struggle with his envelope approach so this will be a real challenge for me. But I am so looking forward to it! I will give progress reports. Luckily I will be staying with a friend who lives in the area and he has a computer I will have access to every day.

I think your plan to begin oils with a limited palette is a good one. I want to do the same, to get used to the medium, too. I have space to work in here at my job. I work in a convent and they have an art studio on the top floor which is gorgeous. But I will be sharing it with three nuns and it may take awhile for me to feel comfortable there. I just need to get up there and begin to mess around, I guess.

In February I am back in class two night a week, Life Drawing on Tues and Portrait Drawing on Thurs. So I may not start into color until spring. Only so many hours in a week!!

Pat, how did you normally pace yourself before? If the hour thing works for you, that's great, but I've never been able to time myself, and would feel awkward working on a timed basis. If you're in a "groove", would you give yourself a few extra minutes? Or if you're in a fustrating spot, would you force yourself to work thru it? I've had times where I could work hours at a time without breaks and other times where multiple breaks were needed!

I need to do more color also, but am in a similar situation as Jeff. Pastels leaves dust, so I can only work in my attic which is freezing during the winter. I plan to do color later in the year when it gets warmer. Two classes a week?, lucky you. The only day I have to take a drawing class, my daughter has a tennis class at the same time. Maybe she'll make millions at it, and let her old man retire. ;)

Yeah, I keep hoping my son will make it big in the music business (he's a acid jazz trombonist) and can support his mom!! It has only been a couple years since my kids have been out on their own (22 and 25). I can't tell you how lucky I feel to have this time to take classes. While I was raising the boys by myself I was envious of every artist pursuing his/her passion. Now I feel like I've been given this precious gift and studying/taking classes/drawing makes me so happy!

This was the first time I used the timer and only after I had the basic drawing done and was in the process of creating form. I have a tendency to get into the zone and three hours later my neck and back are killing me! Stopping every hour worked. I would go maybe 5 - 15 minutes longer but I did get up from my table, and either went out for a brief walk around the block, straightened the kitchen, made one quick phone call. Coming back refreshed helped me see better.

Well, hope springs eternal. I was a trombonist, and some would have characterized my talent as acid, and my daughter took up the same instrument (now in U.Maryland's "Mighty Sound"), but neither of us has cashed a check yet on it. I wouldn't sell the farm quite yet.

I'm a northerner -- farmer and woodsman -- now in a southern clime, and I have a woodsplitting maul that isn't getting much use. Send me that timer of yours.

Acid jazz and trombone were not adjectives I would have used in the same sentence before my son went "pro". There really is no name for what he does, but he oozes creativity and is currently in a band called the Aphrodisiatics, who were named the top band to watch/hear in 2004 in Cleveland, Ohio! This is the second time Kristopher Morron has made the top ten list in Cleveland. He is quite popular, with quite a local following, performing at the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame several times, many hot spots in the Cleveland warehouse district and posh private artsy clubs. I don't know if this will make him rich, but he is so dynamic one never can tell. And, the "hope springs eternal" of youth is to invigorating. I wish he could stay 25 and full of dreams and enthusiasms forever!

Northerner all my life, but longing to go south. Today, cold, rain/snow, dark, gray. But counting the days till I am in W Palm studying with Anthony Ryder! Oh but life is good.

Simple kitchen timer, Steven, works wonders!

Although my sister hasn't seen the portrait yet!

trying to get a better picture to post. When I flip this photo it distorts and makes her face look too long.

This is the photo reference, though I used it very little. I did go back and have Danielle sit for me so that I got her features correctly instead of the distortion from the photograph.

And a better close up

Great job, Pat. It has the look of being drawn from life. Just a note about the shoulder line behind the chin. Perhaps a little fill might reduce the tangent here, which also interacts oddly with the line of the neck to the left. The solitary line here is a little unsettling.