Ella & Anna In Charcoal & White Pastel

[Terri Ficenec]

Hi Lara - don't know how I missed these! They're both beautiful.

[Jean Kelly]

Hi Lara, I agree with everyone. The second is definately my favorite. I'm interested in your choice of paper, how big are these?

Jean

[Lara Cannon]

Hello and thanks again!

I forgot to measure them before they were sent so my guess might be slightly off. I believe they were both around 14" x 28".

I have been experimenting with papers looking for the perfect drawing surface. I am still searching, but I have developed an appreciation for drawing on watercolor paper. I like the texture and the heavy sizing. The paper can handle a lot of working and re-working before it gets too tired. I once did a portrait on a rabbit skin glue sized piece of Arches 140 lb. Watercolor paper and that was terrific. If it wasn't working I could lift mistakes with a damp cloth and it showed no trace of re-working. I was a little nervous about the longevity of the portrait because I knew the charcoal was not binding with the surface but it seemed to be being held in place by the texture and ridges of the glue--so I hope it will last.

I have tried a lot of drawing papers and I just don't like their weight. I like a more substantial piece of paper. I have found the beautiful surface of print making papers are too fragile for my style of drawing. If you need to make changes or even press too hard the texture breaks down and looks ugly. I have started doing a color wash to soften the harshness of the white which adds a little fun & dimension to a black & white portrait.

I hope that is what you were asking about? I have posted several good paper sources on this site before. The Arches Watercolor papers are almost everywhere.

Thanks again,
Lara

[Jean Kelly]

Hi Lara,

Thank you, this is the kind of information I was looking for. I've often looked at Arches watercolor paper and wondered how it would work for charcoal. I'll give it a try.

You have such a soft touch.

Jean

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Lara, I too like them. If you want a suggestion I'd like to see the arms and lower parts feather out, or break up a bit. Sargent and Poudon (sic) did what I mean here. I think a place where your lovely handling faded off into a less worked area would just make the fine parts more impressive by virtue of having a visual foil.

[Patricia Joyce]

Lara,
These are so beautiful. I would love to see close ups of the features. Your touch is so soft. Do you use vine charcoal and stumps or tortillons? I'm off to check out your website

You have some creative uses of paper and charcoal and hints of color. And your work gets more and more beautiful. These last two, by far my favorites. How many hours do you put into one portrait?

[Lara Cannon]

Thank you for the suggestion Timothy. I have been thinking about the same idea. Believe it or not, I thought I had loosened up as I moved away from the face. In person you can see a little more breaking down of the finish work toward the edges. But now that you mention it, I can see where feathering would be nice. Thanks, it is always helpful to have fresh eyes & insights.

Thank you for the nice comments Patricia. The girl with the loose pony tail was a labor of love. I completely finished three versions before I was happy. I even had it framed and delivered it and then I asked for it back. The angle from above was incredibly difficult for me to mentally understand. I could never get the perspective quite right. I found a book called "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" by Robert Beverly Hale that helped a great deal. I highly recommend it.

I couldn't even guess the hours. The other girl went more smoothly, and I did very little correction on it. I would guess 40 to 60 hours. I do not use vine charcoal. I make too much of a mess with the stuff. I use charcoal pencils. I also use chalk pastels in black, white and gray.

Thanks again!

[Patricia Joyce]

"Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters". I have that book too, it sits on my bookshelf looking verrrry used! I pull it down and look/read it over and over!