Classic look

[Morris Darby]

Hi folks,

This is a girl who posed for a life drawing group. She was fairly young (19), quiet, and had a real country accent when she spoke. However, her face just did not fit any of these traits (I think you'll see what I mean). After pondering the picture in my studio I became quite entranced with it and have decided to begin. I later called the artist at whose house we met and he does not know how to get in touch with her. My great loss!

So, here's the picture. I made the drawing on a gessoed masonite board. I am about to begin painting it in oil, which I will be glad to post the pics as the painting progresses.

I always accept critiques from others, so have at...

Thanks

[Lon Haverly]

I would not be able to proceed with a painting with only this much information in the sketch without having the model or a photo. It looks a bit out of proportion through the eyes, and the nose appears to be too narrow. A very weak drawing for the only preparation for a painting.

[Marcus Lim]

Originally Posted by Lon Haverly

... It looks a bit out of proportion through the eyes, and the nose appears to be too narrow...

I like the lineworks from your drawings, but I concur with Lon. There seems some problems with placement of features, and i thought i'd help by highlighting them on the image you placed here. Also it's good that we always remind ourselves about the basic placements of features: 1/3 at the eyebrows, 1/3 at the baseline of the nose and the last third the baseline for the chin. Keep up the good work!

[Morris Darby]

I find that I may have been a bit premature in posting this drawing. It is a transfer from the oringinal which is satisfactorily proportionate, but far too light to photograph. However, I struggled with this transfer 1. because it is a slight bit larger than the original and 2. I had a hard time getting the likeness from the original, no matter how much I measured.

Marcus
The same day I posted this I went home and changed the nose and therefore the mouth locations several times (the slight turn of the face usually spells trouble for me). It's much better, but I may post it again for critiques before painting. After surveying the many reasons this particular drawing may have suffered, I came to the conclusion that I've worked so much in simple portraits in oils with straight-on poses that my ability has slipped with more challenging poses.

There is no substitute for a good base drawing. Thanks guys!

[Marcus Lim]

You're most welcome, Morris. It's a good thing we have this section that enables us to learn from each other. So i should thank you for sharing this with us!

[Lon Haverly]

Keep at it! I can tell you this for sure. If you struggle with the drawing, you will most certainly struggle with the painting.