profile: drawing.

[Marina Dieul]

OK,
I apologize to all who thought it looks like an oil painting : you are right. A friend came and when I asked her " Did you see my last drawing ? " she exclaimed " What ? I thought it was an oil painting !"
It's just me who can't see it this way...

Karine,
thank you for taking the time to comment. You are free to see what you want in my work.
I think it's like raising a child : you do your best, but there's a moment where you have no more control and your work has his own life ( in viewers eyes).

Sharon, Ilaria, Janel,
thank you very much for your enthousiasm. I didn't expect such reaction for a rather simple drawing. It makes me want to do some more to develop the possibilities of this technique...

[Tom Edgerton]

Ditto to what Alex has said...all the technique's in the service of the spirit.

I'm amazed also at what has come from just the two colors.

[Linda Brandon]

Hi Marina, I am late to this thread but I just wanted to add to everyone's vote that this is truly a fine drawing. Managing black charcoal and red chalk is not easy to do and on a technical level, this is very nicely managed. The head wrap gives this child an 18th century air, romantic and innocent.

[Chris Saper]

Oh, my, this is a truly exquisite drawing! Marina, it is just wonderful.

Did you use a dark ground? Can you also post a close-up?

[Julie Deane]

Beautifully done, Marina!

[Marina Dieul]

Thank you Julie and Chris,
I worked on a white paper ( Fabriano artistico) and to obtain a very dark background , I used some pressed charcoal stick and pushed it with a stomp. Lots of black dust in the house after...
Here are some close-up.

[Claudemir Bonfim]

Thanks for sharing the close-ups too.

[Karine Monaco]

Congratulations Marina!

I hope you do not mind if I tell you that this lovely portrait does not feel like an oil painting to me. Actually, I thought it was a pastel painting when I first saw the picture (I know you wanted to avoid it to look like a pastel but the colors do not make us think of a simple drawing at first!).

This is a typical case where you do not know if you should call a piece a "painting" or if you should call it a "drawing"...
We can see some strokes in the close-ups so it is still a drawing, but how well mastered!

Anyway, I am very glad to see your current works. Please keep posting

Sincerely,
Karine

[Sharon Knettell]

Just lovely Maria.

I think this is your best so far. The texture of the fur and skin are beautifully done. The roughness of the fur sets off the fineness of her face.

[Garth Herrick]

Dear Marina,

How stunning! Such a young beauty and spirit perfectly captured! I concur with all that this drawing is transcendental to it's medium and elegance. Where does painting excel? As has been said, the implied color complexity generated through mere black and sanguine on white, seems to defy physical laws by those masterfully controlled gradations in tone and tint. It must be noted your composition is no less captivating and compelling. As the fur leads us inward to the right, in concert with the massing of light, the tips of her hair then bring us in counter motion directly back to her invitational leftward gaze, the central theme. Her assertive motion is undeniable. The world is her oyster, no doubt. Will she turn even more to include us, the viewer? We only want to be a part of her inspired constellation; so powerful is her countenance and appeal! Beyond mastery, this profile is beguiling, and a clear favorite. Congratulations!

Garth