Sarah

[Doreen Lepore]

Hi, I haven't been here in a long time. I've been doing alot of reading, watching videos, painting other subjects, until at last I had the chance to sign up for a local figure drawing session with live models. This was held at the local community center and the models were children. Toward the end of the course we switched to portraits during the second half of the afternoon. The facilitator didn't "do" portraits but knew that I was there for the live model experience, so her input was minimal,(in fact her only input on this was that she liked this one the best) which is why I wanted to post the best of the four pastels I did here, since I'm currently unable to attend any workshops and want to know how I'm doing.

Even after reading Chris Saper's book (along with countless others) and watching Daniel Greene's videos I felt like when I was finally presented with the real life situation, everything was so much harder to grasp, so I'm hoping I'll overcome this floundering feeling!Any advice in this area would be greatly appreciated!

Pastel - size 16 x 12 - Sarah

[Elizabeth Schott]

Doreen, I think this is a great effort! I think your digital image is possibly too dark, if you can lighten it up we could see a bit more detail! If you are just starting I think you did wonderfully, especially with a kid because they are not very still!

Check out the exercise area of the Forum, there are some good challanges there. Bill Whitaker show's how people use forms and cast to practice and I have found that to be really helpful. Peggy B.'s videos are good too. She was a medical illustrator in another life and really explains the anatomy of the head in a down to earth way.

Personally I think the more I learn about the structure of the human head it makes life drawing easier because you know that things are there that you don't see in all studio lighting situations.

Look forward to seeing more!

[Doreen Lepore]

Thanks for your input Beth. Here's a lighter version and I think it's the best I can do since the camera belongs to a friend.

[Steven Sweeney]

Even after reading [books] and watching ... videos I felt like when I was finally presented with the real life situation, everything was so much harder to grasp

And that understanding alone will greatly advance your training, Doreen. Even the best books and videos can only take you so far, as they'll teach you about drawing and painting. If you want to learn how to draw and paint, you have to stand in front of your easel and draw and paint.

Early efforts typically come with frustration, as they cannot possibly measure up to the quality of the pieces and the production values you've been watching and reading about. After a few dozen such efforts, though, all that you've learned from your studies will begin to come together.

The thing most notably missing in the painting and without which you can't go any further, is value. You're in a double bind, too, because you really have to shop around to find good darks in pastel. If you squint at your painting, the figure flattens quickly and disappears, because there are no value shapes to give the figure its natural form.

Beth's suggestions are good. The Whitaker recommended cast drawing exercises would be very useful, as would careful reading of Forum discussions on value massing. Have a look at the Asaro "Planes of the Head" model here. Note how dynamically the form is described by those value shapes, in that range of value.

Do this work in charcoal. Leave the color challenge for later. Until value is under control, color won't help.

[Doreen Lepore]

Thanks for looking and responding Steven.

In my own defense, the lighting was poor. I do have a cast that I draw from but this situation was different, the values weren't there since the light wasn't there and I didn't think I should make them up, I was trying to paint what I saw. Before you tell me not to paint in unacceptable conditions, sometimes any experience is better than none. I've learned to ask for better poses and lighting. I'd also like to get an adult model! I do have another pastel drawing of Sarah with a little better light source but won't post here since I don't want to post everything I have and have assumed from your recommendation to go to black and white that my skin tones are way off too.

Thanks again! Back to the drawingboard!

[Steven Sweeney]

I have ... assumed from your recommendation to go to black and white that my skin tones are way off too.

No, not at all. I wasn't speaking at all to the skin tones (a confusing term, as it implicates value, which I was talking about.) You have plenty of color information, but you need a place to put it.

As to working in difficult circumstances, I think the way you can maximize the use of the time might be to, if the light's not good enough for value work, to switch to pencil or charcoal for that session if that's an option, but at least to focus on accuracy of line and shape, with whatever value or color work might still be available, if any that day. But don't stretch into an area that just isn't available during that session.

I've often done so-called "long pose" life drawings (over sessions through several weeks) through Minnesota winter months under only natural light. Some days were, as they say, diamonds and some days were coal. If there was a thick overcast, then on that day, the model's figure flattened out as the value shapes disappeared. On those days I would work solely on drawing accuracy.

You have to make adjustments like that when your lighting is variable or unpredictable. To be quite frank, that's why even so many pros on site -- almost all of whom, though, have great depth of experience with life work -- work from photos. Uncontrollable variations in lighting (or model availability) cut deeply into the work schedule. Most are very accomplished in getting the reference material they need to produce good work. The best of the them can make it up -- but only the best of them. The ones who want to remain professional will never quit doing life work, so my advice to you is to continue to do open studio work.

[Sharon Knettell]

Steven, Doreen,

Actually there are a great deal of dark pastels available nowadays. The quality and color range in the last 5 years have exploded. Schminke, Unison and Great American have a range of darks and some sets devoted to darks or dunkles.

I am now doing a series or pastel dance figures, one is on my introduction. They started out from life, but as my model went back to Japan, all I had left was the costumes. I put them on a dress figure to get the color and it keys the color of the face. I use the photo only as a drawing and value reference.

I had drawn many models in that same lighting situation so I had somewhat a grasp of the color on the skintones.

Pastel is in my view one of the most difficult mediums to master. You have to match the color you see with a stick of pastel, I may use 10 to
20 just in a face.

I think the problem with most of the portrait pastels I see, including yours is the overwhelming desire to use the lights and highlights.

In the thread, "Critiques and Anger, a Lethal Mix") I have outlined what I think is a series of steps to take if you are serious about improving.

When you first wade into color I would suggest oils first to master the nuances of skintone, then it is much easier to master pastel.

I like and have studied Daniel Greenes videos on drawing, pastel and oil portraiture.

The cast drawing is an excellent way to begin, it is a time honored method.

I also have a thread on pastels on Materials And Methods, which is a somewhat of a guide for materials.

Continue working from life.

Sincerely,

[Doreen Lepore]

Thanks again Steven! Great advice and now I understand it better. Being inexperienced I didn't have the ability to make the choice of staying with charcoal, if that makes any sense. Now I'll evaluate the situation first.

Thanks Sharon for your input as well, as for range of colors, I only brought a small selection with me on the off chance of using them.

With regard to the lights/highlights issue, is it better to just lead up to a highlight? I do tend to just plunk them on, so is the better method to blend in graduated colors leading up to the highlight or just stay away from the excessive highlight?

And, I will absolutely keep painting from life whenever I get the chance! Unfortunately I was the only one to sign up for the next session and the class was cancelled, so I'll be hunting for another.

[Steven Sweeney]

Actually there are a great deal of dark pastels available nowadays. The quality and color range in the last 5 years have exploded.

That's good to hear. About that long ago, we were frustrated at the studio that our huge, expensive sets of pastels didn't have deep rich darks to work with, and I was "commissioned" to go forth and find some, somewhere, or else bring my own head back on a platter.

Fond of that head, I did, in fact, collect a dozen or more such pastel sticks, from a variety of art stores and manufacturers (including an Australian brand, Art Spectrum, that I liked a lot), and we kept those darks in a separate box so that they would be readily at hand and not get mixed in with everything else.

Perhaps manufacturers "got the word" and have made these easier to locate without a GPS and lots of inside information. Squeaky wheel gets the grease, and so on.

[Sergio Ostroverhy]

Hello, Doreen,

Try a paper called "Canson Mi-teinte".