The Drawing EZine Artacademy.com The Drawing EZine Drawing with a Sculptural Sensibility There are many modes of drawing; linear, tonal, gestural, etc. In this week's tutorial I will focus on carving out form with a sculptural sensibility. This approach to drawing is very much like working with clay except that we are working on paper, of course, and using our fingers, stump and kneaded eraser as our sculpture tools. The drawing materials that I am using are black contè (sharpened to a fine point), kneaded eraser, a small paper stump and my fingers. The paper is Fabriano Ingres.
As always, begin by striking the arabesque and establishing the basic proportions of the facial arena. This critical first step is comprehensively taught in my Mastering Portrait Drawing Workshops. Many of you have already studied the workshops and are continuing to benefit and grow from the lessons presented. I see this from the drawings that are sent to me. I think it really depends upon one s commitment level and personal goals. Before blocking-in the primary light/dark pattern I squint down with my eyes looking at the model. Squinting down distills the lights and darks into a simple pattern of a singular tone. Don t attempt to break down the darks at this point.
The wonderful thing about black contè is its malleability and relative cleanness. I am not particularly fond of working with vine charcoal as I find it a little too messy for my taste. With my fingers I pushed the conte around as if I was working in clay building up the form and structure. Working this way is excellent training for painting you build up a painting the same way. Especially with an Alla Prima method. Drawing, painting and sculpture is an additive/ substractive endeavor. You add something, you take something back. All the while proceeding towards the finished or resolved work. I carved out the lights using my kneaded eraser. Pay careful attention to the anatomical structures; every shape signifies a muscle or skeletal landmark. All rights reserved. 2016
The Practice of Tone for the Portrait Artist ON SALE FOR ONLY $27! SAVE $30!! The additive/subtractive process of rendering form is a challenge for artists to master. There is no clear-cut methodology beyond the proscript of working from general to specific. That is, one blocks-in the primary light/dark pattern before proceeding on the long journey of pushing and pulling the forms to render a cohesive image. The biggest problem I see in many artists work once they have achieved their basic portrait and figure drawing skills is the inability to achieve the full stretch of values and failing to render a convincing three-dimensional portrayal. The Practice of Tone is a four-hour instant download workshop takes you beyond the foundation skills learned in Mastering Portrait Drawing 1 & 2 and demonstrates the use of classical sanguine conte from start to full tonal resolution. The Practice of Tone is ON SALE for ONLY $27!
We all have our individual preferences in how we work; I prefer to refine the arabesque and hone in on the facial features at this point. Other artists will continue working tonally without any line work. As you gain experience and grow as an artist you will make your own choices. That is what art making is: choices good and bad. Now that I have all of my ducks in a row, so to speak, I rework the darks and lights. The agenda is to go for the full stretch from the darkest darks to the lightest light. Beginning and intermediate artists often fail to go for the full tonal stretch. Quite often the reason for this is the fear of ruining their drawing and also because they have read, or been told, not to overwork the drawing. My feelings on this subject is that as a student you should take a drawing as far as you possibly can. Even to the point of collapse; that way you will learn exactly how far you can go. If you always stop short you will never know what lay ahead.
So now I have decided to heed my own advice and push ahead. My fingers are simply too big for delicately rendering the smaller planar tones. So a small stump is called for which I use in a painterly fashion. Be careful using the stump as it can quickly deaden your delicate, sparkling tones. The hair is kept dark and simple with only a few strokes of the kneaded eraser to suggest the unkempt locks of hair. Don t over do these strokes or they will look bleached. Everything in its place. On the following page is the photograph that I used and can be used for practicing this lesson.
The central focus of the collection are our bestselling Mastering Portrait Drawing 1, 2 & 3 workshops and Drawing Hands. These workshops will lay the solid foundation and be your eternal reference material for improving your portraits year after year. (You won t absorb it all the first time). INCLUDED with the Portrait Drawing Mastery Studio are these 5 Ebooks including my Atlas of Facial Anatomy a combined $62.55 straight up value. The Portrait Drawing Mastery Studio The Compleat Instant Download Portrait Drawing Training Program Get started right now! The Portrait Drawing Mastery Studio is THE comprehensive portrait artist s training and education! The Portrait Drawing Mastery Studio contains everything you need to become a fully rounded portrait artist. Suitable for the hobbyist or professional at any level from beginner to advanced who wants college-level instruction in all aspects of portrait drawing. Whether you want to paint, sculpt or draw portraits Drawing is the foundation of all art. This is a truth, which has been taught for centuries by all the greatest masters and still holds true today even if you only want to do expressionistic or abstract art. An enormous amount of thought and care has been put into developing these instant download programs as a total package for your highest learning advantage. Another truism is painting mistakes are generally drawing mistakes. As a figurative painter, I can tell you this is an infallible truth. Master your drawing now and save yourself heartbreak later. It is quite disillusioning to spend weeks and months on a painting and as it nears completion all of those drawing errors begin to emerge and take center stage. A total value of over $264 for ONLY $97!! Order Now and Start Drawing Today! Get all the details here!
NOW YOU TRY! HERE S YOUR COMPLIMENTARY MODEL SHOT OF THE IMAGE USED IN THIS TUTORIAL.