Wet Weekend

This project started so that I could try out my new set of Derwent Graphic pencils. Reference image from LuisdeBurg z pasadiso9. 

As before I started with the grid method to lay down the basic line work with the HB.

Then I started shading with the hair and top hand. The hair in there reference image is really dark and I used the 6B for this, and the H for the basic skin tone.

At this stage it didn't take long to realise that the Derwent pencils are quite dark, though the 6B was really soft and broke a lot (unlink the previous 6B Faber-Castell).  In then end I used more than half of the 6B to finish this image. I also had to work in the skin tones before going over them again with the hair.

Moving on I then added tone across the face. I built this up in layers starting with the H to the 2B. I added the eyes with the 6B to keep them dark.

Adding the lips stopped the face looking so strange. At this stage the face was pretty light and didn't have enough depth, but I came back to address this in the end.

I then added as much of the rest of the hair as I could to give shape to the face. The ends of the hair had to wait still though until the skin tones on the shoulders had been added.

At this point I was realising that the Derwent pencils seemed to have quite a lot of grit in the hard pencils and the soft cores were leaving lots of dark spots on the paper, that I needed to remove with the kneaded eraser. The gritty hard pencils started making me a bit nervous about tearing the paper or leaving unexpected dark lines. Sometimes the 4H seemed darker than the 2H?

I added the right arm next to frame the other side of the face, I probably should have added this earlier to avoid having to lean on the work completed so far.

I stared then to focus on the shoulder as it has some darker tones that differed from the rest of the torso. Also this started to fill in the skin area that would be covered by hair.

Following the darker tones I added the under-arm and the edge of the breast.

Then I decided to add the rest of the skin tones in order to add the water with the electric eraser. I filled in most of the skin with a 2H then added darker tones with the H, B and 2B where needed. I also went back to balance the tone on the arm with the rest of the body. 

Finally I added the water with the electric eraser and darkened round the droplets with the 2H and H pencils. The nipples were build up with a B, 2B and 4B, erasing the small light areas with each additional layer.

I then also went back and added more tone to the face and lips where they are in shade.

Overall I mostly enjoyed drawing this image. I was initially unhappy with the Derwent pencils, though I think after working with them for a while one could benefit from familiarity. I did however find I was often going back to remove dark spots left by the soft pencils and I lost confidence in the hard pencils to the point I was starting to test them in on scrap paper before applying them to the drawing. They did give good dark tones though, and may provide a better outcome if blended, which I may try next on a smaller drawing.

Shades of grey

I started this project to work more closely with graphite shading. I bought a set of Faber-Castell pencils specifically for this drawing. (4h, h, hb, b, 2b & 6b).

As my aim was shading more than line drawing I decided to use the easy grid method. I used A3 paper and 10mm grid cells. I am fortunate enough to have access to a large format printer so I was able to print the grid on a single sheet of paper. The line drawing took a few days as I was trying to be patient from the start and the reference had a lot of details with a varied hair style. The line work was done lightly using the HB pencil but did not scan well enough to be seen.

With the highlights on the hair and skin I decided to start with a background for contrast. I am not sure about this beginning and maybe next time I will try without a background and just rely on the light shades to suggest the edge of the figure.

After the background the hair too a long time in stages. The hair took about as long to draw as the rest of the image did in total.

Here I drew just enough of the hair as was required before starting on the face. The shading of the hair was build up in layers, starting with the 4H to provide some highlights, which indented the paper and helped to give structure to the darker tones. The tones were built up to the 6B. I also went over the 6B with the lighter 4H and H to blend them in.

For the skin I used a mixture of cross hatching and circular shading, and built up the layers from 4H to 2B. The light base layer helped with blending the darker tones and kept the tones light. I didn't use a blending stump this time but I may try one again in a future drawing. Before staring on the face I also placed a few hair lines with the 4H to keep them light as I planned to add the hairs covering the eye once the face shading had been completed. Overall the use of the 4H for keeping light lines and blending the darker tones seemed to work really well.

After staring the skin tones on the face I felt that I needed the darker features such as the eyes and brows adding so that the lines didn't get lost in the light tones and to provide a contrast for the shading.

To complete the face I then blended to the light round the side of the head and jaw, then added the edge of the hair to frame the face.

I then continued and finished the rest of the hair, providing the main area of dark tones for the drawing.

With the hair completed I worked left to right, or dark to light rendering the skin. I worked in sections of upper arm then lower arm, to avoid loosing the light line work and building up the tone grades.

For the front arm I started with the 4H again and worked up slowly with lighter tones as I wanted to keep the edge of the arm light, with a bit more contrast than was in the reference.

Finally I kept the tones on the other arm light and used the 4H and H to softly finish the cloth. I also went back to add some darker tones to her right arm to increase the contrast with the background and to match the tone of the face better.

Overall this project took just under two weeks and I have learnt a lot about graphite shading. I have really enjoyed seeing this come together and I am looking forward to my next project after stopping of to practice with some blending.

Easy gridding

 I have read a few articles about the grid method that involve drawing a grid directly on a picture or on an acetate sheet to be lain on a photo. Then drawing a grid in light pencil on the drawing paper to be erased as you work.

To make a cleaner process I use my computer to help with the grids.

First take a downloaded or scanned image and load it into GIMP. (Though you can probably do something similar with photoshop, but GIMP is free)

Then select 'Image>Canvas size...' and adjust the canvas to the size of your drawing paper. You will probably also want to change the aspect ratio, by hitting the small chain symbol next to the sizes. I have selected the canvas measurements in millimetres here and the closest I can get to A4. (I normally work in A2 but A4 here should work for most printers) 

Hit resize and you are back to the image window. Then right click on the later in the toolbox and select 'Scale layer...', or in the window select 'Layer>Scale layer...' and adjust the layer to fit in the canvas as you want, you will also probably want to move the later round till it is how you want it to look on the page.

Next create a new transparent layer with 'Layer>New Layer...' 

Now to add the grids. First select the foreground color in the toolbox and change it to black.

The with the new layer selected go to 'Filters>Render>Pattern>Grid...'. In the new dialogue set the cell spacing that you want. Here I have used a spacing measure of millimetres again with a 10mm cell and I have used an offset of 0 in both directions that will help later.

At this stage you will have an image with a 10mm grid overlay (or whatever size grid you used). 

Now when I am working on a grid with a lot of cells, I can get a bit lost so I also like to use a reference grid. So again choose 'Layer>New Layer...' and create another transparent layer. Then with the new layer selected go to 'Filters>Render>Pattern>Grid...' again. But this time select a larger grid spacing and a heavier line. Here I want to mark ever 10 cells so I have used a grid spacing of 100mm minus 1mm for the extra thickness of the line.

Now the image has a light grid and a heavy reference grid. 

Next in the toolbox turn of the underlying background picture by toggling off the small eye by the image layer, and print out the grid...

Now re-enable the background image and save the file. Which you can now use as the reference image with grid.

Next I stick a sheet of drawing paper over the reference grid that I printed out

 and place them both on my perspex drawing board.

Then placing a light behind the perspex I can use the grid reference without drawing lines on my paper, and also can zoom into the reference on the computer with the grid lines in place.

Bedding

I have finished the background and added some more tone to the skin. I think the difficulty I have had with this picture is that I took a bad reference photo, and let the flash wash out the tones I needed to help give the figure volume.

How much more black

I have been heavy handed adding more dark. Lots of burnishing with the 2B.

On with the show

Now I am starting to add the darks. I only have a B and 2B staedtler carbon clutch pencils and the 2B doesn't go dark enough. I bought some wolff's carbon pencils but they are more like fine charcoal and don't mix well with the staedtler. So now I have a bit of a mix and not enough depth. I will keep working on the black material and see how dark I can get it. Just as well these carbon leads don't shine too much.

Light darks

I am starting to add some tone, and at this stage I am anxious to see how it is turning out. I will review where I have got to this evening, but for now I think there is potential for this still to work out.

Lines down for a full house

Wow this has taken ages with all the small details. I have blocked in some of the pattern to keep track of where I have gotten to. Next for the basic tones.

Off again

I have been drawing over the holidays, but it has mainly been sketches or pictures I haven't been happy with. I think the holidays don't leave me in a drawing mood.

This one I have started again for the third time, but now am using the Grid method again as the image has a lot of detail and requires a likeness to work. It is taking a while but I do want this one accurate.