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.