Earlier today I posted a watercolor sketch of an old family photograph. I wasn’t too pleased with it, since the figures did not resemble those in the reference photograph. In simple terms, I failed to reproduce the light and dark patches of the photograph faithfully in my watercolor sketch. If I had done this in correct proportions, I would have reproduced the photograph, and the figures would be recognizable. Perhaps the accumulation of small errors of proportion and shading contributed to the failure to accomplish this goal.

I used mixed media paper as the basis for a pencil sketch of yesterday’s photograph. Mixed media paper has a smooth velum surface. I used a 4B pencil to sketch the figures.

Here is the reference photograph:

Today’s sketch is more faithful to the reference photograph than this morning’s watercolor study. The figures are more recognizable here, but I’m still not quite comfortable with the results.