Study Group

I one sense, a portrait of three is more difficult to sketch than one of a single person. However, the overall organization of the figures adds an element missing from a single portrait. Potentially, there can be any number of interactions among the characters portrayed. In my portrait below, each character is absorbed in his or […]

Man in Puffy Jacket

Usually, the people I draw have settled into a quiescent state. The occasional change of position of limbs are easily accommodated, and makes for an interesting and dynamic portrait. Sometimes however, there is a major shift in position that is more difficult to incorporate. The underlying sketch of the subject’s previous position is hard to […]

Sitting Man with Inset

I continue to use my waiting time to sketch. Sometimes people move too fast for me. I began to draw a woman sitting, but she was called away and left me in mid sketch. I don’t usually use an eraser, so I used the same space to draw a larger version of the face of […]

Tutor and Tutee

In this sketch, I felt that gestures were more important than proportions (see yesterday’s post). The tutor’s right hand seems to be on an elongated arm. If I had canted the tutor’s posture toward her charge it would make more visual sense. The student alternated positions from upright to bent over: listening and taking notes.

Man with SF Patch

There are a limited number of positions one can assume when sitting. But it isn’t boring sketching seated people. It is an exercise in proportions. I remember distinctly an instance, many years ago, when the proportions of a drawing on which I was working, became those of the actual model (a picture of a horse). […]

Mustachioed Man

Usually I sit off to the side of my subject when I sketch. I was face-to-face with the gentleman whose portrait I sketched for this post. I was careful not to stare. This technique required me to glance up, memorize features, sketch, and peek again for a reality check. The inset is a pencil sketch […]

Tinted Parking Lot

I had meal break while it was still light out the other day. I used my pencil sketch, ink and watercolor post production technique to render the vista I enjoyed while eating my lunch. The watercolors were not to my liking, so I ran the paper under the faucet (with the water turned on) to […]

Storefront at Night

I began with pencil, inked the main lines and added color to finish the sketch. The most satisfying part of this process occurred when I drew the framework. In this composition. the framework was the structure holding up the windows that formed the storefront. As I sketched the contents within the store, I experienced the […]

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