Proportions, always proportions. Leonardo DaVinci had very detailed descriptions of ratios of one body part to another. When drawing, it pays to lightly sketch in the entire form of the subject before committing to a more bold outline. The portrait below turned out to be one of a long-waisted man.
As I look at this sketch I did several days ago, I see the asymmetry of the figure. Was the young man’s trunk turned? I don’t think it was or I would have clarified it by shading or otherwise showing a twist in posture. The asymmetry about which I was concerned at the time of […]
Another reader. I really liked this guy’s hat.
Sometimes it is difficult to figure out new technology. I knew that this young man would figure it out quickly, so I had to sketch very quickly, before they left. No more waiting for waiters or waitresses. The key to a quick sketch is to capture gestures and posture. Other details can be filled after […]
In contrast to yesterday’s post, the sketch below is of a man who was very fidgety. His arms moved much more frequently than his body. The trouble I have with this kind of sketch is that I get mixed up. I use the visual cues of the lines I just drew to plan my next […]
Fidgety people are difficult for me to draw. They shift positions just as I am sketching in the relationship between two limbs, or the details of the fingers of a contemplative hand. The man in the sketch below gave me enough time between poses to render a fair amount of detail in each position.
I was sketching these people when three other people sat at the empty table pictured below. These interlopers were the subject of yesterday’s sketch. But I think I had enough time to give a sense of the atmosphere at that crowded table.
I was on my break, patiently sketching the group across the room when a trio of people sat directly in the line of sight between my subjects and me. I had just enough time to quickly line out their shapes.
Sometimes 15 minutes is not enough for a complete portrait. I wanted to complete the daughter first. I got a bad start on the mom and had to re-size her head. I try avoiding erasers. I post the good with the bad. I think I could have salvaged the second figure given time.
This was a very quick sketch. I liked the forms created by the woman’s top. Larger planar areas are much easier to shade than crowded little areas that comprise a face.
