I am so sad. I was beginning to really love her. Does anyone have any ideas for me? I'd love to make another attempt, but need to decide what to do differently. I am thinking I may try it on a better paper and try to handle it less. I am not at all happy with the lines emanating from her upper lip. They are much too pronounced.
I just returned from my daughter's house where I picked up Miss M and Miss P. We have a busy day planned. Miss M and Papa are going north to visit the Maple Street Mall and do a bit of last minute Christmas shopping and Miss P and I are heading south to do some Christmas shopping and shop for Christmas dinner.
I don't know if I will have time to start a new sketch today or not, but I am almost sure to do some kind of art with my girl tribe and I will share whatever I do with you tomorrow.
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and that you are finding time for yourself.
xoxo
Hi Vicki, don't get too downhearted, you have made a great effort, you have achieved a recognizable image from the photo. Using just pencil is very difficult but is a great way of learning about tones or values. Dont know what pencil you were using but it helps to use different leads. When I am using just pencil I use 2,4 and 6 HB, I put in the darks with the 6 and use the 4 for the mid tones and sketch with the 2 hb, I also use an eraser to take out the lighest values.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't do any more to your sketch rather I would try another and just keep practising.
Happy Christmas
There is much to love about this drawing, and you really learned a lot. Pencil can be very difficult and sometimes unforgiving. There are parts of this drawing that work really well - I hope you feel better about her now that you've had a bit of time! hugs, nancy
ReplyDeleteHello Vicki,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I think the shading is nowhere near as bad as you think it is. The light & shade gives it a more solid feel. Values are so important to bring life to your drawings/paintings. I agree with Phil, if you use a few different pencils you are less likely to overwork the paper. Make sure you have a soft lead for the darks (as phil says 6B would be ideal). The only problem with soft leads is they can smear/smudge - I place a piece of paper over the section I am resting my hand and try to start top left. Also, when I am finished I spray the drawing lightly with fixative.
I love using graphite but it can be hard to use - you have done really well. If you feel you must do more, try on another drawing (you wouldn't want to lose what you already have and you can compare...'Go Compare...' - sorry, one for the Brits to cringe over).
Stew.
Phil, Nancy, Stew,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your encouragement and advice. I am ready to make another go at this lovely Polish woman and the first decision I've made is to try using the smoother side of some 140# watercolor cold press paper to see if the paper choice will also make a difference.
xoxo
It is good to try different papers. I am always doing the same thing. I find the smooth papers are great for better detail but rougher paper has more tooth so holds the graphite better.
ReplyDeleteStew.