Paper Perils

This was a drawing I did this year while experimenting on different paper.  The paper is 14x17 Strathmore 400 Drawing paper.   I decided I prefer the plate finish bristol to a more textured surface.  While I feel okay with how this one turned out, the paper and my charcoal performed so differently on the different surface that I had to adapt many of my usual techniques to get a result that I wanted.  I don't see that as entirely bad.  I think it's good to be able to adapt, and I would eventually like to get to where I could feel happy working on either surface.  But, I really love the way the smooth bristol works with me.   

I also struggle with getting accurate photographs of my drawings.  While this and the other images in my gallery are pretty close, they are not quite the same as looking at the actual work.  For instance, the way her leg looks on the left side, looks pretty blocky here, but on the paper it looks better.  Oh well, it's just something else I can keep trying to learn to do better. 

Little Expressions

I love the expressions that little people make.  You can't pose them into it, you just have to try to capture them in the moment.  It's like trying to catch a butterfly that keeps fluttering away every time you get near.  Sometimes no matter how fast you click your camera you miss the fleeting moment when the light was perfect and the expression exquisite.  Hence, I take a lot of pictures, searching for those perfect moments, and once in a while, I catch one.

This is my most recent drawing.  I think it is done.  It didn't take too long to draw, but once I get to the finished stage I like to keep it up where I can see it for a week or so, just to make sure.

Here I go!

I'm still trying to get everything organized and up on the blog.  Last summer I decided to invest some of my time to drawing, and made a goal to finish at least one portrait each month.  So far, so good.  It has been fun to try to come up with new challenges.  Every person is unique, and it's interesting and exciting for me to seek out those subtleties.