"Olivia Grace" - FINISHED

[PogArtTi]

I'd like to share the very beginning of the second commissioned portrait of the same girl (Darren's daughter).

Darren has insisted to draw the WHOLE body - where she's standing with bended knees.
He was very after to keep it as it is, unfortunately I had to disagreed...
It's because when I fitted his girl on the surface, it was not making any sense to me to draw it as he wanted...
It's because she was appearing as a tinny narrowed subject on the middle of nowhere!?
The rest larger part of the surface would have to be nothing but blurred background...
It's because he used different aspect ratio than my drawing board is, and his reference photo simply don't fit the same on my board...

So I cropped the reference photo to make his daughter nicely appeared on the drawing surface.
I did sense he was having tough time to accept my adjustment...

But he disagreed everything that I suggested afterwards.
- I have offered to drop down the raised arm.
- I have offered to keep that arm as it is then, but to reshape the bottom of the T-shirt, to make her pose more one way directed.

*No changes at all, keep it as it is, please!* - these are his original words.

Well, I got confused at that point, but then he's explained...

*You may need to know, that she has some disabilities, which making her struggling moving the way healthy person do.

So for Darren the raised hand of his daughter means a lot, as he knows, she wouldn't be able to keep the position with bended knees on her own.
Once he told me, I understood the reason he wants no changes at all.

So I did outline his beautiful daughter then, and I'm ready to start making the very first strokes.

-Ampresand Claybord 12"/16"
- multiple graphite pencils, mainly Staedtler + other graphite based mediums.

[Laurene]

I agree, you really have to respect her father’s wishes. Her parents will only have eyes for their beautiful daughter, not for artistic composition. After seeing your first drawing I suspect that the viewer will be completely focused on her gorgeous eyes.

[PogArtTi]

It's a quick update - I'm starting it over again on the same Strathmore heavyweight paper as the first portrait has been done...
While smudging the graphite I found micro scratches appearing here and there, ruining my efforts.
My eraser can not pick the graphite up that got locked deeply into those scratches...
I'm very disappointed, because I was very after drawing on claybord...

[PogArtTi]

I agree, you really have to respect her father’s wishes. Her parents will only have eyes for their beautiful daughter, not for artistic composition.

That's right ...
I'm doing commissions rarely, thus I've no any experience regarding the discussion and dealing with the customer.
This lesson is good for my understanding of the people needs.
Thank you

[PogArtTi]

So here we go - NEW START OVER AGAIN ...
Hopefully I didn't waste too much time on the previous claybord.
It's still upsetting, but I can live with that, as now I can compare both surfaces, and I am more aware what they alike.

I do prefer the paper, even though it was a very quick try of the claybord.
Paper's texture is holding the graphite much better, where on the claybord's polished surface, the graphite powder kept slipping off from under my strokes, and was dusting the area below...
If you noticed, I'm drawing having my paper mounted vertically, so the above issue wasn't welcome at all.
It's still existing on the paper, but the teeth hold's much better the graphite powder, so the dust isn't as much annoying, much easier to control.

- 11"/14" Strathmore Heavyweight Mixed Media Paper
- multiple graphite pencils, mainly Staedtler + other graphite based mediums.

[PogArtTi]

That's it for today
I've blocked in the eyes, and I was shading the flesh tone using B2 so far...

I need to finish this one at least by the end of this month,time is ticking.
The anniversary date is at 5th September, but I need to give him a time to get it framed before.
I have nearly three weeks left, which is not what I'd wish for to deal with the details...
The size is greater too, compared to the first one.
More than that, I had to start it over again on paper, so at least two days were lost already.
Fingers crossed.

[PogArtTi]

Today's update...
I worked on the background to let me judge better the whole values.
My workmate asked me to do everything I did on the previous portrait, and he'll be very pleased if I could repeat the effect in here - so I'm doing what he likes

I'm a bit half/half how to go regarding the face shading...
If you'd have a look on the poor quality reference, where the most of the face is in the shadow, and where the light is actually hitting the neck below the jaw, and the bottom of left cheek...

Well, I'd prefer to put the light on the left side of the face rather, and keep the neck in the shadow ...
This is actually what I'm trying achieve...
SLOWLY, GENTLY ...
Not to mess it up ...

Otherwise, what's the point to lighten the neck, and cover the face in shadow
Let see how it goes ...

[PogArtTi]

Today's little bits...

I was complain recently on the poor quality reference photo, where most of the eyes details is hidden/blended within the shadow area of the forehead...
It's even most scary, because I actually have been following this reference since beginning!
Not seeing those details well, I was just guessing the way to draw them...
It is not professionalism at all - is it?!

Until today's session!
By coincident I found this photo in colour, and I was in shock seeing much more details than on B&W version?!

Don't even ask...
I have no idea why my b&w is worst quality than in colour, but it definitely is!

So from today I started following the colour version.
I just can see much more
I'm still learning, getting experience...
Today I learnt that the colour reference is richer in details...
Just because of that fact, I realised that the shadow I was working on (just between the eyes, the shadow above the nose, below the hair) it's NOT THE SHADOW?!
It's actually softly flying her lightly coloured hair!
They are out of focus, blurred, so on my b&w reference I have took them for shadow... wow.

Lesson learnt

[Laurene]

This is a great start. You nailed the eyes in the first portrait so I know you’ll work out any problems you may be having. I noticed the same thing you described when comparing greyscale and original colour photo references. I usually print a colour copy as well as a greyscale copy to use as reference and I use both to help me establish my values.

[PogArtTi]

I usually print a colour copy as well as a greyscale copy to use as reference and I use both to help me establish my values.

Thanks a lot!
Now I think I went through similar problem already in past, but I think I've forgotten about it, till this morning...
Am I getting old, lol ...
That's the first symptom - memory issues
As you know I used to do photography, and it's obvious that the colour photo file is always larger than b&w, because it contains much more data...
So it's making sense, that the colour photography will always provide more information...
In my case - I was able to distinguish the sample of the hair from the forehead, where if looking at the b&w reference - I took it for shadow...
You're obviously right Laurene, working with grey scale and colour reference photo has it's advantages

This drawing is on A3 size paper, so the face is a bit larger than the previous, but I have no any hand or anything else to spend more time on it, so I can focus to work more on the facial features, and I started to work on the more detailed shading already.
I'm frequently changing the pencils regarding the hardness, to achieve richer shading quality, more realistic...

I know the eyes aren't exactly as they are on the reference, I have opened them a bit wider unconsciously...
But I hope they'll just pop out nicer then, and may have drive more attention rather?
I'm just making some excuses up