Walter

[leeds1]

Attached is recent pet portrait I completed of Walter. I did complete this before viewing your “Hair” videos so I know there are a few things I did/used that are contrary to your advice!!
I would really value any comments, tips or advice you can give to help me make the next one better!!
Thanks in advance,

[Laurene]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I’ll let Mike guide you as to refining your technique. His teaching was and is immeasurably helpful in refining mine.

I just wanted to say that Walter is incredibly well rendered! His proportions are spot on, his little face shows all kinds of personality and character, and the texture of his jacket comes across beautifully!

[leeds1]

Thanks Laurene, nice to meet you. Looking forward to getting involved on the forum

[Mike Sibley]

...I know there are a few things I did/used that are contrary to your advice!!

Maybe... but advice is all it is. We all have our way of working, and I can only confidently comment on my way, and compare your drawing to how I might have tackled it. So, bear that in mind......

DAVID-Walter.jpeg

First, you've really captured the warmth and character of Walter, and his slightly wistful gaze. In effect, how you drew him is incidental to capturing HIM. And you've done that.

That just leaves the technical stuff - some of which I feel would increase the sense of reality that you've already achieved.

There are two areas in particular that don't work for me. The first is the right-hand ear and the other, his jacket. You might think his jacket is of no real consequence, but I'd disagree. I find it attracts unwanted attention for a couple of reasons.

It appears to be nylon, yet the visible tooth of your paper has peppered it with holes that don't reflect a nylon surface. OK, anyone here is expecting me to say that, because I dislike any paper that interferes with the drawing.

But what really catches my attention - for the wrong reasons - is the geometric shapes in the lower front. I'm quite certain they are folds and creases, but because of their sharp edges, they appear to be marks on the surface. What's missing are the subtle curves and attendant highlights along those edges, where the fabric becomes depressed and bends away from the direct light. I almost feel that you draw them "because they're in the reference" without either knowing what they were, or thinking about what they represent. So, my beef isn't really about that section itself; it has more to do with the inclusion of something that appears to have not been understood.

The right-hand ear suffers from a similar problem. I appreciate that the top and front locks will pick up the light. And that the body of the ear is in the shade. But it would have helped the viewer's understanding to include a "half way" element. The difference between highlighted and shaded is very abrupt at present. Personally, I'd want to invent some detail with the shade. That would create depth, provide a measure of understanding, and help to bridge the highlight/shade gap.

Sometimes it's better to study an area first. Work out what's going on. And then put away the reference and draw what you'd expect to see, rather than what the reference presents to you.

While I suspect your reference does show the highlighted hair as you've presented it, I'm surprised to not see any wayward wisps springing from those locks. The locks are also very uniform in the width and value. And, in places, one lock springs from behind another, or crosses over or under it, yet, despite the strength of the lighting, none cast a shadow.

When you're working from photos, you have to take the limitations of cameras into account. They look at this dog and take an overall exposure that they apply to the whole dog. That often burns out highlights (and, in this case, destroys subtle but useful cast shadows), and hides detail within areas of shade. I'm, currently, working on three videos, and one will cover that subject.

So, take the detail and positioning of elements from your reference. Then study the reference as you approach each area. Extract as much information as you can - especially three-dimensional form - and then draw what you know and understand, rather than what you think you can see. Defeat the camera!

I'm going to pick one more area to study - the top edge of his coat where it meets the hair. Again, I think you considered this to be inconsequential. But I'd argue that time spent there will raise the reality. From the centre to right of centre, you have hair pushed up by the coat and overlapping its edge. That's an ideal situation where you can keep the edges of the hair super-sharp and create definite cast shadows. That enhanced separation provides what the viewer expects to see - subconsciously, but still an expectation. It's these out-of-place hairs and locks that increase the perceived reality. You played it down and lost that opportunity.

Then in the left-hand half there's a problem. I'm sure that's also hair pushed up by the coat, but I think you drew what you saw and didn't think about what it actually was. And, I must mention, there is absolutely no reason why that area had to look exactly like the reference.

Work out what you're seeing - white hair scrunched up by the edge of the coat. And if you can't understand what the individual locks of hair of doing in that area? Interpret, invent, what you feel it should look like, and you'll raise the sense of reality even more than you already have.

[leeds1]

Wow, thanks Mike for the very detailed, informative and helpful response. Your comments make total sense and just what I needed in terms of important things that I should focus/work on.
Below are a few additional points of clarification not included in the original post and also a few questions of technical aspects you mention that I am struggling with:

-the paper I used was Strathmore Bristol Vellum, was this a good choice for this drawing?
-I used (for the first time) Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils. I must admit that I did try to “help” darken the darker areas with a softer darker graphite pencil (you can tell by the “shine” on the original drawing). Lesson learned not to do this again.
-you are correct that I did (and have in the past) focused too much on replicating the reference photo at the expense of analyzing what I see and making my own, informed interpretation….a habit I believe which comes from my engineering background that I do want to change…thanks for your comments on this.
-with regards to your observation that the paper tooth was visible in the jacket areas, I did struggle to get rid of these tooth marks, because, I think, I applied too many layers to get this area dark and found it hard to then fill in these tooth marks. Can you offer advice on how to get areas as dark as possible and smooth?
-with regards to the right hand side of the ear/hair interface I struggled to get any fine wisps of hair and crisp hair edges on the black coat background, again, I think, because I had layered too much on the black coat area and the eraser method did not really work. How would you suggest getting these wispy, sharper highlights to pop in this area?
Thanks again for your extremely helpful comments Mike. I am slowly working through your videos and am sure you address the answers to my questions above in those videos so forgive me if you do !!!

[Mike Sibley]

...the paper I used was Strathmore Bristol Vellum, was this a good choice for this drawing?

I don't have a lot of personal experience with different papers. I found one that worked for me early, and stuck with it - apart from once using Strathmore 300. I believe "Bristol" papers have two outer sheets with a softer core. Personally, I wouldn't want the "bounce" that might result. Vellum suggests a "parchment" texture. That's OK if that texture predominates in your drawing. Otherwise, it will impose itself and, in my view, affect the realism you're trying to achieve. Try a plate-finish paper to see if it suits you. It has little tooth, so you have to work harder to obtain good darks, but it has almost no visible surface texture. The one I use is long-grain, so I can (and do) use quite a lot of pressure when establishing dark values without damaging the surface.

I used... Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencils... Lesson learned not to do this again.

These things are always worth trying. I used carbon (never charcoal) for my darks but quickly discarded it, because I had to layer it with graphite to match the sheen - which rather defeated the purpose of using it in the first place.

...you are correct that I did... focused too much on replicating the reference photo at the expense of analyzing what I see and making my own, informed interpretation...

We all do it. But eventually interpretation wins over dedication to the reference. My "lightbulb" moment came when I was looking through a series of photos I'd taken - 1/2 second apart. There were so many subtle differences that I wondered why I'd been so keen to perfectly recapture a single frozen moment in time... when it didn't look exactly the same a half-second earlier or later.

Also, you might initially draw with the goal of your drawing looking like the reference. It's a good way to learn the techniques. But later, you, as an artist, will want to say something about the subject and that involves enhancing parts, playing down others, maybe moving or omitting an awkward tree in a scene.

...with regards to your observation that the paper tooth was visible in the jacket areas... Can you offer advice on how to get areas as dark as possible and smooth?

Well, I can offer a suggestion, at least. A soft grade will most likely slide over the surface of vellum and not fill the pits in the surface. If the subject allows it, use circular shading rather than linear. Circular approaches every pit from every direction. I'd use a 2B (or 4B) and then layer that with an HB - with a point. Not a sharp point, but one that will get into those pits and fill them. It will also break up the 2B grains and spread that into the pits too. If you're using Bristol board, you'll have to be a little careful. That soft core won't withstand a great deal of pressure.

...with regards to the right-hand side of the ear/hair interface I struggled to get any fine wisps of hair and crisp hair edges on the black coat background, again, I think, because I had layered too much on the black coat area and the eraser method did not really work. How would you suggest getting these wispy, sharper highlights to pop in this area?

I discarded the use of erasers many years ago. They produce soft edged lines, and don't necessarily erase back to white. Where an edge needs to be sharp, try outlining it with HB. That's both dark and sufficiently hard. Then shade the surrounding darks with a 2B or 4B. The HB will give you a thin safety margin you can shade up to; it will blend into the 2B shading; and maintain the sharpness f the edge.

For finer hairs, try indenting . Preferably, use it as a last resort when nothing else will do. With practice, you can draw around very fine hairs. But indenting will ensure parallel edges and lovely fine tapers.

[LindasPencils]

Well, I rather love how you have caught Walter's personality and affectionate look in his pose. well done. Everything else - just like Mike says. But I think it is a successful work in many ways as it stands. We can always improve our techniques, but your love of drawing and this animal shines through.