Aleister and Sylvia have stolen your hearts – now you can enjoy them all year round! Check it out! !http://rdr.zazzle.com/img/imt-prd…
Aleister and Sylvia have stolen your hearts – now you can enjoy them all year round! Check it out!
Hello fellow bubblers I am afraid it isn’t often you hear from me in this way but to compensate I have some valuable content to offer tod…
Hello fellow bubblers I am afraid it isn’t often you hear from me in this way but to compensate I have some valuable content to offer today. / I also have some exiting news that should interest most of the people here on the bubble. But first to the content / Earlier today I wrote a post on my blog that might contain some items of interest for those of you that draw and paint ore want to start out doing so. / The post is about online reference material and contains a few very good links to different reference resources. Then on to the news: / You see in a few days there will pop up a new group here on the bub with the simple name Napoleon. / What in the world you might think….and you should….absolutely. / You see Muskulare Teeth and I have decided to start up a consept I have carried with me for nearly two years( a very long time in web years…especially web 2.0 years), the group will be the headquarter, news stand and scrapbook for the whole project). We plan to make a graphic novel, ore rather many graphic novels about people in Europe during the times of Napoleon Bonaparte I. / Every episode will be loosely built around an episode of the podcast Napoleon 101 / It was this podcast that inspired me to get the idea in the first place. / But we will not just follow the big shots, but rather make up ordinary people as our heroes and let them take their little part in the big play, and sometimes even have a influence on the big events. / Sometimes they know about it and the consequences, sometimes not. / And all at the same time we keep an eye on the big picture too. The format will be based upon my drawings , but then it will be filmed and narrated. Music will be added, we will mix in other peoples drawings and photos as well. And we will involve writers to write the different episodes. This is where you fellow bubblers come in to the picture. / In order to pull this one off we totally rely on the participation from you people, ore there is no way we can pull it off in a way that guaranty the quality we need without you folks. First and foremost we need writers to start writing episodes for us. So if you feel the call, (if no one does we come and get you so you can just as well jump in to it now and save all of us from the embarrassment :-), just contact me ore muskulare teeth . / Ore you can wait to the group is up and go through there, it will all be fine. So now it is up to you people….please don’t let us down, we look so much forward to this. And just imagine to get a chance to work on a comic video…is that cooooool! ore what?! :-) POS
They featured Drawing Day! I can’t believe that TWO of my sketches made it. This is the first time that any of my art work has ever been …
They featured Drawing Day! I can’t believe that TWO of my sketches made it. This is the first time that any of my art work has ever been featured!!! I’m over the moon!!!!!!! / All the artist’s work for Drawing Day were awesome. Thanks so much RB and “Featured” for remembering the RB artists!!
If you’ve been longing to become apart of the Dr Sketchy’s cool kids club, but sad that they weren’t in Brisbane… you have been woefull…
If you’ve been longing to become apart of the Dr Sketchy’s cool kids club, but sad that they weren’t in Brisbane… you have been woefully mistaken! Ms Omega hosts these wonderful nights, and the next one is on June 25th. If you haven’t heard of Dr Sketchy’s and are intrigued, read on: ...well, In a nutshell – it’s a life drawing class. In a private room in a pub, where you’re allowed to drink, and laugh, and there’s music. And instead of a boring, silent nude the models are crazy circus stars, gorgeous burlesque queens and other fab creatures.. sound like fun?? It is!! I went to the first few Sketchy’s last year, but life got busy at my ex-job and then I started spazzing about my wedding. I’m going to be at the next Sketchy’s because Miss Mindy, a colourful and curvaceous burlesque diva, is going to be the model! For more information, check out the Dr Sketchy’s Live Journal community where you can pre-book tickets and ask Ms Omega any pressing questions you may have! See you there!
I have the scanner installed and it does work! Apparently, I cannot press the scan button and have it connect to the computer, which is …
I have the scanner installed and it does work! Apparently, I cannot press the scan button and have it connect to the computer, which is a little odd, but I can run it through Corel Photopaint and that is quite good enough! Here are some of my recently scanned doodle sort of sketches: / Shelba / Pugnacious Clarity Click on them for a larger view. I decided to go with Image Shack for showing such things as scans, because I thought it would be easier on me and Red Bubble to do so. Well, i hope it’s easier on Red Bubble, then, as it has turned out to be a pain in the rear for me! lol Anyway … I intend to clean these babies up, because scanning can do awful things to an image; maybe I’ll add to them, color them in different ways, etc. Haven’t fully decided yet, except that I did do a more colored in version of Shelba already. Not sure if it’s done yet or no. Hope you enjoy! There’ll be more on the way, but, as I said, it’s a bit of a pain, so it may not all get done today. .............................. / / Mayle Varges / Lulu May / Life is Coloured As you have probably noticed, I am finishing up, anyway. I’ve found a way to make it a bit less of a pain! / Inscrutable Shanghai Jayne / I once loved / Grow and, finally: / Ebbles 9 02 2008 Now that I’m done, this makes me very happy!
The other day, while watching my bubble, I popped over to Owen Jones place as he had just added new work. To my surprise I found some…
The other day, while watching my bubble, I popped over to Owen Jones place as he had just added new work. To my surprise I found something more than the usual 2-D digitized image. Owen had cleverly reworked the latest Argos catalogue into a new world. That of the Devil and his Stickmen. What really hooked me is that Owen had created an opportunity to interact with his fellow bubblers. Owen challenged his viewers to find the six hidden Stickmen he had placed within his drawing. As a prize for the first to find them and their correct location, Owen offered up his own avatar to the winner’s piece of choosing. Well you can guess I was the first on the scene and the winner. For now, Owen’s avatar is a detail of my piece “Gray Matter…” I totally applaud Owen Jone’s creativity. What fun… Thank you Owen. Sam Dantone
OK, I’m irritated and you are going to help me! / There is a wonderful group out there called Full Moon Rising...
OK, I’m irritated and you are going to help me! / There is a wonderful group out there called Full Moon Rising / It’s all about SHAPESHIFTERS, how freaking cool is that?! AND NONE OF YOU ARE MEMBERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I co-host Undead is the New Black / We’ve only been a group for less than a month and we have 40 members! This wonderful group has been functioning longer and there are only 25 members! What the Hell is wrong with you people!? If you’re a self-respecting member of the bubble and you have anything to contribute, be it written work or art….JOIN THE GROUP NOW! FULL MOON RISING / just a note, if you are a member of WTF!? Are You Wearing , or Undead is the New Black , you will be getting a group mail about this…very soon! / forum post
Sam’s Suspects, / I have been wanting to mix it up a bit here on the bubble. ( thinking out side the bubble you might say ) So, I have co…
Sam’s Suspects, / I have been wanting to mix it up a bit here on the bubble. ( thinking out side the bubble you might say ) So, I have come up with an idea of creatively posting a series of drawings. My method is aimed to entertain those who are watching me on a regular basis. We have six thumbnails on our profile pages for our T’s and for our artwork. I will post a new piece each day this coming week to present a series of six drawings. By weeks end, all of my art thumbnails will be of this series. I usually only have internet access on weekdays, so I will post Suspect One today and Suspects Two through Six Monday-Friday of next week. The content of the drawings in this series are part of the world’s problem… as Sam suspects.
Sam’s Suspects is now complete… / Well as far…
Sam’s Suspects is now complete… / Well as far as this series of drawings goes. I’m sure I could come up with some more suspects to expose. I have included the text of my original journal (below) that announced and explained this series for those who are just now tuning in. I really want to thank everyone for their support of the series with daily visits, favorites and comments. It is all for you… Sam Dantone Sam’s Suspects, / I have been wanting to mix it up a bit here on the bubble. ( thinking out side the bubble you might say ) So, I have come up with an idea of creatively posting a series of drawings. My method is aimed to entertain those who are watching me on a regular basis. We have six thumbnails on our profile pages for our T’s and for our artwork. I will post a new piece each day this coming week to present a series of six drawings. By weeks end, all of my art thumbnails will be of this series. I usually only have internet access on weekdays, so I will post Suspect One today and Suspects Two through Six Monday-Friday of next week. The content of the drawings in this series are part of the world’s problem… as Sam suspects.
Thank you so much to whoever bought my Dandilions tee... on…
Thank you so much to whoever bought my Dandilions tee... one navy and one forest!!! How awesome is that!!! Such a wonderful surprise!! / I hope you both love wearing it or giving it as a present… whatever you do with it, Enjoy :D / Thank you again!! / :D / GG
My drawing “Bracco Italiano” is being featured in the ‘Animal Kingdom’ group. I haven’t had many features so, needless to say, I’m very e…
My drawing “Bracco Italiano” is being featured in the ‘Animal Kingdom’ group. I haven’t had many features so, needless to say, I’m very excited…..Yay!!! :))
Hello all you watchin’ bubblers, I am going to start a series of work that will go on for awhile. I have recently unearthed ( un…
Hello all you watchin’ bubblers, I am going to start a series of work that will go on for awhile. I have recently unearthed ( unboxed ) a couple of sketchbooks that have work in them ranging from 1991 to 1993. My age for those years ranges from 19 to 22. I have picked out the better pieces from the pack and would like to share them with you. I was surprised as I look back at them that some of them were not too bad. Of course a lot were worthless, as it should be in a sketchbook. It is interesting to see how some style, technique and language (images) are still in my work today, 18 years later… My main reason for posting this series is because I am getting very busy with my sign shop. I started to get into the bubble when work slowed to a standstill last summer. Overall, our business was down 40% last year from the year before. As work is picking up I feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully for all of us. I have been a daily bubbler for awhile now (addicted I suppose) and now I need to concentrate on my job and also try to get my website finished. SamDantone.com is currently in the rough. I apologize if my thank you’s and acknowledgments are lagging and belated, but I gotta do what I gotta do. I’ll still be here checking in daily, so please keep in contact. You are all like my family… Sam Dantone
5 Tips to becoming a better artist / Part 1 Becoming a good artist takes years of dedication, passion, energy and time. There are no sh…
5 Tips to becoming a better artist / Part 1 Becoming a good artist takes years of dedication, passion, energy and time. There are no short cuts but here are some tips to send you in the right direction. Tip 1: Learn the Importance of the Sketch Sketching is one of those things that every artist MUST do and do often. Sketches don’t have to be perfect, nor do you have to show them to anyone. They can be as rough or as scratchy as you like but the thing to keep in mind is it’s readability. The purpose of a sketch is to quickly illustrate or develop an idea you have, to capture or study some form of reference so that it can be worked on at a latter date. Because of this, the sketch only needs to convey the right information to you and you alone (unless you are drawing an idea out for a client then the message needs to be crystal clear). Tip 2: Draw, Draw and Draw Some More! This is a similar tip to the first but what I mean by this is draw anything that comes to mind or visually interests you. Sketch on the bus, train, in bed and even on the toilet. Seriously! The more you draw from your mind and from reference, the better you will become and the quicker your skills will develop. Take the time to doodle lots of different subjects and in lots of different environments as this will all help build up a mental cataloge of images to draw upon latter when you may become stuck for ideas or inspiration. Tip 3: Build a Reference Library This is a great tip that I learnt from years back. As you begin to fill sketch books with illustrations of ideas and reference material, you should build up that stack of books with more books. By this I mean buying art books, books on clothing, guns, tanks, other cultures, animals etc. The list of what you should look into is endless and should extend beyond your general interests. But it mustn’t stop there. You should also collect images off of the internet and save them to your computer and organize them correctly. Take photos of things you see if you don’t have time to sketch them. The purpose is to have a nice big collection of images that inspire you, inflame your imagination and, more specifically, if you need to draw something right, having the material there to draw from will add realism and clarity to your work. Tip 4: Explore Different Mediums This is when you take an idea from sketch to final painting. Exploring other methods of creating that end piece can really yield some unexpected results and challenge you to push yourself further into new situations. Playing with different types of paints such as oil, acrylic, water colour or gouache are the options most people would suggest trying, but there is more than experimenting with these. You could try air brushing, pastels, using charcoal or taking the leap into the digital realm. All these different mediums have their strengths that you can harness but you will never know them unless you try them out. Tip 5: Learn Some Colour Theory (At Least) This is a big one. Colour theory is a massive, massive subject and I can’t do it justice here. What I would strongly suggest is investing time and money in a good colour theory book and learn from that. Even learning only a little bit, will help your work massivley. The more you push yourself to learn, the better and better you will become. More coming soon! Lloyd Harvey / www.shrunkenheaddesign.co.uk
5 Tips to becoming a better artist / Part 2 So, here is the second half of tips that I have picked up along the way and feel that every…
5 Tips to becoming a better artist / Part 2 So, here is the second half of tips that I have picked up along the way and feel that every artist should use in their artistic endeavors. Tip 6: Play With Perspective Now, by this I don’t mean completely bend the fabric of reality or attempt to mimic the works of M C Esher (but looking at his work couldn’t hurt). No! What I mean is take the time to learn about vanishing points, 2 point and 3 point perspectives and how to create objects in three dimensions correctly. As this is just a tip, I’m not going to go into the details here but there are numerous books and places on the web that cover this important area. Learning the rules of perception will open up the possibilities of what you can draw and will broaden your artistic horizons greatly. Tip 7: Hunt Down Your Artistic Weaknesses & Destroy Them! I was told this by an incredibly exceptional artist called Chet Zar. This tip is something you should approach regularly and be really tough and honest with your self. By knowing what your not good at artistically and making a conscious effort to attack it (them, could be lots of things), will enable you to systematically grow. For instance, if you draw a lot of humans but avoid drawing feet because you know your not that good at it, set aside time to draw lots of feet, over and over again until they look right (just be sure not to get a foot fetish). This links to a previous tip I did of Draw, Draw and Draw Some More! Drawing things that you don’t draw often or at all will increase your repertoire and will enable you to paint and illustrate more complex pictures. Tip 8: Ask For Help & Critiques I heard this one from numerous sources and I have to say that this is something you don’t have to do all the time. Joining online art communities and forums will give you access to professionals who do know their stuff and can really help you improve, but having thick skin is advised. At one point or another, you will get some harsh and unfair comments but that is the risk of being an artist who puts art out for viewer consumption. Never be afraid to ask for help. Tip 9: Develop an Original Style Ah, a real tough one this as developing your own style takes time and experimentation. By exploring lots of little different mediums and genres, you’ll soon get to know what you like and how you like to do things. Over time, by doing things the way you want and in the subconscious way you approach a painting, a style will emerge that will be recognizable and more importantly, it will be your style. Tip 10: Learn to Accept Failure as a Positive Thing. Possibly one of the most important lessons an artist (or almost any professional) can learn. Not every picture you create will come out looking the way you wanted it too and the same goes with any experiment to try out. There is no such thing as a bad result… there are just results. Learning to take something positive out of everything you do will change the way you look at you next piece and how you approach it. If something doesn’t work or you don’t like it, don’t do it again or use it as a bench mark to launch yourself from in your next piece. So, I hope that that is enough to hold you till next time! Lloyd Harvey / www.shrunkenheaddesign.co.uk
It’s cold here in Wellington. Not the best weekend but a good one to catch up on some of my unfinished drawings. I suddenly feel a need t…
It’s cold here in Wellington. Not the best weekend but a good one to catch up on some of my unfinished drawings. I suddenly feel a need to share my art, but I haven’t been very discipline. I try to quickly sketch down ideas, ideas that seem to be materializing less and less frequent lately. I wonder what’s happening… I wonder if I’ve lost it. Lately I seem to do more think than creating. Putting myself through this process of filtering through the bad ones and when I’ve decided to take some of my sketches to the canvas, I convince myself it’s probably not worth painting. This new and foreign thought process, I am beginning to think what I do at work is being brought through into my art. The tedious and rigourous design and architectural decisions have finally taken a toll on my art life. I used to know how to separate them well. In fact I used to find one challenges the other and bring out the better. One professional and discipline, the other whimsical and free… I have been asking myself why am I painting, how is my work any different from the rest, don’t we have enough beautiful artworks around already. If so, is it wrong to clutter the world with more paintings that are just ‘beautiful’? How have I truly make a difference then?..... and this goes on…and on… and then before I know it, I’ve lost the need to paint. ANYway, since I have no new paintings for now due to my little personal conflict, I thought I’d just share some of my doodles instead. Sometimes I think they bring across more of an essence than a finished piece of work. Most of them are done during boredom, waiting for bus, insomia nights, waiting for computer to load at work, between TV commercials… This one was done on an insomnia night. Pen,pencils, ink, colourpencils I think. Maybe I’m changing. Maybe the old me doesn’t fit anymore. I feel somewhat lost really.
The conte pencil study of my brother has been featured in “Real” Life Artwork (No Photography)! !http://images-0.redbubble.net/img/art…
The conte pencil study of my brother has been featured in “Real” Life Artwork (No Photography)! Thank you to all those who commented on this piece and helped get it featured :) Chris
Well it’s been a while since I did this sculpture and it is something that I really didn’t gain to much confidence in (sculpture as a who…
Well it’s been a while since I did this sculpture and it is something that I really didn’t gain to much confidence in (sculpture as a whole) but I’ve loaded an image which prompted some questions about it’s process. That in itself I think might be quite interesting to some. So it started with a well know sculpture of a female seated torso. Many of you may be familiar with it but for the life of me I can’t find an image of it for you. / (If anybody knows of it or can find me an image that would be great). Firstly when faced with a sculpture project I started with quick sketches of the object from different angles. / This helps me consider and remain conscious that I have a three dimensional object with volume. / Here are those preliminary sketches. From here I constructed the sculpture, here are my notes; 1. Tin Strips – cut into approximately 1 inch strips / 2. Series of hoops made; / . Neck / . Chest / . Waist / . Hip / . Arms x 2 / . Legs x 2 / 3. Vertical lengths made / . Centre Back / . Sides x 2 / . Breast Front to legs x 2 / 4. Shoulder Straps to attach arms / 5. Buttocks All pieces joined with pop rivets and tin strips shaped to appropriate body shape. I wanted to keep it minimal and was weary not to get an armored look so I tried to follow the most important lines as in the construction of a life figure drawing. Here is the photograph of the finished sculpture; I think its lines and volume would be great as a subject to draw so that is what I did after the sculpture was completed. Here is that drawing; You may notice that I have used the photograph as reference for the drawing, this is probably cheating. So the initial image I loaded had gone through all these processes and developed further digitally. Here is also another drawing of the same original sculpture in a digital composite. Quite a journey based on one piece of art. /
Original (more or less) soundtrack created from loops in Mixcraft. The images predate computers and most were done with ballpoint or felt…
Original (more or less) soundtrack created from loops in Mixcraft. The images predate computers and most were done with ballpoint or felt-tip pens.
Welcome to my insane attempt at an Art Tutori…
Welcome to my insane attempt at an Art Tutorial, (cos I was nagged to do one – god knows why). / / OK I’m going to sketch a face, I’ll be scanning every little stage of progression right up to the finished result, try and follow the same steps as I do. Try not to go to far ahead otherwise you’ll be giving yourselves arm aches from rubbing out! / / Materials: / One piece of A4 Zerox paper or / Photo Quality Inkjet paper / (or if you really rich and recently been paid an A4 piece of cartridge paper!) / A ruler (no not HRH Queen Elizabeth II) / Lead Pencils B, 2B, 4B, 5B, 9B, 5H, 10H, F / Eraser (better still a kneadable putty rubber if you can get your hands on one) / Cup of tea (Earl Grey, white with one sugar – make sure it stands for two minutes in the teapot first) / / BASIC OUTLINE GRID / I always start off with a Basic Outline Grid; reason being is that it keeps me consistent (plus it great for plotting the head onto the paper). First off using the 5B, I draw a vertical centre line down the entire length with the ruler (just hard enough so you can see it (you’ll be rubbing it out later). Now about 2” from the top draw a horizontal line, 3.5” from that draw a second horizontal line and 3.5” down from that draw a third horizontal line. These three horizontals will define the top of the skull, eye line and jaw line. Then I draw two wee circles 5/16” width (or No.9 on an old green plastic Linex circle template – I kept from my schooldays). These two circles are approximately 3’4” from the centre line (that’s from each edge of the circle to the centre line. Then add a couple of horizontal lines for the nose and mouth, don’t worry about accuracy at this stage, simple lines will suffice. Now if you’ve followed me you should have a weird looking thing like this OK? / / BASIC OUTLINE (Skull top) / I now divide the widths of the eyes with slight marks, I use Plato’s golden rule (width of head is five eyes widths). I then draw two vertical lines to gauge the width of my head (not too long only a couple of inches). Now I need to define the top of the skull, starting from the top left left (as I’m right handed – reverse to top right if your left handed) I draw a rough quarter circle from the centre vertical to the second horizontal (notice that the quarter circle intersects the width of head line coming in slightly. Repeat for the other side and you should have drawn this: / / BASIC OUTLINE (Jaw line) / I now need to add the jaw line. This is dead easy, just pick up either of the vertical width of head lines and draw a longer sweeping arc to the base horizontal line and repeat for the other side. Try not to make your jaw line too pointed or too flat (we can alter this later when doing portraits, member stick to simple (bit like me really). OK you still keeping up with me? / / / / BASIC OUTLINE (Eyes, nose and mouth) / Now I need to define the Eyes, nose and mouth a little. First I start with the eyes, I draw two arcs just below the tops of the eyes and thru each eye and then beyond the centre horizontal (this is where lots of folks lose the eye shape so be careful – TRY NOT TO DRAW EGYPTIAN EYES). Now I draw a very simple (there’s that word again) nose nothing exciting, I’m still plotting it all out OK) For the mouth I use three lines, top of the lip (the fulcrum?) I draw a bird in flight (remember when you did that at school, easiest way to draw birds!). The middle of the lips is an inverted bowl or cup line and finished with a squiggle for the width of the bottom lip. Then mark the width of the mouth on the with two marks approximately in line with the centre of the eyes. I’ve seen people spend eons trying to draw the lips trying to get them accurate, don’t bother, at this stage keep it simple (there’s that “S” word again). Finally I define the height of the ears with two small horizontals. Tops of ears just above the eyes (some would say in line with brows, that’s fine except I don’t draw the brows yet), the base of the ears approximately in line with the base nose line. Wow it’s starting to look like something better than a rag doll now, yippee! / / BASIC OUTLINE (Ears) / This is what stumps loads of folks, they either cover them up or try and show as little as possible. Ears are wonderful, why without ears we couldn’t wear glasses or fancy hats!. I’m going to show you how to draw generic ears (generic means simple – they aren’t perfect but they look OK). First off I draw two small mountains (Alps, Andes whatever – just don’t draw those flat top pillars what you see in the wild west), one bigger than the other (biggest is the top of ear, smaller is the first fold ring of your ear). At the base ear horizontal mark, I draw a ladle or cup shape and join this ladle/cup shape to the big mountain (bet you never thought you’d be going hiking this early in the day, did you!). Now from the smaller mountains draw a squiggly path coming down from near the top (squiggly the inner edge of the path whilst leaving the outer edge relative curved. / / This is looking so good now; you deserve a pat on the back if you’ve reached this stage. Now sit back and have a sip of your tea and admire your fine handiwork. Do not tamper with it; FRED put that pencil down NOW! Do not rub out either, cos I want to see your efforts OK. One last thing I do not allow smudging OK, in my class we cross hatch and shade only. BASIC OUTLINE (Tidy up) / As you can see I have erased the construction grid (no longer needed) and have strengthened the general outline, including defining the eyes, upper lids, brows (still rough), nose left as is and tidied up the mouth, I also redrew the right ear as I felt it was thinner than the left one. This is still a very simple face; it has no sexuality yet (WILLIAM stop sniggering or you’ll be asked to leave the classroom!). At this stage any changes are easily made, any adjustments are quickly redrawn without upsetting the sketch to much, in reality we haven’t started any in-depth shading, only drafting up the outline. / / / / BASIC OUTLINE (Adding Hair) / Hair is always the last feature I tend to draft out, as you can get trapped in getting the hair done first, and then finding it is either too long or too short for the face, this way you can easily judge the thickness of the hair as the top of the head is still visible, and it is so much easier to decide where the hairline rests on the forehead. Today, I’ve decided to stay with a short slightly wavy style (we’ll attempt more styles as you progress I promise). / / BASIC OUTLINE (Tidy up hair) / Once your hair is happily seated were you want it, only then do I remove the top of head line, as it is now surplus to requirements. This small step really does make the difference between a good proportionate hair style and those hairstyles you sometimes sketch which are physically impossible, i.e., the top of the hair is below the top head line, (I can only recall one instance where this is permissible, it was in the film Hannibal starring Anthony Hopkins where he cut off the top of the victims head and made him eat his own brains, so you see, not too nice). / / BASIC OUTLINE (Alternative Hair) / Here are a few examples of alternative hairstyles on this same simple face. As you can see it really is easy to sketch whatever hairstyle you wish upon this generic face. / / / / BASIC OUTLINE (Alternative face shapes) / Here are a few examples of alternative face shapes, again using the same generic face we have drawn, only in these instances we have either re-drawn beyond the generic shape to produce a fatter face or drawn within the generic shape to create a thinner older face (not too much, remember there is a skull inside that face – you cannot easily cut into that!) / The beauty of this technique, which I used on a daily basis, is that it really does help me achieve consistency in my drawing skills, even when I’m in a hurry, trying to meet deadlines or even when I’m not really in the mood to sketch! Another reason I developed this technique was that it assists in me in quickly drafting out whatever face I wish to draw, with the minimum of effort. I really do find that if you need to draw faces in the full front pose, this is the only tried and tested technique I’ve come up with, well anyway it works for me. Next lesson we will begin in earnest on forming up and shading the features, so thanks for coming in today and remember after each class I expect you all to keep up with me through you home study assignments before turning up for the next lesson. Those students who wish and are able may email their home study assignments direct to me via my email address at szymczuk@btinternet.com but please ensure that your files is NO LARGER than 100KB please. Class dismissed. QUIET PLEASE-EE as you leave, try not to disturb Mr Tompkins and his Druid Poetry reading class next door thank you! Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 2 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 3 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 4 / Drawing a face Tutorial – 5
Welcome back class. Now I’m going to show …
Welcome back class. Now I’m going to show you some of my shading techniques and how I apply texture and body using only a few pencils, an eraser and tons of patience! HAIR (creating flow lines) / This is simply a lines that I sketch into the hair to show the direction the hair is flowing (or brushed) all hairstyles follow certain basic paths of directions. Adding these lines makes sure that your hair doesn’t look to unruly (unless of course that is the effect you are seeking) and aids you in filling in and shading in later on. Here in figure 002A I have begun to draw the flow lines, starting from the left hand side corner. / / Figure 002A (planning the flow lines) / / HAIR (creating flow lines – continued) / This hairstyle I’m sketching has a centre crown in the front radiating out up and to the sides, so I’m making sure that the flow lines follow this pattern, see Figure 002B (completing the flow lines) below. / / Figure 002B (completing the flow lines). / / HAIR (flow lines – forming up) / Now I need to form up theses flow lines, this I simply (got to stop using that word) do by sketching in-between the flow lines using a 2B or 4B, making sure I follow the general flow of the hairstyle (hope this is making sense?). See Figure 002C (forming up the flow lines) below. / / Figure 002C (forming up the flow lines) / / HAIR (finishing off forming up flow lines) / Here you can see I’ve completed forming up the flow lines, don’t worry if it looks icky, this is just the first undercoat so to speak we’ll make it look nice and neat real soon. See Figure 002D (finished forming up the flow lines) below. / / Figure 002D (finished forming up the flow lines) / / HAIR (adding texture) / Using the 5B pencil (which I keep very sharp – constantly re-sharpening, if you don’t want your lines becoming too thick causing them to merge, remember hair is basically very fine strands, this is what I want to show), I begin adding texture to the hair. As usual I start from the left side and add hatching stokes, but not within the entire flow sections, I leave a few gaps for natural hi-lights or where the hair is shinier/lighter (each hairstyle is unique and where you put these really depends on where best they look. See Figure 002E (adding texture) below. / / Figure 002E (adding texture) / / HAIR (adding texture and cross hatching) / The more texture I add, the more I begin to lightly cross hatch in the opposite direction. Near the crown or centre of the hair I really begin cross hatching in earnest, I’m trying to make small propeller blades of cross hatching radiating out from the centre. See Figure 002F (adding texture and cross hatching) below. / / Figure 002F (adding texture and cross hatching) / / HAIR (adding edge cross hatching) / I now begin cross-hatching around the inside edge of the hair, working my way around the hair edge to only an inch or so, as I want to give the hair more body or thickness. See Figure 002G (adding edge cross hatching) below. / / Figure 002G (adding edge cross hatching) / / HAIR (adding shading) / Using a very sharp7B (remember keep it sharp!), I begin working into the hair and defining the flow lines but now stronger, darker. Remember that edge cross-hatching I just did? Well I’m using that as an undercoat for the darker shading I’m doing now. See Figure 002H (adding shading) below. / / Figure 002H (adding shading) / / HAIR (finished shading) / I’ve now shaded the entire hairstyle; I’ve also picked out the centre crown and defined the few wavy locks on the front. Notice how the shading strokes still follow those flow lines we created at the very beginning, without them folks often loose track of the hair and the style and direction it’s supposed to go in. You could if you wanted to, leave the hairstyle as it is now, but I want to show you how with a little bit more effort you can make shiny/greasy or matt looking hair. See Figure 002I (finished shading) below. / / Figure 002I (finished shading) / / HAIR (adding hi-lights) / Using my kneadable putty rubber (ordinary erasers just can’t do this bit – unless you can get your hands on a good retractable pencil eraser), using my forefinger and thumb, I squeeze the putty rubber into a wedge with a very thin/fine edge and simply cut hi-lights into the hair. Remembering to keep within the flow lines (these flow lines, I keep going on about them, but they really do help you again and again). See Figure 002J (adding hi-lights) below. / / Figure 002J (adding hi-lights) HAIR (removing hi-lights) / To remove the hi-lights, I simply cross hatch them out, this is when cross hatching defeats finger smudging, as all you achieve in doing is create a bigger mess. See Figure 002K (removing the hi-lights) below. / / Figure 002K (removing the hi-lights) / / HAIR (adding matt) / To achieve matt or dry looking hair I use a 7H flat side on against the paper in a sweeping up and down motion disregarding all hi-lights. See Figure 002L (adding matt) below. / / Figure 002L (adding matt) / / HAIR (tidying up) / To finish off the hair, I’ve gone back a step to adding hi-lights, but this time only cutting in a few hi-lights, here and there (I don’t want too shiny a hairstyle. As I’m using the putty rubber I’m also tidying up the edges and cutting into the hair edge or creating small nicks. I reinforce these cuts/nicks by using a sharp 7B to define clean cut edges all way round. See Figure 002M (tidying up) below. / / Figure 002M (tidying up) Class dismissed, Lynda, PLEASE stop scraping the chair as you get up! See you all tommorrow, no absenteeism, I’ll only accept notes WRITTEN by your parents. Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 1 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 3 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 4 / Drawing a face Tutorial – 5
Welcome back class. I’m pleased to see you…
Welcome back class. I’m pleased to see you all bright and bushy tailed ready and waiting for your next lesson. Sorry for my absence, but I’ve been so busy lately, but never mind I’m back again. Yes Brenda, you are indeed wearing a very pretty dress. Lynda, nice to see you back too, enjoy your leave of absence? Good. Boys, boys! Please stop fidgeting! Today we are continuing our sketch of a face by concentrating on the eyes and brows. EYES (darkening the iris) / The very first thing I do when I draw eyes (after roughing the basic outlines out – see lesson 002) is to fill in both irises. This is so simple (hmm there that’s word creeping in again!) using a 5B, 6B or even a 7B, I colour in both irises, and this time I’ve created a second hi-light, smaller than the original and slightly lower. I’m trying to get the impression of a planet and her moon in front of a black hole! / / Figure 003A (darkening the iris) EYES (defining shadows) / OK, now I need to define the shadows on the eyes, basically the eye opening consists of two lids, the upper and lower. The upper is generally always in shadow and you can use a heavy line to show this. The lower lid is more often than not at an angle and catches the light and needs not be defined (yet!). I also draw a thick containing line around the edge of the pupil. / / Figure 003B (defining shadows) / EYES (defining pupil structure) / Now I need to define the structure or flow lines of the pupils, this I do by using an H7 to draw lines radiating out from the black iris. Try not to disturb the two hi-lights in either eye. / / Figure 003C (defining pupil structure) / EYES (mid tone pupils) / Using the structure I created earlier, I begin shading in the pupils, following the same direction of the structure or flow lines. This gives a softer mid tone colorization to the eyes. This is a useful stepping off bridge for what comes next. / / Figure 003D (mid tone pupils) / EYES (light tone pupils) / I now use my kneadable putty rubber by squeezing it into a very fine point and rubbing out the lower portion of the pupil, but trying to stay within the outline pupil edge. Don’t worry if you rub a bit of the edge out, simply redraw it. / / Figure 003E (light tone pupils) / EYES (dark tone pupils) / This is similar to creating the mid tone pupils, only difference is I press slightly harder trying to achieve an overall dark matt colour on the pupil. / / Figure 003F (dark tone pupils) EYES (tidy up pupils) / Here I’m using the same technique I did in the light tone pupil’s section, but being careful not to rub out all the dark matt. I’m trying to show the pupils as being darker at the top and lighter at the bottom. / / Figure 003G (tidy up pupils) / EYES (hatching the whites) / Using a sharp H7, I begin hatching strokes on the white parts of the eyes, careful to keep inside the two lids. I’m also defining those small spheres (tear ducts) found in each inner corner of the eye, each with a little hatching, your pencil really needs to be sharp otherwise you’ll end up blurring too much. This hatching helps defying the actual sphere of the eyeball inside the eye socket. / / Figure 003H (hatching the whites) / EYES (hi-lighting the whites) / Again I’m using my kneadable putty rubber by squeezing it into a very fine point and rubbing out the sections of the whites either side of the pupil outlines, in effect giving the whites a hi-light. / / Figure 003I (hi-lighting the whites) EYES (shading the lids) / Using a 7H, I begin shading or hatching in the lids, first I define the arch of the lids, making the arch line stronger at each end of the lid. I then hatch from the outside corner of the eye (inside the lid) towards the centre but fade off, and begin on the inner corner and repeat. I’ve spilled out from each eyelid line a wee bit out from and below the corners of the eyes. This is OK. / / Figure 003J (shading the lids) EYES (hatching the corners) / Still using the H7, I begin hatching in earnest now starting from the outer corners of the eye, onto the lower lid, careful not to touch the lower lid edge (see the white edge of the lower lid I’ve left?). I also hatch the inner corners of the eyes around the tear duct, again making sure I do not touch the tear ducts (leaving another clear edge to the ducts). I then add some basic hatching to the inner corners (up to the small nose curves I drew earlier) going diagonally down and slight hatching on the top corners of the lids. / / Figure 003K (hatching the corners) / EYES (hatching under brows) / Still using the H7, I begin hatching under the brows near the inner corners of the eyes, coming over each lid to the other side of the eye. / / Figure 003L (hatching under brows) EYES (brow flow lines) / Switching to a 5B, I begin sketching flow lines onto the brows, in a similar way as I created flow lines for the hairstyle. These flow lines have to follow the direction of the hairs on the brows. / / Figure 003M (brow flow lines) EYES (strengthening the brow flow lines) / Using a 5B, I strengthen up these same flow lines, defining the shape I want to give these brows. At this stage it’s easy to define brow shapes by either sketching thicker or rubbing out to produce thinner brows. / / Figure 003N (strengthening the brow flow lines) EYES (tidy up brows) / Still using the 5B, I begin to tidy up the brows by filling them out, trying to give them a fairly soft not too thick appearance. / / Figure 003O (tidy up brows) EYES (adding lashes) / I re-sharpen a 7B to a fine point and add gentle curved lashes starting from the outside corners along the top lid (stopping at the black iris) and along the lower lid (under the white edge – stopping just half-way). If you can, try to make the tips of the eye lashes into pointed arrow heads (you really need your pencil sharp for this bit!). / / Figure 003P (adding lashes) EYES (finishing off the eyes) / Using a sharp 6B or 7B, I finish off the eyes by picking out slight shadows on the tear ducts, adding a few more miniscule lashes and shading thicker on the outer corners of the whites of the eyes. / / Figure 003Q (finishing off the eyes) Hopefully, you SHOULD have a face that looks something like this! / Arh! their goes the bell! Oh! and Edwards, see me after class! Class dismissed. Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 1 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 2 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 4 / Drawing a face Tutorial – 5
Welcome back class, / Thank you for being pat…
Welcome back class, / Thank you for being patient with me, I do appreciate that. This step we are going to move onto the nose of our face sketch. A lot of people find this part of the face a nightmare, but I hope to show that with a few simple rules you’ll you should be able to overcome this. NOSE (first hatching) / Using a 7H I begin roughing out with a few strokes the preliminary shadows of the nose. Basically forming two columns down either side of the nose, around the nostrils and along the base of the nose. / / Figure 004A (first hatching) NOSE (reinforcing hatching) / Now I simply go over the initial hatching using strokes in the opposite direction to the first and reinforce the first hatching. / / Figure 004B (reinforcing hatching) / NOSE (defining shadows) / Now using a 2B, I define where the main shadows will be on the nose. In this example, I want shadows on each nostrils, under the base and joining up both nostrils. I also want to leave a sphere or ball of no shading on the tip of the nose. / / Figure 004C (defining shadows) / NOSE (defining trunk) / Still using the 2B, I begin to define the trunk of the nose by a few simple angle strokes down each of the earlier columns I hatched. I also add a few angle strokes coming from the corners of each eye, travelling down the sides of the columns of the nose. / / Figure 004D (defining trunk) / NOSE (defining wide trunk) / Still using the 2B, I draw a few long vertical strokes down each column )including the central trunk) to the nostril and then as if I’m sketching the letter ‘H’, I add a few strokes acroos the open bridge but above the sphere of no shading, in fact I’m trying to it to an eliptical sphere shape. / / Figure 004E (defining wide trunk) NOSE (defining medium trunk) / Still using the 2B, I reinforce the trunk hatching and around the nostrils to the just below the base of the nose. / / Figure 004F (defining medium trunk) NOSE (defining thin trunk) / Still using the 2B, I join the two columns with strokes and then using my kneadable putty rubber which I squeeze to a thin wedge I rub out a thin bridge line almost to the sphere of no shading (looks like a rough outline of an exclimation mark). / / Figure 004G (defining thin trunk) / NOSE (adding body) / Here I’m simply filling in and reinforcing the body of the trunk of the nose (using 2B – 4B) making sure I retain my exclimation mark. I also strengthen the shading on the sides of the nose (helps when I have add the skin – saves time too). / http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww228/szymczuk/Tutorial%20Stuff/Lesson004H-Noseaddingbody.jpg / Figure 004H (adding body) NOSE (tidy up) / Using both the softer 2B/4B and then the harder 7H, I tidy up the nose, feathering very gently around the sphere and ever so fine across it. I fine shade across the entire trunk and sides of the nose blending it in uniformly (take your time here, the effort is really worth it). I’ve also added shading below the baseline and come down slightly from the nose as if to join the lips of the mouth. I also blend in the top cornes of the nose where it meets the eyes. / / Figure 004I (tidy up) NOSE (face so far) / Here we have the finished nose as it should look so far, I try not to work it too far as I still have a lot to do. / / Figure 004J (face so far) I hope you are getting something that looks familiar, I do not expect it to be identical to my face, but a close approximation to the dominant primate on this planet is a step in the right direction! Class dismissed. Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 1 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 2 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 3 / Drawing a face Tutorial – 5
Welcome back class, / Hope your keeping up wi…
Welcome back class, / Hope your keeping up with this tutorial. Now we are ready for the mouth and lips. MOUTH (hatching shadows) / Using a 7H I begin roughing out the shadows with a few strokes across the upper lip and under the lower, finally add a few hint strokes at each corner of the mouth. / / Figure 005A (hatching shadows) MOUTH (reinforcing shadows) / Now switching to a softer 2B, I reinforce the initial strokes, adding a few stich strokes on the edge of the lower lip. I also add a small hammock shade below the lower lip. / / Figure 005B (reinforcing shadows) / MOUTH (adding body) / Still using the 2B, I strengthen the shadows and texture giving the lips more body, still rough strokes but stronger definition. / / Figure 005C (adding body) / MOUTH (flow lines lower lip) / Switching to the 7H, I sketch out the lower lip flow lines fanning out from the centro of the mouth. You can keep these lines straight or curve them which gives a more fuller look to the lower lip. / / Figure 005D (flow lines lower lip) / MOUTH (hatching lower lip) / Still using the 7H, I cross hatch along the edge opf the lower lip and across the lower corners spilling out onto the skin around the mouth. / / Figure 005E (hatching lower lip) MOUTH (softening corners) / Switching over to the 2B, I soften the shading around the corners and just below the corners where the lips spill into the skin. / / Figure 005F (softening corners) MOUTH (tidy up) / Using the softer 2B and then onto the harder 7H, I tidy up the lips, feathering very gently around the edges and again as in the nose, ever so fine across it. I fine shade across the whole of the lips blending it in uniformly. I use a sharp 2B to pick out a few cracks coming from the top of the lower lip. I also use the kneadable putty rubber to softly remove shading from the top lip. / / Figure 005G (tidy up) MOUTH (face so far) / Now we have the face so far, Hair, eyes, nose and mouth. It’s really starting to take shape, but don’t hurry it off just yet, there is still some work to do on the skin and ears. / / Figure 005H (face so far) I hope that this has been of some benefit to anyone out there, I’d love to see your results. Keep up the good work. Class dismissed. Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 1 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 2 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 3 / Drawing a face Tutorial – Part 4
/ Introduction / I’m going to try a show you how I sk…
/ Introduction / I’m going to try a show you how I sketched my latest artwork “Collie”. The source photograph wasn’t the best in the world, but it was workable. Material used: / A2 Size slightly textured cartridge / paper 180gsm (Bought from Staples) / Pentel mechanical pencil 9mm 2B lead / Pentel mechanical pencil 7mm 2B lead / Pentel mechanical pencil 5mm 2H lead / Pentel mechanical pencil 3mm 4H lead / A kneadable eraser (I call a putty rubber) / Roll of masking tape / Scraps of paper / Copious amounts of tea (English Breakfast or Earl Grey) / A whole packet of digestive biscuits (not the really crumbly kind) / A radio or some kind of fangled audio device (MP3 player etc.) OK, first things first, clear all the junk which is on the desk/table where you want to sketch, preferably in good light (in front of a window is ideal). Switch on the radio or plug in your prefferred “I’m ignoring the world” music player of your choice. Tape your cartridge sheet down using the masking tape, this really helps to keep your work tidy and stops it moving when it shouldn’t and prevents you making creases on it when you rest or lean on a corner of it which is hanging off the desk/table (done it, not nice, makes the paper look tatty). I always use pieces of paper to either lean on or place over the areas I’ve sketched, helps to keep your work tidy. The first thing I do is (now please listen carefully) try to ROUGHLY and LIGHTLY sketch out the Collie onto the paper, don’t go trying to sketch it straight away, (unless you’re a Michelangelo then ignore me!). You can also try gridding the paper or tracing onto it, if you’re not happy sketching the initial rough outline, don’t worry, it doesn’t matter so long as you have a basic outline of the dog somewhere in the centre of the paper (the lines you sketch now will help you begin and soon disappear under all the pencil you will apply – trust me on this). When sketching the rough, make sure it covers a fair amount of the paper you are using with a border of 6-8 inches of free space all around your sketch, this is going to be a very useful area to rest your hands (I constantly am aware about where my hands rest on the paper, there is nothing worse than spending a lot of time with pencil work on one section whilst you unknowingly smudge another area with your palm/fingers. Take your time with this rough sketch. if it doesn’t look to be in proportion, rub out a few lines add others till your happy you have an outline of the dog. / Step 1 / As I’m right handed, I always try and start from the top left working my way across and down (always mindful of not smudging my work). I start with the eyes (the eyes are the souls of an animal portrait and if they are not right then the whole portrait will look off. Using a 5mm 2H pencil, I lightly sketch out the outline of the eyes going over the rough sketch already on the paper, still using the 2H I shade in the pupil and areas where I’m going to shade darker, this is like an undercoat when you paint a door, as I’ll be going over in a softer pencil later. Using the 2H I hatch the shading around the left eye and parallel hatching on the top of the head (above the left eye) trying to keep my strokes generally going in the direction of the dogs fur, making sure I leave a lighter patch under the left eye. I finally use the 2H on the right eye, picking out the shape and where the iris is. I leave the hi-lights of the eyes as paper, which will (hopefully) end up being the brightest part of the dog’s eyes and helps them stand out. I then switch pencils over to my workhouse the 9mm 2B (really versatile, the 2B can sketch a range of tones and thicknesses and is one of my favorite leads) and I start hatching the underside of the collie’s ear, around the top corner of the eye and eye line. I’m trying not to go over all of the 2H areas I laid down previously, with care and patience; I can make the darker shading flow into the light shades. I try not to uses my fingers for blending or smudging, it may sound an easy way to move the lead around, but it very difficult to control and (in my opinion) looks unsightly. The left eye is made up of a 2H pupil with a 2B iris (gives a great contrast when used together – looks dull and off if I only use a 2B to do the eye). Using the 2B for a while gives you a diagonal flat edge to the lead, the reason I use Pentel, is that I can turn the pencil and use the sharp edge for very fine strokes, like the tips of the ears and a few loose hairs under the ears (cheaper mechanical pencils don’t grip the lead tight enough and you cannot do this). I keep applying the strokes to the paper until I have something like the Image below. / / Step 2 / Now I’m moving over to the right eye with my 2H and starting from the top, I begin to lay down a few strokes on the right hand side of the central white flash on the collies head, down towards and past the right eye. On the reference photo are some feint hi-lights of fur or white spots, I work around these with the 2H. I now move onto the underside of the right eye, making sure to leave the area below the eye paper white. Switching to my 2B, I sketch out the patterns on the area I’ve just been over with the 2H, I can see a dinosaur tooth shape above the right eye (see it?) and a baby tooth just to the side (I’m always seeing shapes in the things I sketch when most people see a dog, I see swirls, teeth, patterns of light and dark – I must be wired funny I guess). I emphasize the tooth shape and work around a small spot an over the top of the right eye. I then lightly use the 2B (LIGHTLY PLEASE!) on the squiggly bits here humans tend to have bags and then parallel stroke below the right eye to its edge. This is where the pieces of paper come in handy, I lay a scrap down on the lower right hand side of the face. I cut out a curve in the scrap to help get my hand in close to where I’m working. Still using a 2B I then move over the left side of the collie and carry on down till I come to the first whiskers. A lot of people have commented on the fact that I can sketch beautiful whiskers, well I don’t! I sketch around them (I must be one of those people that enjoy pain!) leaving the paper to make the whiskers jump out (which they will – trust me). I then work on the detailing around the whiskers, and if is too tight, I switch to my 7mm 2B pencil and can draw up close to the whisker lines. I try and shade between the whiskers in the same tone of shading outside them; if you don’t the eye (our eyes) are excellent and will pick out any discrepancies. / / / / Step 3 / Now I’m concentrating on the right hand side of the collies face, I start off with my 2H again laying down the undercoat strokes working from the top down around the right side of the right eye and down onto the cheek area, keeping my stroke lines fairly loose. I then switch over to the 9mm 2B and pick out some darker spike areas in the right ear and a portion on the right temple, I also add a few punk rock spikes where the era meets the top of the head. I then do a diagonal cross hatch over the cheekbone. It’s now time to match up the right eye to the left, I start (again with my 9mm 2B) to match the darker crescent or bell shape over both eyes, I also try and bring out the distinctive darker edging of the eyes, the corner of the right eye has a dark diagonal L shape leaning over to the right touching the top of the right eye, I also lightly scribble in a few boulders falling down the right side of the right eye (see them?). I finish off with a 2H matching both pupils. I also use the 2H to ever so delicately feather in the to of the white flash with a few strokes (only enough to give a hint of the top of the head). / / / Step 4 / I’m still working on the right hand side of the collies face, primarily on the cheek, using my 9mm 2B, reinforcing the cross hatching, coming down further till I reach my first whisker. I use the 2H to fill in a small triangle leaving the paper white whisker visible. I use the 2B to show a little darker outline on the top edge of the right whisker and a small touch on the apex of the triangle (that’s the point of the triangle for those who skip geometry!). I also take this opportunity to reinforce the darker shading on the left hand side of the collies face, making sure I don’t touch any of my pencil work with my palm. / Step 5 / Continuing, I attack (and I really mean attack) the right cheek of the collie with my 9mm 2B making a kind of gauntlet shape (does anyone else see these shapes?), I know it looks drastic but that part of the collies face has a lot of dark contrast in it, and to show of the collies eye orbits (the eye sockets) I need this dark area to bring them out. On the down stroke of this gauntlet I try and feather it into the cheek area, this is a nifty trick if you can master it, being bold and drastic at the beginning (never taking your pencil off the paper) and hatching it into the lighter cheek area. Now comes the first of many important steps, putting my pencils down, I open the packet of biscuits and taking one carefully dunk it into my hot tea (try not to let your tea go lukewarm – the biscuit dunking doesn’t taste right!). Whilst enjoying my well earned digestive biccie break I take the time to look over what I have achieved, looking (always looking) for bits that need attention, areas, where I need to reinforce. Seriously, it really helps to stop and take into account with a fresh pair of eyes, sometimes you work too long, too close and don’t realize something glaring at you till you stop awhile and take a fresh look at it. / / / Step 6 / Still using my 9mm 2B pencil I sketch a darker zigzag spring shape coming down from the inner right ear, crashing into the top of the gauntlet. I then shade in darker on the right ear with two main shoots ending into the dark v of the ear tip. It looks like some kind of flat headed buzzard with a square-ish beak (see?). I continue down the neck of this buzzard, giving it a couple of stray hairs under its beak and at the base start a few darker diagonal strokes. Still with the 2B I shade some very loose diagonal hatching strokes on the right temple, making it darker than it was but still slightly lighter than the left temple. I also now pick out the longer darker hairs on the top of the right ear, shading it into the zigzag I sketched earlier. Hope this is making some sense to you and hopefully not the ramblings of a demented artist! / / Step 7 / I’m now getting into the flow of using my 2B, first with cross hatching (not heavy mind you) again on the right temple coming down the right side of the right eye until the avalanche of boulders has been covered with a fine mesh dust. I also cross hatch some strokes onto the right ear, close together on the first run then looser at the top of the ear. I also pick out in darker shades a few downturned fur spikes on the right hand side of the face. I join up the darker shading around the buzzards beak, making the ear one piece. Switching to my 2H, I begin picking out the outline of the rest of the whiskers on the right hand aside of the collie, making sure the edges of each whisker is fairly strong and proud. Still using my 2H, I move over to the neck area of the collie and shade in a longer triangular block pointing down. I finish off by shading in between the whiskers and the top of the head with my 2H. / Step 8 / I need to focus these two halves of face together and begin on the nose. Starting with a 2H (did you notice that whenever I start somewhere new, I like starting with a 2H?) I feather shade the top of the nose (a bit like a Japanese volcano where the top is shrouded in clouds!) as I shade the bottom part of the nose, I try and make sure I keep a small curved crease on the left hand side of it till I end up with what looks like the top of a plum lying on its side (see it?) coming to a broad point on its right side. Now with the 9mm 2B, I begin shading in the nose, first on the top crease (getting stronger near the actual edge of the crease) and also on the other side of the nose, but barely noticeable. I then give the bottom centre part of the nose a slight dip into the lip crease. Switching to my 2H, I start some light blocking shading on top of and under the nose and around the mouth as well as shading a few larger spots on the right side of the nose. Switching between a 2H and a 2B, I feather out the right ear into long thin swaying underwater sea fronds. / / Step 9 / Still working on the collie’s nose, I use the 2H to reinforce the light shadow under the nose and switching to a 2B I shade in the mouth area into a small flat top mountain, still on with my 2B, I give the right hand side above the mouth a few small whisker spots going slightly larger as I move around and up the right side of the nose. With the 2B, I try and emphasize the light flecks meeting the dark area of the right ear and working down onto the right cheek. I think now is a good time to reflect on how far I’ve come, to help me do this, yes you’ve guessed right! digestive biccie time with another nice hot cup of tea. We’ll leave this for now but as that great general Patton once said “I shall return”.
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