A Portrait of Ruth
Author: Scott Burdick, Contributing Editor
The model for this is Ruth Gray, a local girl who my wife and I met as a waitress in a restaurant here in North Carolina. It's sometimes nice to do a smaller painting like this first because it allows you to work out any problems beforehand. It's always easier to experiment and try different things in a sketch. I also find it easier judging the painting as a whole since one tends getting caught up in small sections when working on a larger canvas. Every time I felt this happening during this painting I was saved by this sketch and reminded how each area related to the whole and how simply and directly I should be treating the various areas. The process that I followed in the following demo is also essentially the same process I used in doing this smaller version, just with larger brushes!
Below is the original 12" by 9" painting that I wanted to do as a larger, 30" by 24" studio painting.
Below is my preliminary drawing in pencil on a white, 30" by 24" canvas panel. If you're having trouble with your basic proportions or drawing accuracy in general, then it is probably best for you to spend some time doing straight charcoals in a life drawing class (I took four years of life drawing with my teacher, Bill Parks, at the American Academy of Art in Chicago). I personally use the head-measuring method for getting my proportions, though I will skip that when doing quick-sketches or smaller paintings. I can't emphasize this point enough, since drawing is the key to everything. Even beyond this general proportional outline, you'll be using your drawing skills with each brush stroke you place, so having absolute mastery over this very mechanical skill is what allows you to express the creative stuff.
