Today's portrait practice from life (March 11th)

[dustonpaper]

Hello all,

had a model here with me today. I kept away from the oil paint and tried to really draw carefully today. So we only got 2 drawings in 4 hours (minus pauses). Both are only Willow Charcoal.

#1 Model was reading here


#2 Switched to artificial light here. I like that better, but I guess for many models it might be uncomfy to be together with a dude in a darkened room. This is an experienced model, who is an artist herself, so she understood and was fine with it.


The first one actually has the better likeness I think ... the second one to my eyes a better overall appearance.

C&C always welcome.

[crafor]

I don't see them as not alike, but rather different views of the same person. The first is immersed in her book, the second, aware and watchful. The strong shadow and her features suggest she is a strong person. I like both, and see how a person (me) would "like" the second one more, choose it to buy, rather than the first...There's more personality in the second. Well done.
Crafor

[Dana Design]

Both sketches are too harsh, IMO. There is no sublety to the forms. Too many darks against lights and not enough greys to turn the form of the face. The second especially makes her look quite angry rather than contemplative.

[dustonpaper]

Thanky you crafor, glad you like it

Thank for you input Dana . I just try to draw what I see and indeed I have problems with sublety of the forms. I'll see to get to it next weekend with the new models.

[Journeyman]

You are really making some progress now Sascha the structure of both drawings is good. And you are drawing what you see. You probably have the spot light quite close to the model which is giving you good form and nice reflected light. If you want to reduce the strong core shadow just move the spot back a bit. But using it the way you are it gives you something positive to draw.
Don’t know if you have it but Dover Publications have a series of slim books on drawings by the masters. The one that would interest you is “Sargent Portrait Drawings” 42 Works by John Singer Sargent. Most of them are charcoal drawings. The light is different from portrait to portrait, presumably he was posing the models in different locations and using what ever light was available. They are all beautifully inspiring and teach so much.

Dave