Portraits

Of Self

Self portraits
Can be any part
Of self any way

Self portraits
Are any part
Of self anyway

photos courtesy of Joanne S.

Artist

view

Dec 2016 critique (photo: Nicole Rubio)

Artist Statement

Nicole requested to view this drawing again

Push pinned in my Studio 

Mar 2017 critique (photo: Nicole Rubio)

two,

too & two ~ two models, too long, two tools, one a two inch brush.

watercolor & neocolor, very long pose 

watercolor & charcoal, another LONG pose

Watercolor & neocolor, too long a pose

South Paw charcoal & watercolor

Charcoal, wax, watercolor, 2" brush

Graphite & watercolor, 2" brush

Graphite, Neocolor,* watercolor, 2" brush

Conte**, watercolor, 2" brush

Neocolor* & watercolor, 2" brush

*Neocolor II water-soluble wax oil pastel

**Conté

General's Jumbo Charcoal

General's Wide Compressed Graphite Sticks

Reinforcing

 the discovery

2 min warmups, left handed, 

charcoal, newsprint

SIMPLE MATERIALS:
white conte, colored strathmore, chamois*,
kneaded eraser, click eraser

COMPLICATED SEEING

* Small pieces of chamois leather are commonly used as blending tools by artists drawing with charcoal. The leather blends the charcoal more softly and cleanly than the artist's fingers, which can leave smudges. The charcoal can be washed from the leather using soap and water.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamois_leather

SELFIES

Materials exploration

black paper, white conte

6B pencil & w.c. pencil 

Charcoal & charcoal pencil, sumi brush

Graphite & 6B pencil

Drawing the light

In the Studio

This is drawing the light. High contract shadows and lights (on the model) define shape and value. Work on a dark ground paper with white, capturing only the highlights, letting the paper be the medium tone, adjusting the whites to create depth and contrast. Darker tones are the optical illusion of the brightest white edging the untouched paper. 

This last piece is my breakthrough work of the day. This is my 3rd semester working with Sheila Metcalf-Tobin. I have never draw successfully, or satisfactorily, with this technique, until now. A fellow student said something that actually helped pull together this effort, a studio collaborative.

Light on dark, no contour line. This is not only a drawing technique, it is a way to begin to see differently that informs whatever drawing, or painting, an artist will do.

White conte crayon, white conte pencil, 

on kraft paper. 40min

Below is the work I did to get to the above drawing.

One minute gesture drawing warm up

2 minute gesture drawing warm up

5 minute

20 min

wet medium: conte/chalk/gouache/ink. grey Strathmore 40 min