Radiant Figures: Drawing with Drama and Light

Thank you for Joining us. Post any question and comments you have about lesson 3 here.

Hi Justin I noticed that my work is too heavy handed even though I have been working in layers. (no graphite shine yet though. My white is too thick( I feel). I have been trying a different approach to my drawing process, which is to be more brave/confident. But in doing so my pencil work is more "aggressive" for how I normally work. So the result is not as smooth as I would like it. I drew my figure too small which made things very difficult also, especially for the face. My likeness is not the best but I will not fuss anymore on the face as I think I have reached a point of no return. I am focusing on the entire drawing as a learning experience. I kept thinking of how I wanted the final piece to look and not just focus on the figure, as you talk about the story etc. I chose to make deliberate choices about the composition. For example I placed the tree behind the subjects head for contrast against the hair, and I have plans or ideas of how I am going to evolve the composition to compliment the subject, without it being too distracting. I also chose to have the edges of the bench showing. I hope that it wont be too distracting for the eye. I initially wanted to show the texture on the outer edge but thought it would actually be a distraction. So now I am thinking soft focus on it, or partially faded out. That is another point you bring up in your lesson ...about where to put soft edges. I am thinking about this too now as I work. I really hope that you will be around to see my completed drawing. Anyway I have here a work in progress for lesson 3.

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@ Lotus, sorry for the delay on getting back to you! One of the most difficult things for me to convey through videos is 'touch.' In other words, how tightly I am holding the pencil, how much pressure i am applying to the page etc. In live demos i often ask someone watching to pull the pencil out of my hand so everyone can see just how lightly i am holding it. Obviously not for the whole drawing (sometimes i tighten up when applying details etc) but for a lot of it, the touch is very very light and that helps with laying in. a lof the drawing - including the whites! Im so glad you're seeing the image as a whole and yes - dont fuss over details or finish. Often the best (most important to our development) drawings are those that are loose and ones where we are not too worried about all the details and such too early. Those you can add later - composition, scale, pov - all crucial early on. Well done & I love the WIP here!

Ok thank you Justin, Must remember to hold the pencil lightly.:)