I started another pencil portrait of my son Carter last night. For some reason it is like a switch has been turned on and all of a sudden I am really really enjoying drawing. So much so, that right at this very instant when both babies are sleeping, I would rather draw than paint! I used to procrastinate with my drawing exercises, but suddenly it has come together and I am happy with what the end results are.
You can see in the photo above how I do it. I do a light line outline to get proportions right, and then when I am happy with that, I start with the eyes and then work through the face. I have a fantastic printer (HP C6180) which prints excellent photos, so because I am currently working on A4 Archers smooth 185gsm paper, I am taking advantage of printing out the photo in A4 so I can easily reference the detail. I also photocopy the photo in black and white on my printer which enables me to see the tonal variations and most of the drawing is worked from the photocopy, just using the colour photo for the detail that the photocopy misses.
Here's my board that I sit on my lap so I am sit wherever my husband is and talk to him while I draw and he does whatever he is doing at that present moment (tends to be drawing plans for the houses are we building this year at the moment).
I find it easier to draw my children from photos, purely because Carter does not sit still or stand still ever. He is like his father and is an exceptionally energetic boy. We are definately going to have to get him into some type of physical sports fairly young so he has an outlet for it. My husband is the same, if he can't wakeboard (like he can't at the moment as he is waiting for the third round of surgery on his right knee - landed wrong from a flip), he really suffers from not having that outlet.
Anyway, better go and do some drawing before babies awake. Enjoying the peace, especially as Carter has just reached toddler tantrum stage as well as loving the Wiggles stage, and while I'm not a fan of dumping kids in front of the TV, some times for my sanity, the Wiggles has to go on and it is scary that I now know all the words and actions and find myself singing wiggles songs at the strangest moments!
2 comments:
"big red car! We travel near, we travel far!"
LOL!
The Wiggles wiggled their way into my brain even though I fought it.
Do you have trouble deciding whether to draw/paint or do housework during your kids' naptimes? I do, I'm always so torn between what to do, and I'm not a neat freak.
Oh yes, I know the big red car well!
I try and get housework done in the morning as if the house is messy, I find it hard to go and be creative. I get torn between art and doing work during nap time. I'm just about to start doing some part-time Human Resources consulting again (my professional career for that last decade) and my husband and I own several businesses that I do accounts for (I hate doing accounts with a passion)so often I struggle with letting myself paint/draw when I feel that I should be doing "real" work with that free time. I really need to shift from that mentality.
I actually find it easier to do art in the evenings as I have a rule that I don't do "real" work in the evenings (purely because I can't get to sleep if I do). But I do think that I need to move art up my priority list as I am a much happier person if I can do even just a little bit every day. It's become part of me and I crave it if I go a few days without doing something.
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