I recently started a portrait sketch of Tolkien. I never thought I would enjoy portraiture, but it is quickly becoming one of my favorite subjects. I enjoy using graphite as a medium for many of my pictures, but I especially like the control I have with this medium in drawing portraits. I like to layer my graphite drawings starting with lighter pencils and working my way to the darkest. Dark shadows create contrast which really helps create dimension in a picture. Unfortunately, dark graphite tends to get a shine to it when light hits it a certain way. This can ruin the visual appeal of the picture. I recently watched a video about using charcoal pencils for those dark areas to eliminate that graphite shine. I am really interested in starting to use those in my drawings. I am sure there will be a learning curve to using them, but I enjoy exploring new things, especially when it comes to art.
I like this particular picture of Tolkien because it is one I had never seen before. I bought a little book with essays about Tolkien and this was the cover photo. I like the way is eyes are looking West in a somber and contemplative way, as though the walls of his study have melted away and he is observing a scene of a tale from some far away land, separated from us by time and space. It captures quite well the idea of Tolkien I harbor in my own mind. What is pictured is an initial sketch which will hopefully become a full picture of Tolkien at his desk with mountains of books surrounding him. I have thought of adding smoke to his pipe in order to add description to the picture and give the observer a good sense of what is must have smelled like in his study.
It had been a while since I had drawn a portrait, so I used the trick of a grid to help ensure I got the proportions just right. In the first picture you can see that I have mostly penciled in the shading. Each layer of shading I usually use a blending stump to push the graphite around and soften the picture. I then proceed to add shadows and blend, add shadows and blend, add shadows and blend until I think I've got enough contrast. I don't worry too much about covering the picture in graphite because I use my eraser to lift graphite off the page adding highlights which help contrast and add dimension to the picture.
I am hoping to finish this one soon and have a nicely composed piece some time in the future.
I like this particular picture of Tolkien because it is one I had never seen before. I bought a little book with essays about Tolkien and this was the cover photo. I like the way is eyes are looking West in a somber and contemplative way, as though the walls of his study have melted away and he is observing a scene of a tale from some far away land, separated from us by time and space. It captures quite well the idea of Tolkien I harbor in my own mind. What is pictured is an initial sketch which will hopefully become a full picture of Tolkien at his desk with mountains of books surrounding him. I have thought of adding smoke to his pipe in order to add description to the picture and give the observer a good sense of what is must have smelled like in his study.
It had been a while since I had drawn a portrait, so I used the trick of a grid to help ensure I got the proportions just right. In the first picture you can see that I have mostly penciled in the shading. Each layer of shading I usually use a blending stump to push the graphite around and soften the picture. I then proceed to add shadows and blend, add shadows and blend, add shadows and blend until I think I've got enough contrast. I don't worry too much about covering the picture in graphite because I use my eraser to lift graphite off the page adding highlights which help contrast and add dimension to the picture.
I am hoping to finish this one soon and have a nicely composed piece some time in the future.