Tags
Armenian Dancer, Bienfang Raritan, charcoal drawing, man in karate outfit, portrait sketching, water-soluble graphite, Wednesday Portrait group, YMCA Hagerstown Md.
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The Story Behind the Sketch:
- I”m priveleged to take part in something called the Wednesday Portrait Group , a group of artists who meet at the Y in Hagerstown Md . We pay a small fee at the beggining of each semester and a few dollars as a “model fee” each time we attend. A very dedicated member, Donna Mason, provides models for us, (and does much more), along with her husband Hal, who handles the finances and details of running the group. There is no teacher; we are simply there to draw/paint. But we all learn by seeing each other’s work, and everyone seems glad to share techniques and offer info on materials.
- The Technical Stuff:
The first sketch of the model Sevana, was done in Charcoal on Beinfang Raritan Drawing paper. The second was done on the same paper, in graphite. Various grades of pencil were used, starting with a 3B for the basic drawing. Pacific Arc Water-soluble graphite pencils were also used for the very dark areas, (dry application).
My Experience in Doing this Sketch:
We have about 3 hrs. drawing time, minus breaks for the model. (Which benefit us as well; we need to stop , stretch, & look at our work from a distance every so often). Obviously, I didn’t finish Sevana ( she was holding flowers); I spent most of my time trying to get her lovely face & costume details right. I had better progress with Wayne, as I sketched in the entire figure first before getting too wrapped-up in the facial details. Using the time-tested method of holding up a pencil to gage the size of the head & using that as a unit of measurement for all other body parts, (comparing each), seemed to work pretty well .
They were both interesting models. Sevana educated us on the culture of her native land during breaks. Wayne, http://facebook.com/wayne.artmodel who has modeled for some famous artists, was very good at holding a pose, and I enjoyed talking to him about his occupation.
NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2014. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.