Tag: graphite

Categories
Art Drawing People Portrait

Sketching Bezos and Putin

Jeff Bezos and V. Putin, graphite 12x9"
Jeff Bezos and V. Putin, graphite 12×9″

Did you know that Jeff Bezos could give $105,000 to every Amazon employee and he would still have just as much money as he did before the pandemic, according to Robert Reich?

He has so much money he could change the world, but unlike his fellow tech gazillionaire Bill Gates, he just keeps trying to expand his empire and make more money.

I sketched these two round-headed evil guys as an experiment during the portrait drawing class I took back in August. I can see all the flaws in them now but I’m trying to get all the older stuff posted so I can get to the newer better ones.

I know I could just skip the old sketches and post the new ones I like better, but I try to document my journey as I learn and grow, so here they are.

Categories
Art Drawing Faces People Portrait

Sketching from “The Twelve”

Actor portrait sketch #2 from "The Twelve" Belgian TV Series
Actor portrait sketch #2 from “The Twelve” Belgian TV Series

The Belgian TV Series “The Twelve” is an interesting courtroom drama. The plot unfolds as told by the accused, the victim’s family and each of the twelve jurors. The show is moody and dark and the actors were all interesting to look at. I took photos from the TV since Netflix doesn’t allow screenshots and then sketched from them. 

Below are the reference photos and the sketches. These are all around 11 x 14″. My goal was to capture the correct angle and structure of the head and hopefully a likeness. Once I got to “good enough” I moved on to the next. I wasn’t trying to do finished drawings.

Screen shot reference photo
Actor portrait sketch #2 from "The Twelve" Belgian TV Series
Actor portrait sketch #3 from “The Twelve” Belgian TV Series
Screen shot reference photo
Actor portrait sketch #4 from "The Twelve" Belgian TV Series
Actor portrait sketch #2 from “The Twelve” Belgian TV Series
Screen shot reference photo
Actor portrait sketch #1 from “The Twelve” Belgian TV Series
Screen shot reference photo
Actor portrait sketch #4 from "The Twelve" Belgian TV Series
Actor portrait sketch #4 from “The Twelve” Belgian TV Series

The photo above captured the closed captioning from the show (“Were you drinking?”).

Categories
Art Drawing Faces People Portrait Sktchy

More Portrait Practice Sketches

Sketch of Michelle from Sktchy, graphite, 12x9"
Sketch of Michelle from Sktchy, graphite, 12×9″
Sketch of Tajh G from Sktchy, graphite, 12x9"
Sketch of Tajh G from Sktchy, graphite, 12×9″
Sketch #2 of TJ from Sktchy
Sketch #3 of TJ Smith from Sktchy, graphite, 12×9″
Sketch #1 of TJ Smith from Sktchy, graphite, 12x9"
Sketch #1 of TJ Smith from Sktchy, graphite, 12×9″

These are more of my portrait sketches from the Drawing the Head class I took last summer (doesn’t summer seem so long ago?!) I discovered that starting over is easier than correcting bad starts so I sketched most of them more than once. TJ Smith’s sketch took three tries until I felt like I captured what struck me as his very pleasant expression.

I always like to see how artists interpret their subjects. If you’re like me and want to see the reference photos, just click their names below their images to either go to my Sktchy page (if you have the Sktchy app) or to Sktchy on the web. Then click (PC) or swipe (mobile) my sketch to reveal the reference photo below it.

Categories
Art Faces People Portrait Sktchy Sktchy

Portrait Drawing Study – Raquel

Portrait Sketch in Graphite of Raquel C from Sktchy
Third attempt to get this twisty-necked lady right. Graphite on newsprint, 12×9″

I’m continuing to work with the Loomis Method, which is really helping me. As you can see below, I got a little closer and her nose and jaw got little smaller each time I tried to draw her.

Second Attempt at drawing Raquel
Second Attempt at drawing Raquel
First Attempt at drawing Raquel
First Attempt at drawing Raquel

You can see the model I was working from on Sktchy here. I’ve been working on this project since August but got sidetracked by the election and now that I can concentrate again I’ll be catching up on posting my work over the next week or two.

Categories
Art Drawing Faces Sktchy

Learning Loomis; Drawing Heads Part 1

Christiane Vex, Sktchy, graphite 10x10"
Christiane Vex, Sktchy, graphite 10×10″ To see the photo reference, visit Sktchy, here and click the drawing.

I recently finished a 4-week class on Sktchy’s Art School, “Drawing the Human Head with Mike Creighton” based on the Loomis method. I highly recommend Mike’s class if you struggle with making people look like actual human people, let alone looking like very specific people.

Continue reading “Learning Loomis; Drawing Heads Part 1”
Categories
Drawing Faces People Portrait Sketchbook Pages Sktchy

Obey! You Must, this Kid, in a Cap.

Sketched in pencil from photo on Sktchy, 10x8"
Sketched in pencil from photo on Sktchy, 10×8″

Another quick post of a recent sketch done from an inspiration photo on Sktchy. I love the app and I love drawing people more than just about anything. Pears and bowls and pretty landscapes are great, but nothing can match the joy of drawing people for me. Below is the reference photo. I’d intended to add color but liked the black and white version too much.

Photo reference by Adam Vitry on Sktchy
Photo reference by Adam Vitry on Sktchy

Categories
Art theory Still Life

How to Draw Bottles that are Symmetrical

Daily Sketch, bottle-drawing practice, graphite, 8x10 inch
Daily Sketch, bottle-drawing practice, graphite, 8×10 inch

After struggling with a crooked bottle in a still life painting with lopsided shoulders, this morning I figured out how to draw bottles and keep the curves and angles on both sides symmetrical. 

The solution: 

  1. Make a mark for top and bottom and widest point of width on each side and draw a rectangle enclosing the shape. Draw a vertical line down the center of the rectangle.
  2. Next I  lightly drew a rectangle (or enclosing envelope) around each “section” of the bottle, with the bottom of each rectangle at the spot where the exterior of the bottle changes direction from a curve in or out. I left some of those marks in the sketch above.
  3. Then draw straight diagonal lines from section to section and soften them into matching curves. It’s much easier to draw straight lines accurately than curved ones.
  4. Draw the ellipses for each section using the guidance here from Sadie Valerie. 
Categories
Faces People Self Portrait Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

EDIM 11: Headgear (Self Portrait with Ice Wrap)

EDIM 11 Headgear (Migraine Ice Pack Wrap) graphite and watercolor, 10x7 in
EDIM 11 Headgear (Migraine Ice Pack Wrap) graphite and watercolor, 10×7 in

I had a migraine on May 11 and wore my jaunty blue migraine ice pack/wrap over a green scarf until the  meds kicked in. If I wear the ice pack without a scarf under it, the pain of my head freezing only makes the migraine feel better by comparison. The weight of the pack made my ears stick out which made it fun to draw them.

I should have left the pencil drawing unpainted. I think the color took away from the dimensionality I’d gotten with just pencil and white paper and now the shading looks like I’m growing a beard.