Portrait - Facial expressions

These portraits were each done in around 45 minutes and are studies of two different facial expressions. The first one was done with conte crayons, while the second one was completed using ink and paint brushes.

The first portrait is expressive and manages to successfully capture the happy mood of the model. The style of the drawing is impressionistic and sketchy, with loose lines, and there was an obvious focus on studying the emotion of the model rather than the facial anatomy of the subject. For this reason there are mistakes in proportion and perspective which should have been corrected during the planning and measuring stage of the drawing. Even so, there is a strong sense of shape and form of the features of the face, because of the shading.

The second portrait has a nice overall dark atmosphere, which empowers the sadness portrayed by the model. The strong lighting from the side was especially chosen to offer a more dramatic look to the drawing, in order to better express the desired emotion. This image also portrays solid finesse with the materials used, ink ensuring a well defined art style which nicely accompanies the theme of this portrait. The use of a variety of tonal values creates strong contrasts across the entire drawing with an interesting effect, but also gives a sense of form to the face. Subtle highlights and deep dark shadows in certain areas of the drawing manage to hint small details which  suggest the exact emotion of the model - the mouth and eyes especially.

Portrait - Facial anatomy

This portrait was completed in around 45 minutes using conte crayons on A3 paper, and it represents a study of facial anatomy and basic portraiture techniques.

Visible construction lines helped with establishing the planning on paper of the drawing, and capturing the basic characteristics of the subject's head. Obvious errors were done during the measuring stage; the general proportions of the head seem slightly off such as the forehead being smaller than it should be compared to the rest of the face. The planes of the face were mapped out nicely however, and this ensures a solid sense of perspective and depth. Hair was observed in a subtle way using an impressionistic approach, which worked well for this drawing.

Shading helps enhance the depth of the image, and it also offers definition to small details of the face. One example of an area in which shading gives shape and form to the portrait is the neck, which displays good use of this technique. There should have been more attention paid to the shading of the nose however, as that area seems flat because of the lack of depth.

Figure Drawing - Tone and colour

This life drawing session focused on studying tone and colour on models in a hard light set-up. In the first drawing it was observed how light reflects off clothing, while the second one is a study of tone and colour on skin. Both took around 30 minutes to complete and were done on coloured paper using conte crayons.

The first drawing exhibits a nice use of tonal values, having a strong contrast between light and shadows. The entire image seems to focus on the silhouette and pose of the character, rather than details such as facial expression. The shading is successful because it offers shape and form to the subject, and the highlights hint the direction of the light source. The drawing exhibits a good yet subtle representation of the cloth, with all its creases being successfully accentuated by shading.

The second drawing portrays a more dynamic and interesting pose, with good balance. The anatomy should have been worked on more during the measuring stage, as some body parts seem proportionally incorrect. This drawing exhibits successful use of shading however, the tonal values offering shape to certain body parts of the model. One such area which draws the eye of the viewer and can be considered the focal point of the image, is the right arm of the model, on which the strong highlights help reinforce the shape of the muscles.

Anatomy – Gravity and drapery

The focus of this figure drawing session was to successfully represent drapery and the way it flows on the human body. This drawing was completed in 20 minutes using conte crayons on coloured paper, and the model was posing in hard light.

There is an interesting use of the colour pallete in this image, with an evident and strong contrast between highlights and shadows which follow the shape of the human body. This shading technique creates good form, and a point of interest, the right knee, which can be considered the focal point of the drawing. Even if the drawing was done in an impressionistic manner, there is evidence of good proportion and correct anatomy. The model portrays good balance and an expressive pose.

The piece of drapery is not very detailed but with the help of lighting and shading, the creases are still evident, and the facial expression is suggested in a nice subtle way.

Extra drapery study:

Anatomy – Musculature and skeletal anatomy

This drawing was completed in around 40 minutes using graphite, and the aim of the session was to focus on all aspects of figure drawing such as balance and pose, shading and correct anatomical proportion.

The image portrays the model in an interesting and dynamic pose, with expressive facial features and good balance. Measuring should have been done with more care, as there are some obvious anatomical mistakes in proportion such as the size of the head and hands compared to the torso. Construction lines are still visible and mark the natural angles of the body, and this technique helped with building the posture and maintaining the balance of the model on paper.

Shading not only indicates the location of the light source, but offers form and volume to the drawing, for a better understanding of the musculature of the model. Certain areas are quite successful in portraying the anatomy through shading, such as the knees, the torso, or parts of the arms. In an impressionistic manner, the facial expression and positioning of the fingers on the face are also hinted with the help of shading, and this detail certainly draws the eye of the viewer, making the image highly expressive.

Extra study of a dynamic pose:

Refraction and distortion

This still life drawing was done in around one hour, using chalk pastels on coloured paper. It shows a scene composed of highly reflective materials, arranged in a way that distortion can be easily observed and studied through drawing.

Because of the speed in which this image was drawn, and the impressionistic technique used, the objects are not perfectly constructed, the picture exhibiting evident mistakes in perspective and proportion. The most obvious object with such problems is the wine bottle, its neck being too small, and the shoulders being asymmetrical.

The colour pallete was successfully chosen however, the insertion of colour on the left side of the image creating an imbalanced yet interesting composition. The strong highlights emphasise the reflectivity of the glass material, and offer form to the objects, the two drinking glasses in particular. The shading is nicely done to imply the source of the light which is located to the right of the scene, and this is suggested also by the drop shadows of the objects.

Distortion was successfully observed and can be noticed in the way the objects in the background are seen through the glass in the foreground. There is another obvious distortion affecting the way the horizon line shows through the entire composition of objects.

Man-made forms

This image shows a study of a high detail First World War canon. It was done in around 2 hours using graphite, and the technique chosen was impressionistic due to the complexity of the main object.

Visible construction lines helped with maintaining the perspective right, though certain straight lines should have been worked on more, for a better representation of the canon. The perspective is interesting and dynamic and the foreshortening effect is evident. This creates strong diagonals which lead the viewer's eye across the entire image. The shading plays a significant role in this drawing. Firstly, it gives form to the many details of the machine, suggesting their shape and location. Good evidence of this is found on the wheels, which gain volume because of the shading. The details however seem incomplete, and certain areas are hard to distinguish, and for this reason the canon's forms should have been studied more carefully. Secondly, shading helps in implying the material of the different parts. In this way some areas seem to be made of a shiny metallic material, while others are matte.

Even though the aim of the drawing session was to study the details of the object, this image has a nicely balanced composition, the symmetry of it drawing attention to the middle part of the cannon. Adding subtle hints of the background and pavement are also nice additions to the atmosphere of the scene.

Landscape – Skies

This image shows an urban landscape drawing in which the main focus was the representation of the sky, and it was done in around 2 hours using markers.

The impressionistic technique works well for this landscape as the entire scene is highly detailed. Taking away from the complexity of the buildings, the viewer can focus their attention on the sky. The perspective wasn't successfully observed, though it is unimportant for this piece of work. This image has a nice composition, drawing attention to the tall building on the right side of the image with the help of shading - all other buildings are darker and have less detailing. The edges of the hills in the background are also nicely observed and hinted in an impressionistic manner, creating an implied line that guides the viewer's eye across the entire drawing. Short, thick strokes with different shades of grays successfully captured the essence of the cloudy dark sky. A nice aspect of this drawing is the fact that it seems to suggest movement of the clouds.

This drawing is not perfect by any means though, and it might have benefited more from using different drawing materials, as markers seem to not be the best choice when dealing with skies. If this is the case, pastels or charcoal might have been a better option. The scene also seems incomplete, as the drawing doesn't have clear edges.

Landscape – Large interior

The aim of this landscape drawing session was to firstly study perspective and how it works for large interiors, and secondly experiment with new drawing materials while doing so. This drawing was completed in 2 hours, using markers, and an impressionistic approach.

The most notable aspect of this image is the depth that the entire scene seems to have, and this is helped by correct observation of perspective. The perspective is successful because of the construction lines used to initially mark the interior on paper, and which are still visible on the finished piece. The sense of depth is also created by strong implied lines going towards the far end of the room, following furniture or arcs in diagonal angles.

Shading also plays an important role in offering depth to the scene, though the left side of the drawing seems to lack it and this creates an unpleasant visual imbalance. Details were done in an impressionistic manner which works perfectly when dealing with such a complex interior. Subtle hints of columns, chairs, people and flower ornaments seem to complete the overall atmosphere of the drawing.

Landscape – Architectural rendering

The image shows an urban landscape drawing which was completed in 2 hours using graphite, and is a study on architectural rendering and basic techniques when drawing buildings.

The composition of the entire drawing is visually appealing, the main subject being framed by the other buildings. Planning the entire scene on paper first by using thumbnails was crucial for making the composition work. Using the portrait type of orientation for this particular scene also worked nicely in this case. The proportions are fairly correct as well and this was ensured by measuring and construction lines. The perspective however is far from perfect because of the angle chosen to draw from. For this reason, the location of the vanishing point on the right is unclear, and this decreases the depth of the main building. The entire drawing does however offer a good sense of depth due to shading. The cross hatching on the buildings in the background was a good shading technique choice, as it creates a nice effect from a rendering point of view. In some areas of the drawing the materials of the building were nicely observed, such as using texture detailing to represent the roof, the shine of the windows, or other subtle architectural details.

Still Life

This image shows a 1 hour drawing of a still life set-up for which graphite was used. The session was focused on practicing general still life drawing techniques such as composition, shading and materials.

The composition is an asymmetrical and visually pleasing one, with various areas of interest for the viewer, and a focal point which seems to rest on the rule of thirds - the glove. The arrangement is successful because all the objects interact in a natural way, there is a clear sense of depth and the viewer's attention is carried evenly across the page.

There is a sense of diversity of materials in this scene - from leather and wax to cloth drapery - and this is emphasized by shading. There is a certain depth of tonal value on the left side of the still life drawing however, which lacks on the right side. This contrast makes part of the drawing seem unfinished, creating an unpleasant effect for the eye. Shading also hints the location of the light source, somewhere to the right side of the scene, and it also offers shape and volume to the objects. The technique of following the form of the object through shading is most evident on the glove.

There are obvious mistakes of observation in this drawing, especially when it comes to perspective and construction of the objects, and an obvious example is the candle. This could have been avoided with better measuring and use of construction lines in the sketching phase.