Red chalk drawing
 

This is a 14" x 10" image on a camel toned paper. A single color, red not blue, using mostly soft, and some hard pastel chalk.

Very nice Mike! Could you post the reference picture here? I've seen it several times on another post, but there are a couple things bothering me here, so it would be nice to see the reference. The biggest thing is her floating elbow. Is there a reason you didn't add the sofa?

The other thing is her neck and shoulder area. It seems like she's straining her neck too far forward or that her shoulder should be raised up more in that position?

I'm not the expert here, so take my input with a grain of salt, but those are the areas that caught my eye. I think your beautiful daughter has been beautifully rendered. Are you planning on doing an oil painting of this as well?

Susan

Nice drawing, Mike.

What especially works:

1. Her beautiful Renaissance eyes.

2. The simple shape and line that describes her shirt. (I love how it fades off before the right edge.)

3. Your rendering of her hair gives a definite feeling of lightness, fluff and softness. Great use of mass tone and individual line.

4. I like your tonal range.

Post more drawings, this topic is lonely. :)

Thanks Mari and Susan,

I'll post some different versions of the photo. The first is a square composition that I considered. Mostly for the reason of eleminating the sofa. The second is one that I diddled with, again trying a different take on the sofa. The last is the complete image unaltered.

I don't know why the sofa bothered me so. It's not a difficult thing to do but to me it has a big impact on the composition. Especially in the monotone. I think if I add some reference under her arm it might be a minimal amount as in the second photo with untouched paper beneath the brief suggestion.

The photo didn't give a lot of info on the hair so I kinda winged it.

The complete image after diddling...

This is the photo unaltered. I'm putting a little pressure on myself to capture images of my daughter before she leaves for college. When she leaves I know my chances will drop way off. So doing this and still adding variety and weight to my portfolio is the challenge.

Ms. Saper, you wrote:
Chris,

I agree wholeheartedly, would you offer a judgment regarding where I might sign this piece?

Dear Mike,

For what it's worth, in the drawing as posted first above, I'd probably place the signature right under the arm on our left (instead of the sofa). My reasons are pretty straightforward: anywhere else will introduce an isolated dark value unconnected to any other darks. The drawing is already balanced, so I think that the signature here supports, rather than fights, that balance.

Very nice vignette handling, Mike. My wife has a comment - who, by the way, is not an artist. She says that the line of the jaw on the viewers left is too flat, that it needs to round out to the left a bit more. I know, I get it from her all the time, too! ;)

Oh Chris,

I just finished drawing an abbreviated sofa thing under her arm. It was that isolated (signature) dark aspect that worried me. I'm going to lightly draw the signature up from bottom right and you can have another look (easily changed). I've made a couple of other refinements and maybe I can post the results later today. Thanks for the help.

Hey Lon,

Nice to have you and your wife back. I'll have a look at that jaw. One things for sure, once you've buttoned these things up under glass those little problems will drive you crazy.

Maybe your wife and my daughter, and all the others out there who have to deal with our craziness, can start their own Forum support group. The "WAA" group, Why An Artist? Why not a lawyer? Oh my God he was a lawyer!

Put me down for one of the first editions of your new book. Full retail of course.

Thank you! I will.

Here's my revised drawing with the sofa referenced.

Chris, do you still think the signature should go under the arm (sofa)? As you can see I have it lightly drawn on the bottom right. Does anyone think the sofa addition under her arm was an improvement?

After I see it posted the signature doesn't look so lightly drawn. Kinda looks like that dark aspect hangin' out there.?

Hi Mike,

I agree that the signature looks dark. You could play on Photoshop to see the impact of other placement, but my guess is that you will be unable to completely erase the signature from where it is. I have the odd feeling that the current signature placement may work better with a square cropping than with the rectangle.

By the way, as compulsive as I am about placing the signature, I am equally compulsive about never doing it before the portrait is placed in its frame or mat.

It's a lovely piece.

Yes
 

Yes. I do think it looks better with the sofa under her arm and helps support literally/ visually the shape of her arm. I wonder if you extend the line of the couch all the way to the edge of the paper, if it might create a nice design element?

It's a beautiful drawing!

Too much work
 

Perhaps you should disregard what I said about extending the line of the couch, that might require adding more to the viewer's right as well for balance sake. And if it is under glass, I am sure I'm wrong. ;)

Carolyn,

Thanks so much for looking and commenting on my drawing. No need to regret your remarks. I don't think they were all that regrettable. If you want to see regrettable just follow my comments around this Forum. I'm always editing or deleting (at the bottom of the post, the paper and pencil icon) something that has flown out of my mouth.

Thank You Mike!
 

I think you may have saved my reputation here on this Forum! Many times I look as though I am having a conversation with myself, posting to my own posts, posting consecutively on others, looking like the crazy artist I'm sure! ;)

So thanks for that nice tip!

My first post on this Forum! Hi all, nice to be in your company.

Mike, I just had to say, if ever you want to try oils, use the first photo posted. I'm new to oils myself and have just studied Vermeer on the web. The first photo would be an absolute gem, in the Vermeer manner. Check him out with a quick surf, and then at ARC for the high resolution details. You may well get very excited very quickly, as I have been over the last few days.

Regards,

Eric,

Welcome to the Forum, and thanks for remarking kindly on my work. You have some very nice drawings on your web site and I'm sure the Forum members will love seeing them.

I was in your beautiful city of Auckland in the late 80's. I spent most of my time in a small inland town. I don't remember its name but I do remember it had mineral baths and a beautiful lake where I caught a trout on a fly!