Ella & Anna In Charcoal & White Pastel
 

I just finished these drawings of two sisters. The whites & grays are really lost in the reproduction. Next time I will make sure the photos are better before I let them go.

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be great!

Lara Cannon

Lara, I have always admired your portraits. You have a wonderful soft touch. I'm sure the clients love these.

I have been having a horrible time the last few days trying to get decent pictures of three portraits that will be delivered tomorrow, I'm hoping it will be nice today so I can get one more shot at it!

Exquisite, Lara. So soft and sweet!

These are just lovely!

Lara,

What beautiful portraits! I particularly appreciate how well you have designed, and still individualized them - from pose, to value scheme, to dress - yet how compatible they will be hanging as a pair.

Congratualations!

Lara

These are gorgeous. Such a sensitive touch you have. The integration of white with charcoal is seamless. I just saw your website. Beautiful drawings!!

David

Thank you
 

Thanks for all of the kinds words. I was a little nervous about posting among seasoned professionals. I am a little short on "seasoning".

I put a lot of hours into these and the client was a difficult personality to deal with (to put it kindly)--so it was nice to get some positive feedback from other artists.

Thank you,
Lara Cannon

Lara,

These are indeed lovely and beautifully designed. Can you tell me what paper you used?

Paper Information
 

Thanks Sharon,

I used a 140 lb. Arches watercolor paper with a Hot Press finish.

I toned the paper with a single watercolor wash. No matter how I apply the wash I always seem to get an unattractive ripple in the paper. So once it dries I mount it on a hard surface and iron it smooth. (I protect the paper from the iron with a white cotton dish towel)

Arches has a new Bright White that I really like. I can

Hi Lara!

How are you enjoying your new place in Maine? (Did I get that right?)

Hi Lara - don't know how I missed these! They're both beautiful.

Hi Lara, I agree with everyone. The second is definately my favorite. I'm interested in your choice of paper, how big are these?

Jean

More Information on Paper
 

Hello and thanks again!

I forgot to measure them before they were sent so my guess might be slightly off. I believe they were both around 14" x 28".

I have been experimenting with papers looking for the perfect drawing surface. I am still searching, but I have developed an appreciation for drawing on watercolor paper. I like the texture and the heavy sizing. The paper can handle a lot of working and re-working before it gets too tired. I once did a portrait on a rabbit skin glue sized piece of Arches 140 lb. Watercolor paper and that was terrific. If it wasn't working I could lift mistakes with a damp cloth and it showed no trace of re-working. I was a little nervous about the longevity of the portrait because I knew the charcoal was not binding with the surface but it seemed to be being held in place by the texture and ridges of the glue--so I hope it will last.

I have tried a lot of drawing papers and I just don't like their weight. I like a more substantial piece of paper. I have found the beautiful surface of print making papers are too fragile for my style of drawing. If you need to make changes or even press too hard the texture breaks down and looks ugly. I have started doing a color wash to soften the harshness of the white which adds a little fun & dimension to a black & white portrait.

I hope that is what you were asking about? I have posted several good paper sources on this site before. The Arches Watercolor papers are almost everywhere.

Thanks again,
Lara

Hi Lara,

Thank you, this is the kind of information I was looking for. I've often looked at Arches watercolor paper and wondered how it would work for charcoal. I'll give it a try.

You have such a soft touch.

Jean

Yes, very nice
 

Lara, I too like them. If you want a suggestion I'd like to see the arms and lower parts feather out, or break up a bit. Sargent and Poudon (sic) did what I mean here. I think a place where your lovely handling faded off into a less worked area would just make the fine parts more impressive by virtue of having a visual foil.

Lara,
These are so beautiful. I would love to see close ups of the features. Your touch is so soft. Do you use vine charcoal and stumps or tortillons? I'm off to check out your website :thumbsup:

You have some creative uses of paper and charcoal and hints of color. And your work gets more and more beautiful. These last two, by far my favorites. How many hours do you put into one portrait?

Thank you
 

Thank you for the suggestion Timothy. I have been thinking about the same idea. Believe it or not, I thought I had loosened up as I moved away from the face. In person you can see a little more breaking down of the finish work toward the edges. But now that you mention it, I can see where feathering would be nice. Thanks, it is always helpful to have fresh eyes & insights.

Thank you for the nice comments Patricia. The girl with the loose pony tail was a labor of love. I completely finished three versions before I was happy. I even had it framed and delivered it and then I asked for it back. The angle from above was incredibly difficult for me to mentally understand. I could never get the perspective quite right. I found a book called "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" by Robert Beverly Hale that helped a great deal. I highly recommend it.

I couldn't even guess the hours. The other girl went more smoothly, and I did very little correction on it. I would guess 40 to 60 hours. I do not use vine charcoal. I make too much of a mess with the stuff. I use charcoal pencils. I also use chalk pastels in black, white and gray.

Thanks again!

"Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters". I have that book too, it sits on my bookshelf looking verrrry used! I pull it down and look/read it over and over!