Bonnie
 

The moral of the story is: If your the best friend of a portrait artist's daughter, eventually he's going to do your portrait!

Graphite and white conte pencil on toned paper.

Inspired by Anthony Ryder's wonderful book...thanks Tony! :thumbsup:

Lucky Bonnie! Dan, this is a sensiively drawn portrait. I can feel the color in it, although there is none, because the blending of the ground, the graphite, and the white conte is done with such insight and skill. I admire the transitions between finished and less finished areas.

Alexandra
 

Thank you Alexandra, on the advise of some artist who are more skilled than I, I've decided to take my drawing to a higher level before I attempt to paint. So then, I'll be doing only drawings for the next year or so, attempting one every two to three weeks. The method I'll be using is one taught by Anthony Ryder.

A beautiful drawing with luminous volume.

Your friend gave you great advice. More often than not people jump into painting before they secure their drawing skills. It is impossible to crit them, because it is like telling a builder to raze a house because the foundation is crumbling. It is so easy to spot those artists even when they copy a photograph faithfully.

What a lovely calm image. I love the lighting and the subtle highlights as well