First finished drawing in 15 years

Jimmie Arroyo · 03-17-2003, 12:10 PM

Hi, this is the first "finished" drawing that I've made in 15 years. I've always loved drawing, but I haven't taken one beyond a clean sketch since high school.

This portrait of my wife is roughly 8x10 in graphite and white conte. It was started also as a sketch just to try out a new set of pencils and paper, which I picked up after the da Vinci show. It was about 3 a.m. with an urge to draw, so I hopped in the shower to wake myself up and started drawing. About half way into it, I decided to make it a finished piece. Done at 7 a.m., I was very happy with it and fell asleep.

Anyway, I was looking for some advice because I was thinking of offering drawings besides my pastels to potential clients who either don't want color, or who don't want to spend the money on pastels.

The omission of hair was a personal choice, and I would do another example for clients to see. It was scanned directly from the drawing and looks grainy compared to the original.

Lon Haverly · 03-18-2003, 11:35 PM

Lovely drawing, Jimmie. No rust in your work. It looks like you haven't lost a thing.

Lon

Jimmie Arroyo · 03-20-2003, 12:18 AM

Your comment is greatly appreciated. The wife was happy with the outcome as well. Thank you.

Chris Saper · 03-20-2003, 03:00 PM

Jimmy,

This is the nicest piece I've seen of yours so far!

I think you are wise to complete a "with-hair" version for your portfolio, as you'll find that many clients are not comfortable with a level of finish as you have above, compared to other artists who really appreciate the process being evident.

Best wishes,

Jimmie Arroyo · 03-21-2003, 09:46 PM

Chris,

Thanks, and I completely agree with you on clients' points of view. While working as an airbrush artist, we always worked on the face before we moved on to the hair or clothes. About 60% of the clients or just passer-bys would ask "Are you gonna do the hair, or are you just gonna leave it like that?" We couldn't help but laugh.

Thanks again.