Red chalk drawing

Mike McCarty · 09-20-2002, 11:25 PM

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.

Susan Ballinger · 09-21-2002, 12:45 AM

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

Mari DeRuntz · 09-21-2002, 10:40 AM

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.

Mike McCarty · 09-21-2002, 11:27 AM

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.

Mike McCarty · 09-21-2002, 11:28 AM

The complete image after diddling...

Mike McCarty · 09-21-2002, 11:34 AM

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.

Mike McCarty · 09-22-2002, 05:03 PM

Ms. Saper, you wrote:

Quote:

(I am, BTW, passsionate about how important the signature placement is...as is everything else you place on your canvas, it becomes part of the design, so it pays to consider it carefully!)

Chris,

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

Chris Saper · 09-22-2002, 10:58 PM

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.

Lon Haverly · 09-23-2002, 01:58 AM

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!

Mike McCarty · 09-23-2002, 10:33 AM

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.