A couple of drawings

Jeff Fuchs · 01-02-2003, 01:09 AM

I recently said I was drawing from life as much as possible. While that's true, no one will pose for me, so if I want to draw anyone other than myself, I have to resort to photos.

Here's one I did of my wife, Janice. I took a quick digital photo in the back yard, and drew the picture while sitting in front of the computer (I do that a lot).

This is pencil on the back of an old letterhead.

Jeff Fuchs · 01-02-2003, 01:11 AM

Here's my niece, Andrea.

You'd think teenagers would have the time to pose for a portrait, but I was lucky that she allowed me to snap a photo. I took the picture indoors with a flash, so it wasn't as good as it could have been, as far as shadows.

Mari DeRuntz · 01-02-2003, 11:32 AM

Nice work, Jeff. You

Jeff Fuchs · 01-02-2003, 11:58 AM

Thanks for the input, Mari. I'm working on the value range. I need to dig through my art supplies for softer pencils. I did these drawings with a 3B. I don't want to press too hard to make darks, because it destroys the paper, and makes the drawing look amateurish (my opinion). But you're exactly right about needing darker darks.

As for the color of the Gulf of Mexico... in Louisiana, it's always brown. You have to go to Florida for blue water. We get all of America's silt via the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya River.

I'm still tinkering with the drawing of Andrea. I drew her three times since I took the photo yesterday. The picture I posted is the one with the most accurate proportions, but my wife thinks the inaccurate one looks most like Andrea. This proves a theory of mine. I believe that a great part of the likeness lies in the mouth. The inaccurate drawing captured the mouth better than the others, so it looks more like Andrea, despite the face being too long. A lot of artists believe that the likeness lies in the eyes, but I disagree. Eyes need to be plausible, but the mouth has to be just right for a good likeness.

Chris Saper · 01-02-2003, 08:12 PM

Hi Jeff,

Very nice work! I particularly like the sketch of Janice; you have a a very well-placed sense of planes and in massing the values that you have in place. You are also, no doubt, working with a better photo resource, as you have mentioned, with strong light and shadow patterns.

I think you are right, the reason you don't have dark darks is because you don't have range of pencil softness. With some really soft pencils, maybe 6B or softer, you wouldn't have to press hard at all, just move them across the surface in the already pleasing manner you have.

Best wishes,

Dianna Fish · 01-02-2003, 09:31 PM

Jeff,

Great job! I knew you'd get good replies if you'd post a few. You're quite the natural. You should have asked for some drawing pencils for Christmas - ha-ha! I know you'll do great with a wider range of softness.

I've just about finished a graphite portrait of my two daughters. I'll post it as soon as I'm finished. My darks as very dark -- maybe too dark.

Dianna

Chris Saper · 01-02-2003, 09:52 PM

p.s. Ditch the flash.

Lon Haverly · 01-22-2003, 04:58 AM

Left handed, eh? Nice work! I see so little of this style which lets the lines do the talking. I use a 4b for everything. Softer leads usually dissappoint me, as they age harden on the shelf too quickly due to the high clay content, and wind up being more like a 2B. 4B is soft enough for darks, and hard enough to bear down on. Softer leads break too often for me. Keep your point chiseled!

Jeff Fuchs · 01-22-2003, 09:53 AM

That's funny, Lon. I can spot a right-handed artist instantly by the way their strokes look backward to me.

I didn't know that pencils had a shelf life. I've really been fighting to get darker darks. Maybe it's those old pencils, punishing me for neglecting them for so long.

Lon Haverly · 01-22-2003, 12:26 PM

Perhaps, but I think they harden in the store, as I have noticed very hard 5B and 6B leads which are brand new.

If you chisel your point with a sand paper block, you will get a thicher and fuller stroke and a bit more dark when you need it. You will also have better command of the point. By the slight turn of the lead you will create a different effect. I use a pencil lead holder so I do not have to sharpen any wood. If you do not, your lines will be weak and less sensitive to your pressure.