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My Art Journal

92K views 658 replies 107 participants last post by  Kayty 
#1 ·
This is more for my own peace of mind than anything else. I'm going to put progress shots up as I work through each of my commissions so I can see how the drawing develops and where I need to improve areas before I finish it- much easier to touch up before the final layers of pastel go on as the paper will only take so much pigment.

At the moment I'm working on an old dog of mixed breeding. He was purchased from the RSPCA at 2 years old by his current ower, who absolutely adores him!!!

Original Image (difficult to draw from as it is quite blury, when I try to zoom up on features it gets really pixilated and makes my life damn difficult, so it'll be interesting to see what results I get with it)


Step one: Measure the photo up to size (in this case A4) and mark the measurements of crucial features on plain cartridge paper. A clear, basic outline helps me with the actual drawing to keep it true in proportion.



Step Two: Transfer image on cartridge paper onto coloured Canson paper (lengthly process in commissions as I meaure each section to get the propertions perfect. When I am drawing for myself I do it freehand to develop my eye for detail)


Step Three: Start the under coat in the upper right hand corner (as I am right handed, I work from left to right to avoid smudging), and begin to add detail.


Will post as I get further along.
 
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#4 ·
Awesome idea to post your progress in here. I too am trying to discipline myself to start from the left and work my way to the right. I tend to be allover the place when I draw and move on to many different areas as I become bored with one area.

If you don't mind, I'd love to start one of these threads of my own to post my progess on the next commission I get.

Great work. You really inspire me to want to get into soft pastels.
 
#5 ·
Liz, I highly reccomend working left to right. I also like to work in the same manner as you, going all over the place because you get bored with one area!! However, I've found that working from left to right is more satisfying on the eye, and stops smudging, PARTICUARLY with soft pastels, coloured pencil is not so bad, but you would find the smudging with graphite and charcoal, however after previously working primarily in graphite and charcoal, I've found pastel to be even worse for smudging!!!

Also for working with fur, generally speaking I try to work from a photograph that allows me to work left to right, where I am able to layer each section of fur on the previous section, as it is in real life. So I try to start on the base coat and slowly work backwards so the hair is being layered. If that makes any sense at all!!!!

Feel more than welcome to start a thread like this, you'll find it really helps your drawing improve as you can see it from a different perspective.

In fact, if you don't mind, do you think we could critique each others work as we progress with each commission? I like to have another set of eyes to tell me where I'm going wrong, if you're not interested no problems ;)
 
#11 ·
Depends on the portrait. This one is going quite quickly because I've had some time off work so can sit down for a few hours straight and work at it. Also because the portrait is very close up, so I can use bigger strokes with the pastel sticks. Have spent about 4 hours on it so far.
Last one of a jack russell took me about 20 hours, then maybe another 2 hours on top re-adjusting bits of pieces that the owner asked for, and adding a background.

Horses generally take me a bit longer, I think it's because I'm more familiar with them and can see if my drawing has got the horse perfectly or not. For a head usually they'll take me about 25-30hours, and a full body up to 40hours.

Of course, this is all 'A4' size, anything bigger and it takes me longer. By A4 I mean the actuall portrait would fill an A4 sheet, , so the actuall paper is usually between an A4 and A3.
 
#12 ·
Thanks so much for showing the step-by-step. I'm a graphite/watercolor pencil girl myself; but I am always looking to expand my repertoire. Pastels I have little to no experience with, but these beautiful results are inspiring me to try!
 
#13 ·
Give them a go!!! Only thing is, if you don't get pastels that are good quality, they might put you off using them because the cheaper ones tend to have more binder in then than pigment, so it's more like chalk. I use Rembrandt pastels, which are quite pricey but well worth it. Also you need to buy pastel paper, I tend to stick with Canson, which has two sides to work on- one with larger 'grooves'. The jack russell portrait I did last time was on the smoother side of the paper, and this dog is on the rougher side. I'm not liking this side as it's taking up alot more pastel to fill the area, and it's harder to get the texture I want.
 
#15 ·
"...toadflax works sort of in 'blocks' I guess, focussing on the really stand out sections..."
I'll admit this comment intrigues me, don't often have an actual artist remarking on my work, but am scratching my head as to what you are seeing---my habit of leaving sections of very understated space in some of my drawings?
I didn't want to reply on Eventer's thread hence the switch to yours.
Also wondererd how you would classify your own work.
 
#16 ·
Oops it wasn't meant to offend at all!!!!
Looking through your albums, I absolutely adore your work. And part of that is that it is quite different, you seem to put so much work and attention to detail in the really 'important' or standout areas of your subjects, such as the eyes, nose etc. And the areas of fur are realistic but do not go into as much depth as the eyes and such. I love the style, this is not a critism about your style, just commenting on how different it is to others. Same as with Liz Norris, her work has an almost cartooney feel to it while maintaining the realism.
I myself and I hugely tight and picky artist, I draw each and every hair (particuarly in graphite work, not so much with pastel), but in doing this lose some of the quality of the eyes, they don't stand out as much as yours do which is unfortunate, as the eyes are the most important aspect to a drawing in my opinion. If you don't get the eyes there is no animal there.
For example, this is my last graphite drawing I did, about 2 months ago. You can see I've drawn in just about each individual hair, hence it takes me hours and hours to finish, but the eye never really stands out.
 
#17 ·
Oh, I didn't mean to sound like I had my knickers in a twist and you did get me thinking.
In fact I do tend to 'see' the way you describe, I focus on what most interests me and let everything else become peripheral, and apparently that has translated itself in to my drawings. It can be hard to look objectively at one's own work for better or worse, I for one need a lot of time after finishing a drawing before I can accurately analyze its strengths and weaknesses. So, I think you are fairly describing a tendency of mine that I have to be careful of so it doesn't become sloppy or lazy.
I know what you mean about feeling compulsively obliged to render every hint of shadow and light that you find in a subject. My own drawing is in transition but I am not sure where it's going--I love photo-realism but as you say it takes forever and a day, and I'm not sure it's always the best choice artistically.
Anyway your work is exquisite, your use of color masterful.
 
#18 ·
That ok, didn't think you were getting your kickers in a knot but thought I'd better cover myself as I've been known to get myself into strife without meaning to with my comments :S
I do love your work, particuarly as you say it reflects your own way of seeing. You sound very much like me, I am a perfectionist in all ways of life, which is my undoing in horses, I want everything to just fall into place and try to work my horse as a whole, rather than focussing on one aspect and allowing that to influence the rest of the body. This comes through in my work, where i feel disapointed if I cannot capture exactly what i see in front of me. I don't consider myself a true 'artist' as an artist in my eyes is someone who can transfer and image from their head onto paper, come up with some magical and obscure image that is the pinical of creativity. I simply reproduce what I see, and it works for me with commissions, as pet owners seem to want to have a photo reproduced, but I'd love to be able to one day sit and 'play' with my own mind and see what comes of it. I need to loosen my style, rather than being so finicky about it.
My way of thinking is that if I can loosen my art, my mind will also begin to unwind. I am a very highly strung human being, and am always on the go. It will be interesting to see how I go when I go on holidays to the tropics at the end of October with my better half, whether I'll actually be able to unwind there. I want to bring a sketch pad andcoloured pencils with me and try to draw loosely what I encounter there.
 
#19 ·
Gorgeous work, it's fascinating too see the layers. I'm not at all artistic, so it's very interesting too see the use of reds and blues!

Do you have a website by any chance? I'm still throwing the idea of getting a portrait of my Little Man (kitty). He was my everything though, I'm not sure I could handle seeing his portrait everyday... But if I do get one, I would love to see more examples of your work
 
#21 ·
Gorgeous work, it's fascinating too see the layers. I'm not at all artistic, so it's very interesting too see the use of reds and blues!

Do you have a website by any chance? I'm still throwing the idea of getting a portrait of my Little Man (kitty). He was my everything though, I'm not sure I could handle seeing his portrait everyday... But if I do get one, I would love to see more examples of your work
Yes, I get alot of people asking about my use of red and blues!!! I use them alot as an undercoat to my drawings depending on what colour the animal is. In this dog for example, I can see alot of blue through the darker bits of his fur, so while I'm doing the drawing I use mostly a variety of blues until the very last layer where I'll put a small amount of black and a little white to get the lighting. Very little of my work is down with straight 'brown, black and white' as I find these colours make for a dull, flat and lifeless picture. The only way I can make them come to life is by adding a 'multi-coloured' undercoat!

My website is : www.freewebs.com/horseandhoundartistry
Unfortunately it is only a temporary site due to my registered site going through a few 'hiccups' with the server, hopefully I'll get it back up and running in the next few weeks, however, there are a few more examples of my work on this site, as well as a basic pricing list etc.


Toadflax, you have been taught opposite to me! When I was at school I never got good grades on my artwork because it was 'imaginative' enough. In particular my final piece in year 12 art, I was on a steady A all year from my art teacher, then when it was moderated by outside markers, they downgraded me to a B- because it was not 'artistic' enough and only represented a photograph!!!!!! :evil:
I know how you feel about having an image in your head and not being able to reproduce it. The same things plagues me all the time, drives me utterly insane sometimes. I'd also LOVE to do a portrait of my other half and I for his Christmas present, as he's been asking me to do a drawing for him for some time now, but I struggle with human portaits as my perfectionist side seems to kick in even more and I find it near impossible to satisfy myself with my own work, it NEVER looks quite right even if others appear to love it.

In Port Douglas, I plan to try and 'loosen' my style a little, even if I revert back to my tight portrait style when I get back, I'd love to let lose a little with a few sweeping strokes and swirls to depict a scene rather than creating a photograph again.
 
#20 ·
Interesting, in college our teachers were not too concerned about us working from our imaginations, they reminded us that the Old Masters certainly didn't, I guess it depends on what sort of art you want to produce. I like realism and can't draw accurately enough without a subject, but I feel completely ok with that, thanks solely to those art professors giving me that permission so-o-o many years ago.
It is frustrating though if I have a picture in my head that I can't put on paper because I don't know how to recreate it, which the masters certainly could do.
"True artist" is a concept I've wrangled with and have had to make a certain peace with, I know my limits (color for one) but I also know artistic ability is always in flux and where we are now is not where we will be as long as we keep working. So that's some comfort to me. I look at your beautiful rich drawings and they feel like art to me, I know you know it's all so subjective, but if you aren't creating what your heart and mind tell you to, then that's a sticking point all right.
Well, it sounds a marvelous step in the right direction, paper, pencils and a warm blue ocean.
 
#24 ·
Next one. Two cocker spaniels for my boyfriend's little sister's 21st birthday. She adores her dogs, so we thought it would be the perfect present for her.
The boy on the left with the long face is Lloyd, the girl on the right is Charlie. They're going to be a bit of a challenge for me with all that curly fur and the colours and facial structure is very different on both of them. I'm nervous about this one more so than other drawings, because it's for my boyfriend's sister so I feel I need to really excell with this one.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Interesting, in college our teachers were not too concerned about us working from our imaginations, they reminded us that the Old Masters certainly didn't, I guess it depends on what sort of art you want to produce. I like realism and can't draw accurately enough without a subject, but I feel completely ok with that, thanks solely to those art professors giving me that permission so-o-o many years ago.
It is frustrating though if I have a picture in my head that I can't put on paper because I don't know how to recreate it, which the masters certainly could do.
"True artist" is a concept I've wrangled with and have had to make a certain peace with, I know my limits (color for one) but I also know artistic ability is always in flux and where we are now is not where we will be as long as we keep working. So that's some comfort to me. I look at your beautiful rich drawings and they feel like art to me, I know you know it's all so subjective, but if you aren't creating what your heart and mind tell you to, then that's a sticking point all right.
Well, it sounds a marvelous step in the right direction, paper, pencils and a warm blue ocean.
-Toadflax- thats interesting.. in my college classes the teachers stress creativity to an extent. The drawing teachers do anyway. We are not allowed to use photos. Only draw off whats real... and we are encouraged not to draw realistic drawings down to a T. I hate all this.. I'm good at portraits off photos.. and thats it! I can't do my own art...


Why the cartridge paper?
My proportions are often off... I wanna know how this works to get your drawing in proportion?
 
#27 ·
Hi, Cheply, it was the seventies, my teachers were a very non-judgemental bunch.
They didn't discourage imaginative art at all, but they also thought we should use whatever tools were available to us to create what we wanted in paints or pencil.
We did work from live models and life but we were also assigned to do a few paintings from photos, as well as make over a piece of classic art. The point was to be versatile and not to dismiss a perfectly legitimate option (the photograph) on some idealistic grounds.
Drawing from life is excellent for developing eye and enhancing your skill and style, no question about it, but I'm old enough to be very settled in my own mind about what I want to do with my pencils :).
I have found that the more reference you have in your head from drawing realistic images, gained however you want to go about it, frees you up to and gives you a greater ability to draw from your imagination if and when you choose.
School's different of course, teachers do want to lay good foundation and expose the students to as much variety of media and technique as they can, not a bad thing.
I do not know about Kayty's cartridge paper but if you know the grid system for transferring images by hand it is really very effective for keeping proportions accurate. I use it if I want to be sure my outline is completely accurate. Here's one explanation, you can search and come up with several more:

http://www.allaboutdrawings.com/grid-drawing.htm
 
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