Freeliner

All references were either live tv paused or random group images from the web.

One effect of old age seems to be my inability to take in and draw complex detail and colour. I am far from pleased with my rusty sea. However, this illustration is still giving me lots of pleasure despite it never to be displayed or framed.

Spending a little time learning how to draw folds and creases in clothes and other materials. Unfortunately I chose a work book with poor quality paper. Pencil used was a B4 0.5mm mechanical. Paper: Daler Rowney A5 Ebony artist sketchbook 160 g/m2 (109 lbs) I’m beginning to understand the 5 types of folds and how to shade them. But I’m not there yet.

Wrinkles. I needed to revise my technique for a commission. Seems to me that when it comes to wrinkles, less is more. A light touch and an electric eraser are the key. But I need more practice. Ray

This Charlotte. She is has a sparkling presence. But It was her beaming smile that made me ask to draw her. She agreed so I snapped her on my iPad. I was reticent at starting the portrait as I’ve never drawn black spectacles before. But it worked - eventually. I’ve learned quite a lot of new stuff with this piece. I’ve thought about her teeth and drew only the gums and bottom of each tooth. She does have fly-away hair. The eyes behind the glasses and reflections also needed some thought. I decided to fade the bottom right of the image which I balanced by shading the opposite side. Overall - very satisfactory.

My finished preliminary sketches for my next #graphite #pencil #portrait. The #drawing took nearly 6 hours (believe it or not?) I used my smartphone for the reference photograph. Overall, I’m happy with the results. I’m improving.

It’s a wet miserable afternoon so I’m working at preliminary sketches for a #graphite #pencil #portrait of the greatest screen ‘baddie’ ever, the late Great Alan Rickman. Smartphone for reference image, 2B Cretacolor Pencil, blue tac eraser,blending stump. Great fun! Nice pencil.

My latest graphite pencil portrait.
This time my victim is the very distinctive French actress Clemence Poesy. I chose this expression to test my drawing skill.
Image layed out using iPad app ‘Camera Lucida’.
This amazing app helps place facial features and proportions almost precisely and saves me hours.
Portrait drawn on Strathmore Bristol board. This drawing exercise was all about getting a decent likeness quickly. Admittedly it’s still not perfect, but I think she is clearly recognisable?

Final version completed. Again using my favourite 4B graphite pencil.

Ray

Finally finished. Next I’ll scan it for printing and trim to size. Pleased. Ray

My ‘Fred Thursday’ graphite pencil portrait is 80% complete & should be finished tonight. But every time I look at my work I find more mistakes! 4B graphite pencil on wonderful Strathmore Bristol Board. Subject: British actor Roger Allam

Today I’ve taken another small step forward with my graphite portrait learning. For the first time I used cotton buds (Q Tips) to blend my graphite shading. I created the face highlights with a new pencil eraser. Once again I made all my marks with a single B4 graphite pencil. In attempt to make a closer likeness I made the initial drawing using the Grid system. Even so, I still made a couple of minor errors with the top lip and tip of the nose. Nevertheless - if I say so myself, the likeness is still very recognisable. :-)) But still a long way to go... Ray

This week I’ve been relearning my graphite pencil skills in readiness for a portrait commission that I have to complete before Christmas. As usual I turn to the experts in the form of books by the wonderful Lee Hammond and Carrie Stuart Parks. I’m gradually working through all the examples in my two books. As is always the case, the more I read and practice I do - the better my art work. All drawings on this page were drawn using a B4 graphite pencil, blending tortillons and kneadable eraser. I don’t layout grid my work but place key features with my proportional dividers. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM VERY WELCOME. Ray

Another ballpoint pen sketch I began just before midnight last night and finished it around 02:15am. Drawn with a Staedtler ball 432 & Pilot BP-S fine. Black on 135gsm smooth drawing paper. No construction lines. Lots learned, lots of mistakes, lots of pleasure. Ray

The digital font is one of my own (Sigmacomicbold) which can be downloaded from a link in one of my previous posts.

Ray