My sister-in-law who lives with her family in Australia called the other day. We hadn't spoken in a while and I told her that since we last talked I had taken up drawing ... and was doing tolerably well. I guess I should have kept quiet because no sooner had I said that than she came on to me saying I just had to draw something for her!

She is really expecting something small but I have picture of her two boys which my son took last summer when he was visiting them.

[attachmentid=2740]

So it's going to be a double portrait... on my large 16x12 Bristol board. The expressions in the reference are wonderful BUT since it's flash photography it is extremely flat. I'm really going to have to invent a lot of shading here to give it some depth.

So please wish me luck. I'll be working on this for the rest of the week... I really wish to do something good for her.

Good luck Rose! I'm sure you will do a great job! Be sure and post completed drawing for us to see.

Very cool, that looks like a difficult picture to do. I know you'll do it with your usual flair.
Paulette

Good Luck, Rose!!! If anyone can do it I know you can!!! You have come along way in a short time and are way better than I am, so I KNOW you can do it!! Can't wait to see it finished so start working...

I don't think you'll need any luck at all even if this does look like a difficult photo.

I have a suggestion for you to think about though. The hand in the photo is very distracting & if you can, I think a portrait would look better without it. That's just my opinion though. It was just that the hand was the first thing I noticed - not the handsome young men.

J

Thank you girls.

J - I think you are right about the hand. I just hope that if I succeed in capturing the expressions in their eyes then maybe the "intimacy" of the hand will not be necessary. As you said it is a difficult picture but since I only get to see them once every few years this is really the best I have of them... especially now that around 20 they have really turned into men.

And yes of course.... I'll keep you all updated.

Ok I have a dumb question .. a commission ? laura and jeanette talk of them also .. is it a drawing your getting paid for ?

Kim Yes its a drawing your getting paid for



well you dont need Luck you wil do fine you are doing so great you will be a professioanl artist in No time



well shame u cant get a better photo of them though

Rose,

This one looks like a toughie, but you will do very well with it.

Question....Are you going to remove the fingers from the lower part and do just the faces, or leave the fingers in?

Chris

Yes Rose you are such a good artist, but good luck. It’s always nice to give someone a gift.

Yes Rose you are such a good artist, but good luck. It’s always nice to give someone a gift.

Yes, basically that's what it means.... except that I won't be paid for this one, at least not in cash. I used the term very loosely to mean a drawing which I did not choose to do but rather was asked to do. I've had more of those. My niece WANTS a luzzu boat and my sister has been dropping hints like crazy to have a portrait of herself and her husband.


Chris: The jury is still out on the hand. For the moment I mean to leave it out. Whether it will feature or not depends on how well I can reproduce the connection between the brothers. If their facial expressions are enough to give the feel of that than the hand will be left out.

Thank you all once again for your encouragement.

Good luck

Thank you Olddad.

Here's the first update. This drawing has already been through so many of those ugly stages when you want to tear your hair out!

[attachmentid=2769]

Critique welcomed. Thank you.

Rose,

You really aren't going to have to make up to much of the shading on there faces...if you look closely you can see the contours pretty well in the photo....just go darker....define the bridge of his cheek up into the eye socket. Also I would go darker...a gentle gradation in the nostril and hollow of his cheek as well as under the chin to model those features. Beautiful job on the interior of his mouth. Check your eye the upper lid crease is a wee bit more rounder than it should be. It appears that you're leaving the hand out. I think that is a wise decision; it is very distracting in the ref. Are you going to do the background dark? I think it would really make both of these handsome young men pop off the page and help with the tonal range. Your sister is going to be amazed!!!! You are becoming an incredible artist right before our eyes!!!!! I'm so proud to know you!!!!

{{{HUGS}}},
Laura

Rose, good luck.
I can't help offering you my solid experience and infinite skill in one of the most important aspects in drawing: scrap paper. So if you need to scrap some paper and throw it right in the basket with a single quick move, well, I'm the one.

ps
your first update is definitely a Rose's drawing: lovely

Grazie Paolo, amico mio - sai, riesci sempre a farmi sorridere. Allora dimmi, se Interista o Rosso Nero?

Laura: Thank you so much - you are always spot on and such an enormous help. I have tried to incorporate as many of your suggestions as possible. I know Nick needs further refining but I think I'm going to leave him alone for the moment and start working on Ben. Then see how they react together and take it up again from there.

Yes, my original intention was to put in the black - I think it is one of the most striking features of the reference so, although it will take a lot of courage and a ton of faith I think I will do it.

Update II

[attachmentid=2771]

Excuse the slight blurring of the pics... I can't scan this drawing, it's too big, so I'm using my digital camera... and now that it's already dark I'm having to use the flash.

I know exactly what you mean about seeing how they react together. Many times I will do the same...get to a point where I need to do the other subject and then balance them out together! This is looking incredible...did I prevouisly mention I love the reflective light in his eye and that amazing lovely hair!!!!

Laura

Rose ... beautiful ... I love your work hun its so good ..

Thank you Kim.

Now... RED ALERT.... lights flashing... siren going!!!

[attachmentid=2775]

Never mind the big tonal imbalance in the picture - that's just the digicam acting funny - and never mind that Ben is still bald poor fellow - I HAVE A PROBLEM.

From the little I can see from the reference (because of the hand) Ben has an enormous dimple on his chin!! It seems to be bigger and deeper than his brother's and I do remember it in real life since he is more square jawed than his brother (sheesh.. the last time I saw his brother he was really still a boy!) I have absolutely no idea how big and deep Ben's dimple is!

Have the boys email you a side view picture.

Thanks Paulette but I think that would be rather difficult at the moment - Ben is trekking through jungle somewhere in Thailand!!

I'll just have to fish around my hard disk to see whether I have some other picture of Ben unless you guys have some better idea.... or perhaps the hand might just have to feature in the drawing.

Oy! Life is never easy eh!!

No hand please. Maybe the other one has pictures of him. Or an other relative.
Paulette

OK no hand!

I found a little video clip which my son took at the same time as the photo. I've extracted a few frames from it. They aren't very clear since the scene is somewhat dark and distant and what's more Ben is jumping around dancing... but maybe I can glean something from them!

Who said art is all magic and inspiration!!

I'm afraid Ben is going to have to spend the night completely bald though at least he does have an ear now. I'm tired and I'm going to bed since it's 1:00am here.

I know Ben needs a lot more shading on the cheek but tell me what you think so far.

Goodnight all.

[attachmentid=2778]

Well, I jumped quickly tens and tens times between the ref and your last update and, at last, I think that there's something wrong...in the ref!
It's really perfect, to me of course. I think they're going to adore you, if they're not already doing.
Can't wait to see next update.

I see the lights are strong in the ref so, I suppose, you'll have to invent some darks just like you did with the jawline of Ben. Imagine the light coming from the sun in a gentle afternoon. Forget the flash and put the two lovely bros in a contry field. That's what I would do but, thank God, with this double portrait my job finish before picking up the pencils. You'll do a masterpiece.

Looking good!
Paulette

I'm feeling a little unsure of myself today.

Never mind the dark panel in the center - scanned in stitching mode but it didn't work very well.

Please critique before I proceed to blacken the whole background.

[attachmentid=2801]

Rose not sure what your not comfortable with. I looked it over, with grayscale and posterizing too, and don't see anything you missed. Maybe something on the artistic side of things is bugging you??? PM Laura and see if she can take a look. To me its a go, I love it. I like the uniqueness of it.
Paulette

Thank you Paulette. I think what gave me cold feet was Ben's hair.

But I think what I feel is just the artistic equivalent of stage fright.

Maybe I got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning.

I don't know how I missed this forum, but Rose, you're brilliant.... It's just beautiful and so are the boys..

Rose, I think the hair is just fabulous - I can't imagine that you wouldn't like it or even have any qualms about it.

I see a couple of things that are more nit picky than anything as I'm sure your sister in law will love this as it is. However, I noticed that the shading doesn't transition from light to darker as well as it has in some of your portraits. You can see it especially well in the thumbnail with the brother on the left - the light spots look like spots instead of highlights. With the brother on the right, the jaw/cheek looks outlined with the highlight. In the viewing of the large image, I noticed that the chin dimples on both seem more like a little goatee than a dimple and that that the interior of the ear on the brother on the right is a dark spot with no real transition. The transition is there in the photo but would be easy to miss plus, sometimes a little artistic license is in order! lol

As I said, these are really nit-picky things that just caught my attention. I just imagined that this will be a family heirloom & I thought you would like for me to mention anything that seemed a little off. It really is beautiful and I love it without the fingers in it to draw attention away from those gorgeous young men! I always see the ref or the painting & call it "Brothers - Head to Head" in my mind! Your family is really gonna love it!

J

I wish i could offer you help rose ....but to me you are one of my favorite artist I know you may see things that need to be changed but as far as me I see nothing wrong with the drawing at all ...I do hope you are happy with it .....the angle is what i love and the fact that you got it right !

Miss Rose,

Edited....for some reason It didn't go to the last post so I'm behind the times here. Going back for another look.

After taking a look at the most rescent update...hehhe...I have to agree with J-Lynn. You do need to push the darks and use a full range of values in this. You seem to have caught both of their likenesses very well. I would suggest you put the background in now...this will more than likely be your darkest dark if you're leaving it black as in the ref. and will help you adjust your shading and balance everything out. You'll see after adding the background that if they are still too light they will look flat and that will actually help you to push those darks to balance everything. Make sure you're protecting your drawing with a sheet of paper under your hand and whatever you do...do not drag your hand across this beautiful piece!!!!I would also pull more highlights out of their hair to give some added depth. You are doing an incredible job!!!

Laura

Thank you Cyn, L-Lynn, Kim, Laura.

I have tried to incorporate your suggestions. This was by far the most difficult piece I have attempted so far... particularly Ben because of the angle of his head, the full flash light on his face.. to say nothing of the hand covering his chin which I had to basically reinvent after consulting some other shots I had of him as well as a video clip. But, although perhaps not my most successful portrait, I have once again learned a lot just by doing it. Thank you all for your support - you are just wonderful!

I hope Catherine will like it even if she is not really expecting it.

[attachmentid=2811]

P.S. Please excuse the poor quality of the "stitching"... the scan is not too hot either.

Rose they are going to love this. Very good.

Rose, I totally disagree with you! I think this is one of your most successful portraits! You've taken a so-so photo, had to edit it for a better composition & turned out a most wonderful portrait of these handsome young men!

Bravo! Bravo! This is most excellent & your sister in law is going to be just thrilled!

J

Rose - absolutely excellent! And you're trying to tell us you are not an artist? hahahahaha NO WAY!
I wish I could draw half as good as this....you are awesome.

What J-Lynn said!
Paulette

Rose I think you did a super job! The work you did on the hair is terrific! There are going to love it!

Thank you all so very much for putting up with me for days on end, advising and encouraging me... cheering me on... I can never tell you how much this means to me


Well Joanie, if having a deep desire to be working on something all the time, being totally immersed in the project in hand, anguishing over it, searching for that standard of perfection you hope to achieve, and then when it is finished going about feeling dazed and elated as if you have just given birth makes you an artist.... then I am an artist.

Now, of course, how good an artist is still a matter of opinion!

So, let me see... my next project will be....

Rose,
You sound disappointed and you shouldn't be!!!! You did an incredible job with this and you should be very proud of it!!!! Just beautiful! You conveyed a connection between these two young men that goes beyond anything a photo could convey!!!! Your sister will be floored!!!!

Laura

P.S.
Just read your last post and yes, drawing is exactly like giving birth. It is exhausting and elating all at the same time. It is so hard to give the finished piece to the new owner...for me at least...I like to live with a piece for a wee bit before I send it on it's way.
{{{HUGS}}} to you, Madam Artist!!!
Laura

rose your portrait is absolutely georgous. wow you did a fantastic job on it. you are doing wonderful work and you should be proud of yourself whatever you want to call yourself. i would call you an artist. you love what you do and it really shows in your work. your passion, your soul is in your work and that is what an artist does right ? dont even worry about the "lable" just do what you do and you will be happy.
laura-- i dont give up my work as of yet. i just cant bare to part with it. i dont know how good it is but a piece of me is in everything that i do weather its good or bad in someone elses eyes. so i hope to someday do commission work and be able to let go. i dont know though.
Lori

BUT ...I never get the urge to push when drawing lol but I do sometimes yell and say bad words LOL