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| In the Beginning |
| Daves Mum and Dad |
| Portrait study of Ken |
| Other examples |
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Page 1 of 4
The early stuff!!!
This is where it all began, before I had even tried to draw animals. I don't do a lot of portraiture nowadays unless on special commission but here is a little of how I started. I am hoping i have improved a little by now
......Please note that the scanned quality of these sketches is not good due to my um...(can I say 'crappy' on the Internet?) scanner.
Now before I start on all the technical details (of which there won't be many) I must say that when I do a portrait, I don't try to 'pretty it up'. I try to sketch it as closely as possible to the photo I'm working from. In other words all the wrinkles, bags, lumps and bumps are there which, to me, is the way it should be. After all, it's our imperfections that make us perfect and who am I to mess with perfection?! (And if that's the criteria, I'm as perfect as they come!...ahem.).
Of course I will alter small details, such as stray hair across the face or something like that, if it's asked of me.
The method I use is to ask the client to find several good photographs (though often there is a big difference in quality between a 'good' photo and the 'favourite' shot they would prefer so usually I end up working with a favourite). These can be colour or black and white. I prefer close ups as it is much easier to pick up tiny details (but sometimes it isn't possible to provide a good close shot).
With these I pick images that provide a good portrait view and then use that for the basis of the sketch.This can sometimes be tricky, especially if I am given pictures that lose a lot of detail when enlarged. This is often the case with digital camera photos. Many seem to take great shots until you enlarge them a bit...then hey, it's pixel city! But I'm a professional (ahem again)...I manage.
