Color-Sketch Towel 4

Had to bring that hairline down over an inch…which is a lot in dog years sketching.





Training my eye….I’m sketch saturated with usually goes along with my paper saturation.  When the paper stops taking my colors in the way I expect then I know it’s time to move on.  However, if I had gotten it right the first time (…or second time…third) it would be more forgiving!  Haha





Looking at this now…I think I could’ve enlarged the left eye….And…I think I made him more serious…but was unsure where to apply the curve in his lips….


In defense of the drawing…it looks better in person!

Color-Sketch Towel 3

What is there not to like about this towel?  Just look at those gorgeous colors… Really!





Well, he needed eyes so I got to work….I like this eye enough…but that “philtrim” area [area between the nose and the upper lip….had to look that up…who knew?] was not working for me…at….all!





So….I erased the lower portion of the nose and redrew…and worked it down as best as I could.





Ahhh…the “over the shoulder” view….my favorite!!  If only I had bigger hands…I could hold more pencils.  It’s such a tweak-fest…this color sketching!





I really, really want to go in with my markers and straighten things up a bit.  Make things pop…but I’m being a good-girl and holding back.  It’s always best to save that part until the very end!  Of which, I’m not there….too much left to do on that head of wet hair!

Color-Sketch Towel 2

Well….I went back and decreased the depth to that fold on the right…but why-o-why did I think the highlight went up like that…must remedy!





Just a close-up of the face in progress.  Possibly you can see just how many colors are used here.





On the way home from dinner I was telling my husband how much I’m enjoying this sketch of our son….but confessed, didn’t know if it’ll look like him when I’m done!  Haha

Color-Sketch Towel

Time to revisit an older drawing.  I did this Doodled face from a picture of my son (taken 10+ yrs ago) for the Sketchbook Project almost 2 years ago.  I was experimenting with watercolor pencils and doodling shapes to contour the face [inspired by Rebecca Anthony].  It was fun and I liked the way this turned out.  But that picture is now long gone and since this is one of my favorite pictures…it gets to be color-sketched next.





Started out trying to duplicate the texture of the towel….as you can see, with the very tiny circles.





Then I gave up on the tiny-circle effect and just tried to get those folds right.  I know I’ll be working more on that left side, cuz that fold just isn’t that deep. Ugh!





I have to admit…that I really like sketching loved ones (or people I know).  Because as I go thru the motions, I start to think about them.  I remember things I may want to ask them next time I see them.  Or I sit back and feel blessed that they are doing well.  Figuring their path out.   Happy, Healthy, Productive!  What more can a proud mom ask for?

Capturing Crabs….4

Well, the crabs were already captured…it was time to capture faces!


What an evolution!  I think I finally started to mold the face correctly by #6.  I nailed number six.  Looks just like my son…but he was 14 when he looked like this.  I had to continue erasing and applying.  Funny..after I fixed one problem, I’d step back and realize that I erased a “good” part of the sketch….you know the part that resembled him.  I guess I could blame my eraser girth.


Number 9-10:  After I was shown in class that erasers do work on colored pencils….I felt much more secure!  Haha!  I’m glad I was able to lower the eyes and shorten the nose.





My blonde son looks like a red-head here.  Oh well!





For my first colored pencil face, I’m ok with this.  Yes…didn’t replicate it exactly, but he looks like himself (more or less).  When the paper starts pilling up on me, that is a sure sign to be done with this already.  That’s how I know to stop!


Happy Mothers Day everyone!

Contouring Crabs….3

I hesitated to start any color-sketching on the head until I had guidance.





I was given the overview of face proportions…..then I started practicing on a separate sheet of paper.





It was interesting to work the face.  I had to fatten it on all sides.  Then pull in the shading where the face curves.





I was liking the way this was shaping up…..too bad it was just a practice head.  I thought it looked familiar enough and would’ve enjoyed working it from here.





But the problem was…my color sketch was still faceless.  So…I had to redo my head on the original.  I kind of forgot what I had done exactly so this obviously ….NEEDS….LOTS….OF.…WORK !


I think I’m going to like my art instructor.  I’ve heard bad stories about art teachers who tell their adult students that what they are doing is “wrong”, or it’s “not the way it’s suppose to be done”.  My art teacher saw my little headless-crab-boy all outlined-with-microns and complimented me on what I had done so far….she liked it!  She said, “not the way I would’ve done it….but I’m always intrigued with how other people approach their drawings when it’s different than the way I do it.”  I told her I’m here to learn and that I could change….she said “if you need to straighten out your edges then you shouldn’t try to change… that’s your way”.


Anyway….I thought that was pretty cool of her.

Catching Crabs….2

This crab wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.  Sometimes, it’s best not to anticipate too much!





I think my son was 12 years old in this picture.  Talk about a kid that loves the water and the thrill of the catch!  Yep, he was all-boy.  It’s fun looking back at these old pictures, I can still hear him tell me all about the crabs and how easy they were to catch.  Better him than me!





Well…this picture required drawing fingers and toes!  Ugh!! I seem to be catching on to the fingers but not so much to the toes.


Next…of course…is the head! Yikes!

Coloring Crabs…1

I now know I can color-sketch legs….but the question is….Can I color-sketch faces?





So, I opened up by External Hard Drive (where I store all my digital pics) and looked for a picture of my son to draw. 





I spotted one that I think I can handle:

• has good color (other than the shorts)
• has a face (familiar face, since this is a scan of an old picture, it doesn’t have all the detail of a digital print)
• Color sketch skin tone

The skin tone I had to figure out…. Used the following pencils

• mustard
• very light pink
• pink
• tan
• brown.

I’m getting more relaxed with my sketching….I was told that it’s best to use the picture as a model, but to not feel like I have to replicate it exactly.  This has free'd me up to work with the pencils in a way that I can figure out where I should place the shadows as the drawing unfolds as opposed to where they are in the instant of the shot.  Does that make sense?