ABOUT THIS PICTURE
9″ x 11″, graphite (pencil) on paper with charcoal.
This is a quick portrait drawing based from a reference image. I really kept my focus on the tone, particularly minding how the flow of her hair framed her face and set the mood. There is very little detail in the individual hair strands, which I thought gave her a serious, intense look. She appears as if she has suffered some hardship, and that’s exactly what I wanted her to represent. Using charcoal for the darker gradients, on the right hand side of her face (her left cheek) really makes that effect work. I’d like to develop this image digitally in the future, using some smokey gradients to make her even more mysterious and “hard” in appearance.