The Artist - UK (2021-02)

http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistFebruary 2021 29

PRACTICAL

being overwhelmed by the complexity

of a piece, I focus on one small area

at a time, making sure to get that

right before moving onto the next.

Each area is similar to a jigsaw puzzle,

comprising different tones, textures and

fur directions that gradually combine

to make a complete drawing – I usually

start with building up the darkest tones

in an area first. Intricacies such as subtle

variations in tone, hair direction and

texture must be captured in order to

build up the realism of the drawing.

At regular intervals I take a step

back to compare the drawing with the

reference photo – it’s essential to draw

what is there and not assume things.

The idea at this early stage is to render

the main areas as close to the finished

result as possible, with the knowledge

that at the end a degree of tweaking

will be needed in order to bring it all

together into one coherent piece.

Challenges

The challenges with this piece related

to the subtle and not-so-subtle changes

DEMONSTRATION RENDERING THE EYE

MATERIALS

l A3 drawing board

l Strathmore Bristol vellum paper

143 17in (35.5 3 43cm)

l Mechanical clutch pencils 0.3 – 2H,

HB, 2B Pentel leads

l Derwent wood-cased pencils 2H,

F & 2B

l Tortillon

l Putty eraser/Blu Tack

p STAGE ONE

Using a 2B pencil, I drew

in the outline of the eye

and the pupil, leaving the

highlights white where

light hits the eye

p STAGE TWO

Next I used a 2H pencil to draw narrow

parallel lines around the pupil from the

centre to the outside and from the outside

into the centre. I then used a tortillon to

lightly blend in the same direction

p STAGE THREE

With an HB pencil I went over the lines again, from the

pupil out to the edge of the eye, before lightly blending

the lines with a tortillon, focusing on darkening the

outer edge

p STAGE FOUR

I added another layer sensitively with a 2B pencil, leaving out

any lighter areas. Small details, such as flecks in the eye, were

added, and the detail adjusted using a tortillon and a putty

eraser as required. The blending tool was also used lightly to go

over the highlighted area of the pupil to reduce the whiteness

p STAGE FIVE

The remaining areas of the eye were built up with

2H, HB and 2B pencils. The tone of the highlights was

adjusted using the blending tool and 2H to 2B pencils.

Finally, the hairs around the eye were drawn in and

last adjustments made to the eye