Portrait study

"Drawing keeps the eye fresh, the mind alive and the intuition nimble." Timothy Nero

In 2017, I did not work a lot on my portraits and one of my resolutions this year was to devote time to create a few of them. When I initially got into portrait drawings, it was mostly charcoal on white paper. It’s only a few years back that I discovered the beauty of working on toned paper. The different toned papers that I have experimented with in the last couple of years are

• Handmade textured paper
• Canson Mi Teintes paper
• Fabriano Elle Erre
• Strathmore toned paper

Apart from the ones mentioned above, every once in a while I try out a portrait study on any ordinary textured paper too like the one below. I created the portrait study below on an ordinary grey textured paper that I came across in a stationery shop. It is definitely not as good as Strathmore or Canson Mi Teintes paper, but for the price that I paid for this paper ( Rs 20/- ) it is value for money.

After creating the portrait and capturing the emotions, I decided to darken the background using charcoal powder. The charcoal powder that I normally use in my charcoal drawings is a local make and pretty good. It is easily available in stationery stores. To know more about the charcoal tools that I use for my drawings CLICK HERE.

In Silence

Portrait study on grey toned paper

Size 6" X 8"

When I was in Sikkim during my last holidays, I stayed in a homestay high up in the mountains at Hee Bermiok in West Sikkim. While I was there I got to interact with the local people and I photographed some of them with their permission. I am now using these photographs as a reference to create a few portrait drawings in the series "FACES OF INDIA". Keep browsing to see some of them soon.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Presently I am busy with my art work and other commitments, but will soon start my "Art Workshops"in different mediums. You can also know about them through my INSTAGRAM account.

Demo works in charcoal and white pastel pencil

Demo works created during ART WORKSHOP

During my last workshop which was held on 3rd and 4th of December, I did a few demo's using charcoal and white pastel pencil. I am posting the images of two of them. Normally I try to cover as many subjects as possible including still life, seashore , landscape etc.

On the first day of the workshop the participants get accustomed to the tools required for the artwork and the different techniques to use them. It is more of a warm up session.  After getting used to the tools they go ahead and create two different small works and I guide them as they proceed step by step to complete their painting.

On the second day of the workshop the participants decide on their choice of subject and then proceed to do the same after creating a "Thumbnail sketch" or "Study work". I insist on getting used to doing study sketches as it helps in the initial stages to get the right design and composition. Rest everything falls in place.

A tree trunk with exposed roots

Demo work on grey hand made paper

Size 4" X 5"

Abbey waterfalls ( Karnataka )

Demo work on grey hand made paper

Size 4" X 5"

For the demo work I have used a grey hand made paper which I picked up from an art stationery shop. It has rough texture on both its sides and serves well for initial drawing purpose. When I am in town in Fort area I always make it a point to pick up a few hand made papers in different colours. Some of them turn out pretty good for drawing and sketching. 

I have made a collage of the works made by two participants and you can find them on my ART WORKSHOP page.

Ending this post with a beautiful quote by Salvador Dali

"Drawing is the honesty of art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad."

Water drops - demo work during workshop

A few water drops done on an ordinary grey, rough textured paper as a demo work during one of the recent workshops. These drops were done as quick sketches in ten to fifteen minutes.

Drops of water

Tools Used 

• Conte charcoal pencil 
• White soft pastel pencil from General
• Kneaded eraser
• Tortillon ( blending tool )