Portrait drawing using Cretacolour and Camlin graphite pencil

"Drawing is vision on paper." Andrew Loomis

Graphite is a part of every artist's toolbox. It's affordable and a commonly used medium, yet if used on its own, in the hands of a skillled artist, it can produce breathtaking works of art. The lead in graphite pencils is made from a natural rock that is mined. In fact graphite and diamonds are the only two forms of carbon polymers occurring in nature. ( Courtesy: Craftsy.com )

My today's post is another "Portrait study" that I have created using the graphite medium. Graphite pencils are available in different grades ranging from 9H to 9B. H stands for hardness and B for blackness. I have a big collection of different grade pencils but I prefer to use just a few of them. In the portrait as below I have used 2B and 4B Staedtler graphite pencils for the midtones. For the darker tones I have used 8B Cretacolour and 10B Camlin graphite pencils.

Portrait study 

Graphite/Pencil drawing on Strathmore Gray toned paper

Size 5"X 7"

It is very difficult to obtain true black colour using graphite pencil because when the paper gets saturated by several layers of graphite, it tends to give a glare. Therefore one can use charcoal as a final layer to create further darkness, however I have avoided using charcoal in the above work. For the highlights I have used Conte and Cretacolour white pastel pencil.

Like charcoal, pencil drawings too tend to smudge. Hence I cover it with a sheet of butter paper before storing it neatly in a folder. A question that I am frequently asked regarding my charcoal and pastel works is whether I use a fixative in the final stages of the artwork. I have a "Winsor and Newton" fixative with me but I rarely use it on my artworks. 

CLICK HERE to browse through some of my graphite drawings in my sketchbook.

Thanks a lot for browsing through my artworks.

Graphite Pencil Portrait on toned paper

"How you draw is a reflection of how you feel about the world. You are not capturing it, you are interpreting it." Juliette Aristides

My today's post is a graphite "Portrait study work" on Strathmore toned paper which I started almost a week back. I am working with graphite medium after a long gap of time. It is interesting to get back to a medium that you have used in the past. Every medium has its own advantages. Pencil is a drawing tool that we all have used as kids when we were growing up. 

I have a miscellaneous collection of pencils but for this particular portrait drawing I decided to use the following three,

1. Cretacolour 8B graphite pencil ( Purchased from Amazon.in )
2. Camlin 10B graphite pencil ( Very dark shade )
3. Staedtler 2B and 4B graphite pencils

I enjoyed working with graphite pencil on Strathmore paper. This paper has a very smooth texture as compared to my usual Canson MT toned paper. However for portrait drawing it seems quite a prefect choice.

Portrait study work

using graphite pencil

on Strathmore Gray toned paper

Size 5"X 7"

I am working on yet another portrait drawing on Strathmore paper and I shall post it once completed.

My works can also be seen in a gallery format on INSTAGRAM. On instagram, I am getting to meet many different artists and I would love to write a post about them and their works.

If you are into water colour medium then visit the Instagram page of artists Sadhu Aliur and Bijay Biswaal. The water colour works by both these artists are amazing. 

Thanks for visiting my blog and browsing through my works.

Portrait drawing on Canson Mi Teintes paper

"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. What we do this hour and that hour, is what we are doing." Annie Dillard. ( Courtesy: Skinny Artist )

I love to start my day with a good "Quotation." It has now become second nature to me. The above quote throws light on a very important aspect of our life. Living life everyday, and taking small decisions which go a long way to keep you happy and satisfied. I try to paint and draw on a daily basis and the days I am really busy, I take to my sketch book, creating some small study work in it. It keeps my art passion alive.

Today I am posting a "Portrait drawing" which I have created inspired by a lively old woman, I met up in the mountain slopes at Hee Bermiok in West Sikkim. We were climbing up the hills in order to get a clear view of Kanchenjunga Mountain peak, when we were greeted by her and her granddaughter.

She was out in the front yard of her home, relaxing. Looking happy and exuberant, she readily posed for me and when I expressed my desire to create her drawing in future, she immediately went and changed into her traditional attire ( Including the jewelry ). That gave me the opportunity to click more of her photographs from different angles and I am waiting to try them all.

In the drawing as below, she is facing the sun and to avoid the glaring sun rays she squint her eyes. I loved this composition, hence this is the first of her portraits that I have done to start with. Getting to know a person before doing the portrait helps in capturing the inner soul of the person in the drawing. I have tried to do just that.

Facing the morning light

Charcoal and white pastel pencil drawing on Canson MT paper

Size 5" X 7"

Next I am working on few more portraits, so keep browsing and if you are interested in attending any of my art workshops please drop me a mail and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

From Landscape painting to Portrait studies

Of late I have been very busy with my water colour medium as I am trying to get a better understanding of this challenging medium. However when too saturated, I shift my attention to

doing something else for instance Portrait study works.

Given below are some images of randomly done Portrait study works in the last ten days

 or so, on Canson Mi Teintes grey paper using General white pastel pencil 

and Camel soft charcoal pencil. I have tried Faces at different

 angles in order to get a better understanding of the face anatomy. 

All the above portrait works done on 5"X 7"  Canson Mi Teintes paper 

A Quotation that I find very inspiring.

"The only time I feel alive is when I am painting." Vincent Van Gogh