Speaking of switching it up... I attempted "aux trois crayon" at a portrait session this week. Since I have filled 2 books of the 12"x12" size format with portraits over the years, (and no longer can get these specific handmade books any longer) I am continuing the 12x12 format only with no binding. I realize that the paper should be the tinted yellow or blue and I want something heavier than the usual 60-80 lb weight so that I could give it a wash without too much buckling. I tried bristol but saw all kinds of imperfections in the 12x12 pad I bought when it got a light ink wash so thought to reconsider the substraight. Then it occured to me that I had a preprinted cardstock in 12x12 format and thought that might be interesting to let some of that show through while also using it as a background. The only problem is the preprint is a slick stock that doesn't have that paper tooth needed for drawing in chalk/pastel. So I covered the paper in matte finish on the back (to prevent curl)and clear gesso to create tooth... wow did create tooth! Unknowing to me the first time I took stump to substrate to move the material it left a carboard debris of material on the paper not only filling the tooth but coloring the paper lighter. Time was ticking away, model working on my dime and all I have is 4 colored pastels and sawblade textured paper. Furthermore as I balance my frustration with my efforts to progress, I find stripes of overlapping gesso that blow the semi uniform pattern of brush strokes thus giving me bizarre hairline stripes that catch the material and break of you try to move it- rub too much and your back to paper... slick and refusing to take the pastel. Needless to say the 90 minute session didn't yield much but I was not willing to taking the loss so I sprayed it with a permanent fixative... maybe that would fill in some of the tooth and give me a blueprint to work with later for experimentation- what did I have to loose? Originally I thought to take paint over the drawing after spraying a good thick coat but then I thought about this blog and decided I wanted to keep it off the brush and more in a drawing medium. Immediately after the session, I attempted to work from memory beginning with colored pencils but found that they left too much line on the tooth and I preferred to stay in mass so I turned to conte' sticks. Originally I specifically avoided conte' because in the past it has been too greasy and semi immovable for my tastes but somehow in this instance it was just what I needed to progress the drawing. Is it a good portrait... close likeness... nice work? No, but it is something from nothing that I was able to learn a great deal from the procedure. In this instance, "It is not all about the finished product but more about the adventure along the way."
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| portrait before charcoal & pastels |
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| Portrait After- 12x12 conte' |
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