Oh, by the way. I decided not to include the hands. My skill level just isn't there yet. Practice, practice

This is coming along nicely Jeff! :thumbsup:

That's coming along very nicely, Jeff! Off to a great start I would say. You are definitely on the right track. Keep it up.

Jeff--

"High key" means all values are compressed toward the lighter range of the value scale, that is, it's a "light" drawing tonally.

"Low key" would mean that it's a "dark" drawing, that is, that all tones are compressed toward the darker end of the value scale.

Usually, this would mean that the contrast within each would be less than in a full-range drawing, as the work extends over fewer values in the scale.

A full-range drawing in terms of values would be stretched mostly over the whole value scale and might possibly include a full complement of values from 1-9. Very dark darks and very light lights. Lots of contrast, in other words.

Jeff,

Just a question, are you still using the same reference photo? The eyes in this second drawing are not looking up as the eyes in the photo.

I think the second drawing is much better than the first. However, the curve of her eyes and the direction of her gaze in the photo adds youthfulness, which you don't want to lose.

Yes, I'm using the same picture. If you look carefully at the photo, you'll see that the eyes look up only slightly. There's a very subtle difference between looking up and looking forward. At least, in this pose. I considered this while drawing her eyes, and I figured that without the praying hands the eyes didn't need to look up.

With minor changes, they can look upward again. I'll give it a good long look when I get back to work on it.

I found a great book a number of years back by the inimitable George Bridgman, called "The Book of a Hundred Hands." If it's still around it'll help a lot, and it's in paper to boot, so it won't break the budget. Published by Dover, I believe.

Also, see Steven Sweeney's comments in another post, on the drawing "Arlie in High-Key." It's another very thorough explanation/observation on high- vs. low- key drawing, and says it better than I.

I completed the drawing, stood back, and was appalled! UGH! Back to the drawing board.

Here's the THIRD attempt. I'm starting to believe that you people really earn your money! This ain't easy.

Persistence
 

Keep at it, Jeff. Sometimes, when things don't seem to be falling into place for me, I start a different project so I have two or more going at all times. Then when I burn out on one, I can leave it and work on something else for a while. When I come back to my "stuck" one I have a fresh eye, and am not so hard on myself for making an attractive person look like an ape.

Your values are improving and you're learning new techniques. All the time you're doing this you are training your eye. As I've said before, I'm no pro, but I admire your perseverence.

Jean