Hi Enzie,
The print of Lon's drawing that I scanned from the book really is a lot softer than it appears here. I just couldn't get a lower contrast scan without losing too much of the shading. But you're right about the assurance of Lon's strokes. I drew hundreds of practice lines without being able to duplicate his style, so I've given up trying.
I think, though, that this drawing method forces individuality into the work even when you try to make a slavish copy. Lon talks about this in his book, where he draws parallels between drawing and handwriting/signatures.
Altogether I'm very excited about this method. I need a lot more practice, but I'm going to start going out in public soon to try to see what I can get down. So, if you see a headline that I've been arrested for outraging the public decency you'll know what was behind it! Just another crackpot artist!
