Portrait Artist Forum - View Single Post - Eye training

Paul Foxton · 09-05-2006, 08:25 AM

Thanks Mischa, "intensive discussions" - I like that.

Thanks also for the encouragement, it's nice to know I'm on the right track.

I couldn't agree more about the progression in the Bargue plates. It is, after all, a drawing course, and certainly seems to have been envisioned that way. The next cast drawing will still not have tone, but will correspond to the second Bargue plate, where he begins to refine the outline a stage further from the even-width straight lines he uses for the schematics in plate one.

I need to get back to the Bargue plates soon, because my general plan is to stay one step ahead with the Bargue plates of the cast drawings, so I get to see how he does it first.

I confess, I'm a little apprehensive of adding tone, when I get to that stage. I'm not convinced that my charcoal technique will be up to the job. I've recently started a series of small tonal still life drawings to try and whip myself into shape before I try doing it on a cast.

I have a question for those of you who have done the Bargue exercises: On many of the plates, especially in the darkest darks, I can see parallel lines running through the tone. At first, I thought that this was the grain of the paper showing through, but the more closely I look at them, the less sure I become. It looks to me like Bargue may have used these (almost perfect) parallel lines to fill in the tone blocks, followed by smoothing with a stomp or some other implement - am I right?

09-05-2006, 08:25 AM	#17
Paul Foxton Juried Member Joined: Feb 2006 Location: Epsom, United Kingdom Posts: 76	Thanks Mischa, "intensive discussions" - I like that. Thanks also for the encouragement, it's nice to know I'm on the right track. I couldn't agree more about the progression in the Bargue plates. It is, after all, a drawing course, and certainly seems to have been envisioned that way. The next cast drawing will still not have tone, but will correspond to the second Bargue plate, where he begins to refine the outline a stage further from the even-width straight lines he uses for the schematics in plate one. I need to get back to the Bargue plates soon, because my general plan is to stay one step ahead with the Bargue plates of the cast drawings, so I get to see how he does it first. I confess, I'm a little apprehensive of adding tone, when I get to that stage. I'm not convinced that my charcoal technique will be up to the job. I've recently started a series of small tonal still life drawings to try and whip myself into shape before I try doing it on a cast. I have a question for those of you who have done the Bargue exercises: On many of the plates, especially in the darkest darks, I can see parallel lines running through the tone. At first, I thought that this was the grain of the paper showing through, but the more closely I look at them, the less sure I become. It looks to me like Bargue may have used these (almost perfect) parallel lines to fill in the tone blocks, followed by smoothing with a stomp or some other implement - am I right?