Baby Sleeping....In Graphite

Chris Saper · 08-19-2004, 07:50 PM

Geary,

What a wonderful drawing! It is so very difficult to show the soft round forms in an infant's face, without either over modeling them, or losing them altogether. Very, very beautiful.

Geary Wootten · 08-19-2004, 08:38 PM

To CIndy, Pat, Michele, Heidi, Jean, Mike, Linda and Chris:

Thanks for the generous compliments. I'm just so glad to finally get to the point in my life where I'll be able to spend more time on drawing and painting. These truly are the best days of our lives. (why did I have to have a heart attack to remind me of that? .....Ha!

)

The better news being I'm getting more commission work. The BEST news is.....I don't CARE if I get any more commission jobs. HA! I'm in LOVE again with my true art form. Sign work is just there now to support my Art habit.....instead of the other way around. (right Heidi?

)

Update in a day or so....

-Geary

Geary Wootten · 08-27-2004, 12:44 AM

Ok...so....it's been a little more than a "day or so"....I've been a busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers!

I'm trying to start 8 different pieces at once plus running a sign shop! To add to the wonderful madness..... I've been doing a "low tech" video of this piece. I'm trying my hand at creating an instructional video CD, using just MPEGS and JPEGS. (What's wrong with me?!

In this session I've spent more time just putting in hints of the background of the couch. Don't know about you all but I'm not interested in spending four times the work on what's in back of the subject.

The way I've acheieved this is to pull out shapes by daubing the graphite with a kneaded eraser and BluTack poster putty.

So far, I've got about 8 hours in this one. I'm 90% finished.

-Geary

Patricia Joyce · 08-27-2004, 09:45 AM

Really like this one with the background less intense putting more emphasis on this sweet face!! Beautiful! BTW what is blue tack and how is it different?

Geary Wootten · 08-27-2004, 02:29 PM

Hi Pat!

Glad you like this.

Blu Tack by Bostik....is a bit stiffer and can be manipulated to "pointier" shapes than any of the other poster putty I can get here in the States. Although I incorporate ALL of the poster puttys and erasers that are know to man....I've never been able to purchase BluTack here....so I order it from Mike Sibley, a well known UK animal artist who offers it online. I ordered some the other week...it arrived in 5 days from my purchase. Great guy..... check it out - http://www.sibleyfineart.com/

-Geary

Patricia Joyce · 08-27-2004, 02:57 PM

The wonder of it all! I'm going to order some now. I get so frustrated with the kneaded erasure.
Thanks!

Geary Wootten · 08-31-2004, 02:26 AM

At this stage I'm almost finished with the piece. I've decided to do the fist as well. Although it's going to suffer some serious cropping of the little finger....I just wanted to render it anyhow.

I've also just laid down the tonality of the blanket and shirt at this point.

The close up shows the fingers just after a process I call "caramelizing" layers on. I call it that because it's like the way caramel candy looks as more and more heat is applied. In this case the "heat" is using an HB and 2H (rounded over) to apply layers on the chamoised and tissue-buffed underlay of soft graphite. These applied layers are also buffed with clean stumps. I'll put as many as 5 or 6 layers on this way. These fingers are within a layer of being finished.

-Geary

Denise Hall · 08-31-2004, 08:32 PM

Thank you for posting a beautiful drawing with some of the most beautifully rendered baby hair I've ever seen . You really know your materials - and it has such a fresh appearance.

Yes, please keep us updated! So glad you are doing well after your heart attack.

Denise

Geary Wootten · 09-19-2004, 12:23 AM

Thanks Denise for the very kind words.

______________

Well Folks.....this one's been sprayed.....finally, after much fiming and documentation. It was a total of about 20 hours on this one. This is about my average timing on the 11x14 bristol pieces. I will say that I had a great "flow" in this one and I think it was largely due to the fact that I had total control over the lighting and was able to do some sketches and notes while visiting this little guy in my daughter's home. I'm really finding out first hand how valuable it is to take one's own shots in copius amounts.

Thanks for looking.

-Geary

Garth Herrick · 09-19-2004, 01:00 AM

Geary!

This is so masterful! You have every reason to be proud of this. Kudos!

He is so alive! Asleep, but not static. Your unimpeacheable technique opens doors to more sensory awarenesses than just the visual sense. There is a sweet scent of freshness and newness in an emerging life. Although rendered monochromatically, I get a real sensation of living color in those lushious tones in the cheeks and hair. The background exudes warm burnt siennas. I could go on and risk being called crazy, but I have my convictions in what you have accomplished here.

What comes next? I can't wait!

Well done, congratulations.

Garth