Love your errors

Mischa Milosevic · 07-01-2008, 05:01 AM

Here is one I had fun with a few days ago. Gave out a few visit cards as well.

It was done on a A5 120g Canson pad. Someone asked me why I was drawing it so small. Not sure if they wanted to see a bigger version of the same drawing? I explained that it was drawn in proportion to the paper size in order to create illusion of distance.

I had lots of fun with this one. I think I will go out today and draw. Such a nice day outside. It would be a shame not to enjoy it. What a blessing He is so good to me.

Peter Dransfield · 07-01-2008, 05:57 AM

of those Parisian statues.

Nice atmosphere in that drawing Mischa.

Peter Dransfield · 07-01-2008, 06:02 AM

this is a still life using a plaster bust I made of my best friend at art school.

Peter Dransfield · 07-01-2008, 06:05 AM

a previous girlfriend

Heidi Maiers · 07-01-2008, 07:35 PM

I think the best way to learn and improve your skill level is to work through the frustrations of it all and not settle until you are satisfied. This thread really strikes home with me this month. I spent a couple of months working on this bust for a client when all I had to work from was one ancient photo from 1860 of this woman. I thought it would be easy getting it to look like her from the one angle

Peter Dransfield · 07-02-2008, 02:34 AM

Bravo Heidi. I think the before and after shots show that the rigour and honesty led to a far superior piece. I am painting my youngest daughter at the moment and had to move not one but both arms yesterday as I realised they were simply in the wrong place and I was so pleased I had seen this. Why I had not seen it before is a mystery all of us experience but once we find a way to 'notice' the mistake there is only one thing to do and correct it no matter how finished the part was.

I am gobsmacked that you can work from photos yet produce such wonderful results. I found making busts difficult enough with the person in front of me and with a large pair of calipers to take measurements with so how you do it with only one or two photo references with not even a full range of round the head shots is beyond me and I take my hat off to you.

Alexandra Tyng · 07-02-2008, 09:04 AM

Heidi, I totally agree with this:

[QUOTE=Heidi Maiers]I think the best way to learn and improve your skill level is to work through the frustrations of it all and not settle until you are satisfied. . . . It

Heidi Maiers · 07-03-2008, 11:26 AM

Thanks you two! Yes, most of it is just my best guess judging from that one photo of what the rest of her might look like. That, and very good descriptions from relatives, which helped a lot. At minimum, she at least had to look convincingly human, and the rework helped there.

The smarter thing to do would have been to find a friend with similar bone structure and had her model for me. I had been studying faces like crazy all month in all of the meetings i have to attend during the week - looking for planes and junctures that are common to all faces, but slightly different on each. Recommend that everyone does that - it's a real eye opener (just don't let people catch you staring at them!)