Portrait drawing of Michelle

I attended the Al Hyter Portrait Group last Saturday morning. It was our model’s last day. The models pose four to five weekends in a row so you get to know the model. Michelle did an excellent job holding the pose still and was fun to talk to during breaks.

As always I got up as close as possible to the model to get as much detail as I can. There’s one thing that drove me nuts on this pose and that was the hand. Drawing hands is tough; getting them right is even harder. I feel I got it right on the larger image above. I might have sketched it too big, but I think it works well on the model when drawing from this angle.

I had a good time producing these two pieces. Plus Bruce, the coordinator, played some good tunes, and I had some good laughs with the other whimsical artists. I will miss this group when I go to NY.

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80 Minute Portrait Drawing

Here's a recent portrait drawing from the Al Hyter Portrait group. Usually I change drawing positions on every 20-minute pose, but lately I've been wanting to slow down and spend more time per drawing. Last week I sketched 40 minutes per drawing, but on this portrait I spent 80 minutes, the entire drawing session. It gave me more time to focus on all over details and building of darks and lights.

African American Woman Portrait Drawing

 

 I created some nice drawings at the Sunday morning Al Hyter portrait group. They have a new model. She's wearing a beautiful dress from Nigeria Africa.

A lot of artists attended so space was limited. I started my warmup with a side profile drawing. Then I was able to squeeze in front to draw a 3/4 profile. As always, I sat as close as possible to the model to see all the details of eye, nose, lips, ears.

I treated these drawings a little differently. Recently I finished updating my online illustration portfolio on theispot.com and noticed subtle changes in my drawing style. My older drawings seem to have more emphasis on technique: clean sketch lines, and more contrast between lights and darks.

So at this session I spent 40 minutes per drawing instead of 20 minutes. I slowed down to focus on my technique, and I kept using  sharp pencils to get nice clean dark lines in the details. I'm happy with the results. I'm looking forward to next week's session.

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Portrait Drawing Up Close

I had a good drawing session at the Saturday morning Al Hyter portrait group. Model dressed in costume with her face painted. I got up close to her so I can sketch the details on her face. I often do this. It makes a big difference in my drawings; there is so much more information on the eyes, nose, lips, chin, ears.

Bruce, the coordinator, brought in nice music. One of them is a favorite for everyone: The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews. Nice combo for drawing, had everyone humming the tunes.

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Portrait Study, Man with Russian Hat

I haven't posted in a while. Again I get busy and time just goes by. I haven't been drawing much on my own either. Hopefully that will change soon. I start art school at New York Academy of Art September 3rd! I'm getting ready and that should include more drawing and painting before I go.

I've been attending the Saturday morning Al Hyter portrait sessions. Here's a portrait I enjoyed creating. The model wore a Russian hat. It had a nice shape so I exaggerated the features and size of the hat, it was just fun to draw.

I'm going to miss my Saturday morning portrait drawing group. I'll keep in touch to share my new art adventure in New York!

Two Portrait Drawings

Two drawings I wanted to share with you from yesterday's portrait session. I was looking forward to this all week, I've been working a lot of hours and haven't had time to sit and draw. I arrived early and of course the model I wanted to draw showed up late, Haha!

It worked out fine because they had two models scheduled. I sketched the male model until the female model dressed in 60s theme arrived.

Drawing the man was a good warm up, I had fun with it, except I think I sketched the eyes too close, something about it just doesn't feel right. I still have much to learn.

The young woman's drawing is nice except for a few spots. I wanted to sketch full figure on big paper, so it took me a lot longer. Proportions are a little off. Head might be a little too big, right hand too small, a couple things here and there but I'm okay with it. I enjoyed creating and completing this piece.

It was a good and much needed drawing session, plus they played Motown music and I enjoyed the funny and interesting stories from the elders. Next Saturday, two new models.

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Young Asian Woman Portrait Study

Last Saturday morning I attended Al Hyter's Portrait session. They have a new model for the next 3 weeks. Drawing this model will have its challenges: she is young and her face is smooth so how do I draw her portrait? Here's where less is more. I have to force myself to keep the details and tone light and simple. This is tough for me because I enjoy drawing and can overwork the drawing.

When I first started this portrait I was just going to sketch the head and neck but then decided to include the hands, arms and shoulders. You can see were I changed my mind, there's a large light quick sketch of the head on the right side. I did this because I liked the simple gesture of the hands and the fold from her blouse, plus it was more challenging.

I brought a friend with me to this session. She was a little nervous and claimed to be "a beginner". We are all beginners, I've been drawing for many years and I still have that quest/desire for becoming a better skilled draftsman. It was humbling watching my friend draw, her struggles of drawing from life were no different than mine. I gave her some tips for her drawing but the best advice was to simply draw, draw a lot, and enjoy the process.

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Little Bo Peep Portrait Sketch Study

Little Bo Peep modeled for the Saturday morning Al Hyter Portrait group. This is the new model for January, she has a collection of vintage clothing. It's fun and challenging to draw her portrait because of the sunhat she's wearing. I like the curves to the rim of the hat, adds a lot of depth to the drawing, and it fills the page.

Bo Peep will be modeling again at the next session. I'm looking forward to drawing another portrait.

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Saturday morning portrait artist: The Al Hyter Group

Last Saturday morning, we had a new model at the Al Hyter portrait group.  Her name is Meti and she's from Ethiopia, Africa. Nice person, I enjoyed drawing her portrait.  Meti has beautiful bold eyes, nose, lips, great for portrait drawing.  We especially liked the way Meti draped a yellow shawl over her head, it adds more depth, visual texture.

I created this slide show so you can see the artists that attend the portrait sessions. They are a great bunch! Notice the intense concentration.  I think this is one of the reasons why we attend, it helps us produce good work.

Portrait Drawing: White Bearded Man

Another good Saturday morning portrait drawing session at the Al Hyter portrait group.  This model is great, he can really hold his pose well. This time around the hair on his head was a little wild, it was great for drawing: added more depth, shape, and emotion!

This drawing session was fun, I was giving tips to fellow artists on their drawings.  It's always good for me to hear myself share my views, knowledge, and techniques with others. There is so much thought I put into a portrait drawing that I'm not aware of until I start talking to others.

Here's something I do with almost all my portraits:  I like positioning my drawing pad in landscape to draw a portrait. I like a lot of white space (negative space) on both sides of the portrait drawing, it's what gives depth to the piece.

Portrait Study: Young Man & Hat

I haven't been drawing in a long time. I had a dry spell.  I get that sometimes, good or bad I don't know. When I look back at my drawings I say to myself, "Wow! Those are nice sketches! Did I do that?" It's a weird feeling.  Perhaps its good to step away from my art for a while, it's a humbling feeling when I return. 

I haven't gone portrait drawing in a long time, finally had a Saturday morning off from my part time job. It felt good to visit the Al Hyter portrait drawing group in Toledo, Ohio. I was a little rusty with my technique at first, but after a couple of drawings, I warmed up and I felt comfortable with my medium and was having fun sketching.