Doug Brock Studio

Mitzi drawing - framed, with real Mitzi and owner

2009-04-29T14:28:00.002-05:00

I love it when people send me a photo of the framed drawing. This photo is great because it also includes Mitzi and her owner! Thank you!

Back to work on "Andi - Sunflower"

2009-04-12T21:01:00.003-05:00

I had already put quite a bit of work into this drawing but set it aside after I wore myself out on the square miles of hair (and it didn't help that this was a larger drawing, 11x14). Sometime while working on two other drawings, I had a "duh" moment about Sunflower and realized that, since I was working from a scanned photo, I could increase the contrast and make it easier to find my way through the hair. After a couple of hours back on the drawing, I have to say that the increased contrast helps a LOT. Back to work!

Mitzi - finished!

2009-04-07T22:01:00.001-05:00

Done!

Mitzi - darker blanket and recliner, start of Mitzi's fur

2009-03-29T19:27:00.004-05:00

I added graphite to the blanket, especially in the upper area where the blanket needs to recede into the background a bit. I also darkened the recliner some more.

I began Mitzi's ears, her face, and her body. The front legs are a swirl of fur and will be interesting.

Mitzi is starting to peek out of the drawing!

Mitzi - blanket and recliner

2009-03-29T19:14:00.002-05:00

Because of Mitzi's light fur, the dark items around her are critical to make her show up in the pencil drawing. The blue blanket is the darkest and will provide the most contrast. The material of the recliner is not nearly as dark and might need to be exaggerated a bit to not get lost against the light fur.

I also added the outline of the dog tag and ring.

Mitzi - first shadows

2009-03-29T19:05:00.003-05:00

After lightly sketching in the primary parts of the drawing, I start the main parts of the face. With Mitzi, that means the eyes and nose. The eyes were a challenge because of the reflection of the flash in the presumably black pupils. I thought about filling in the pupils, and a quick scan of images of Miniature Schnauzers on on the Internet wasn't any help. None of the dogs had big open eyes like Mitzi's. So, when in doubt, draw it like the photo!

The next step is to find the darkest parts of the drawing to establish the darkest range of the drawing. There are fewer dark parts for this drawing than I had originally thought.

Sweetest Kiss - Presented!

2009-03-28T18:24:00.009-05:00

It is so nice when people are able to send photos of the drawing once it has been framed. It is especially nice when the photos include the drawing AND the person who received the drawing. (By the way, the small photos in the frame above the drawing are of Bobbie's parents.)

Thanks, Patty!

Daddy's Boots - Finished!

2009-03-26T21:52:00.002-05:00

The signature is on, my web site is updated, and the drawing is packaged for mailing!

The client has decided to frame the 9x12 drawing in an 11x14 frame without a mat. I'm eager to see the result!

Next drawing - "Mitzi"

2009-03-25T21:20:00.005-05:00

I'm pleased to finally get to this drawing. Such a cute Miniature Schnauzer and a VERY sharply focused photo to work from. I can enlarge the photo and see wonderful detail.

The light hair would normally be a problem for graphite pencil, but the blanket behind Mitzi provides nice contrast and gives me a very crisp shadow to the left of the face and both ears. I love those dark shadows because they help lift the drawing off the page.

I taped fresh paper to a drawing board and am ready to get to work tomorrow!

(I just received a bit more info about Mitzi...)
"Every night after 8 pm, if she does not get her bone to work on for a few minutes, she is very aggressive to us, shoestrings, pantlegs, etc. She just turned 3 and has toys all over the house. She will work on bringing a pile of toys to you, hoping that someone will throw or tug a few with her."

:)

Daddy's Boots - early study and current version of drawing

2009-03-24T21:56:00.006-05:00

Here's an early study with Charlie and boots against a plain background, the way I like to place subjects. Even with more shading, I couldn't see the subject working well. I tried studies with the shirt darker, a simple dark shaded background (though not so simple, with graphite), and with the tree and part of the house but leaving the driveway white so the boots will get great contrast. I ended up using the last option and am pleased with how it is working.

Getting close!

New drawing - Charlie in "Daddy's Boots"

2009-03-24T21:31:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, I received a commission to draw this photo. Charlie was 3 years old when he went into the garage, supposedly to get a ball. He came out wearing a big smile and his daddy's boots.

I've been quite tangled in drawing the hair for Andi's drawing, so thought I could, with some good hard work, whip out this drawing over the weekend. Wrong!

I do like clean simple drawings, especially of kids, but a prelimary study of this drawing showed that Charlie's head, hair, and shirt would be lost on the white paper. I did a couple of other studies to try to find other ways to handle this drawing (including pretending that the shirt was darker, as if it were blue) but ended up compromising. I drew the step, bush and garage, but left the asphalt area as white so I got the clean background for the boots, but the bush and garage give me nice contrast with the face and shirt.

I can't seem to get photos of the drawings situated in the right place in this blog (the drawings kept jumping ahead of the original photo), so I'll save this first blog entry, then make another entry with a couple of photos of the drawings.

Next drawing - Andi, "Sunflower"

2009-03-15T21:50:00.005-05:00

Andi is a very creative high school sophomore who loves sunflowers, hence the sunflower in her hair and her title for this photo, which she took of herself by the way.

The photo is high resolution, so the face should be pretty easy. The hair, though... That will be where the work is!

This drawing will be 11x14.

New drawing table

2009-03-15T20:05:00.006-05:00

I finally gave up on my beautiful wooden lap desk - I've been doing some larger drawings and the lap desk just couldn't handle it. (I did love the wood, and I drew a lot of pictures on that lap desk.) I looked for drawing tables that could accommodate my computer equipment, but didn't like most of the solutions, and didn't want to spend the bucks (over $1000) for a couple that might have worked. I finally decided to buy a regular drawing table and situate it next to my existing computer desk. Cost wasn't too bad (a bit over $100 on sale at Hobby Lobby) but was solid and had adjustable height.

I'm not attaching the drawing directly to the drawing table since I tend to have more than one drawing in work at any one time. I retired my old store-bought drawing boards because they wasted so much space. I didn't use the metal clamps to hold my paper because they scar the paper unless I put more paper under the clamp. And then the clamp would get in my way. The boards also have a hole cut out as a hand hold. I couldn't use that part of the drawing board either. Too much wasted space, so I went to the hardware store and had two boards cut out - one 11x14 (for 9x12 drawings - one inch border on each side) and one 13x16 (for 11x14 drawings). So far I greatly prefer these boards and they only cost about a buck each. I'll probably buy a couple more when I get the chance.

Sweetest Kiss - Finished!

2009-03-10T22:12:00.003-05:00

I think this took about seven pounds of graphite! (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it took lots of pencil.) I'm pleased with the results of what was a difficult project.

I matted the drawing this evening and will send it to Patty tomorrow. I do hope she likes it. I understand that she may try to wait until Mother's Day to give the drawing to her mother. I HATE waiting! :)

Sweetest Kiss - all elements in place

2009-02-24T22:21:00.005-06:00

I seem to have all the basics in place.

I went back over the sweater and fur coat with the 0.3 mm mechanical pencil to try to force more graphite onto the paper. I have roughed in the hair on both subjects, placed the light-drenched window components, and filled in the glasses (I like to wait toward the end of the drawing for the glass.). I blended the faces and deepened the shadows of the darker areas of the skin.

Next will be a day or two of fine tuning across the entire drawing. When I think I'm getting close, I'll copy the drawing on the flat-bed scanner and take the copy to work. It is amazing the little problems that suddenly show up under the bright office fluorescent lights.

The end is in sight!

Sweetest Kiss - Lots of graphite

2009-02-22T13:22:00.002-06:00

I've been laying down lots of graphite, on the walls as well as on the clothing. I have roughed in the fur coat, but it still needs lots of blending and more graphite. The clothes will need to have about as much graphite as I can get to stick to the paper. Dark, dark, dark. Some artists, when working with pencil, like using charcoal or similar media for these darkest parts, but I don't like the way the charcoal sits with the other graphite in other parts of the drawing (I have to admit that charcoal PHOTOGRAPHS very nicely in a graphite drawing, but I don't like it in my own drawings.).

The fur coat was blocked out with a 4B pencil for the darkest section, and then I used my mechanical pencil (HB) and tiny swirls to give texture where needed.

After blending the fur coat, I will darken the sweater some more, then add the parts of the window that are being so interestingly distorted by the light. Then more work on the hair and skin.

My confidence is starting to grow on being able to handle this drawing!

Next drawing - "The Sweetest Kiss"

2009-02-21T11:08:00.010-06:00

Above is the original photo and the drawing in a very early stage.

This very sweet and deeply sentimental photo was taken by the couple's daughter at the hospital a few weeks before the man died.

The drawing will be an interesting and difficult challenge. Well, LOTS of challenges. I'm not certain that the drawing will work, but I enjoy challenges and this drawing certainly is one.

First off, I'm going with a non-standard paper size - 9x10.5, due to the layout of the subjects. I don't want as much of the ceiling in the drawing, but I do want the full width of the photo. The non-standard size won't be a problem for framing since I do mat the drawings to fit a standard 11x14 or 16x20 frame.

I love the drama of the light behind their heads, but the faces are in shadow with soft indistinct edges. Since I don't have color to differentiate the faces from the light, I'll have to draw the faces darker than I prefer in order for the light source to stand out. I also like white backgrounds, but I'll need to draw the hospital wall, again so that the light will stand out. The white hair is another challenge, since I don't have colors to separate the hair from the skin.

The couple are wearing a dark sweater and a dark fur coat. These too are going to be interesting. The final drawing will need to have some lighter shades of dark in the clothes, but should be quite dark overall. Lots of graphite to apply! The fur coat has an interesting texture that precludes quick work. Subtle and soft edges are also seen in parts of the fur.

In this very early stage of the drawing, I have just begun to rough in the shades. There will be a steady cycle of darkening and defining. I roughed in the shape of the sweater and have already gone through about three stages of darkening the faces. I'll stop pretty quick on the faces and wait until I get the window and wall defined to help me figure out the appropriate darkness of the faces. I'm waiting on the fur coat because of the complicated texture. I'll probably do that next, as it too will help me determine balance of shading for the whole drawing.

LOTS of work ahead! :)

M & K - Done!

2009-02-18T20:50:00.004-06:00

I usually scan my drawings to post here and on my web site, but due to time constraints, I had to mat and frame this drawing immediately and was forced to use a photo of the drawing. The photo isn't quite as satisfying as a scan, but you do get to see what the mat looks like against the drawing.

Now on to the next drawing! Unfortunately I'm getting quite a bit behind. Fortunately, not many drawings are as complex as this one was.

M & K - Trees

2009-02-15T22:24:00.005-06:00

I'm getting close to done with the first pass on this drawing. Still need to shade a few snow drifts. The trees in the middle and on the right were pretty easy; the trees on the left were a lot more work. This gets to the question of how detailed secondary features should be. I could have left this group of branches and trees out altogether and pretended that the tree line continued in the distance, especially since these closeup trees have the possibility of being a distraction. On the other hand, I enjoy the complexity that such an object (or group of objects) brings. I usually find the complexity in hair or fur, but this time it is trees. One difficulty specific to this drawing is how to keep the mountains behind these trees distinct from the trees. No easy answer there, since I don't have green and blue in my graphite pencils.

I'll let this collection of trees sit for a day, then come back to them tomorrow and start darkening and blending areas to help the components become less obtrusive. I don't want to lose all detail, but I do want the details to have a narrower dynamic range. Then the trees won't take more than their share of attention, but can also be a fun detail to examine.

I am about ready to begin the next stage on this drawing, which is going back and refining details, shadows, and highlights. I'll begin blending with a tortillon (a tightly wound paper stick used for blending. I never user fingers to blend, as fingers have damaging oils. I make every effort to never touch the surface of the drawing paper with my skin.), and then go back and refine edges and details again. It is a slow process, but that's how I draw!

I'm running out of time on this drawing and am trying to finish it within a few more days. No pressure!

M & K - Mountains

2009-02-10T12:01:00.004-06:00

I have sketched in K's jeans (and furry boots - I had forgotten about those) and her sleeve and now have begun working on the mountains.

I haven't drawn any other portraits that included included mountains and was looking forward to the challenge. The difficulty here appears to be how to make the snow look like snow. The snow isn't piled up at the tops but is all over the mountains. With only shades of gray, I'm not sure how much the snow will look like snow and how much it will just look like more rock.

I am approaching the mountains the same way I approach any portrait: I use the light 2H to start defining large shadows and light areas, and use the 0.3 HB to define sharp edges and dark details. As the mountain fills in, I am going back and trying to balance the light shadows and the dark details, looking for mid-range levels of dark. No magic in the process - just slow focus on small area by small area, balanced by stepping back to look at the big picture.

Mountains. Portrait drawing presents continual challenges, with every drawing presenting new and interesting difficulties, though few as massive as these mountains! One sure doesn't have to worry about complacency or boredom (self-doubt, YES! "I can't do this," is an occasional but regular voice in my ear, especially on these more complicated drawings.).

After I get the mountains roughed in, I'll begin on the trees - both those at a distance as well as those close-up trees on the left side of the drawing. Another challenge!

Progress on M & K

2009-02-08T00:50:00.003-06:00

I've about finished the basics on the people, M & K. I'm just beginning to work on K's jeans and need to add the shadows on her sleeve. As I begin each new section, I keep going back and adjusting other little details as I compare the drawing to the photo. Each part of the drawing gets refined many times during the early stages of the drawing. Darks get more and more graphite. Mid-tones get additional graphite, too, as I try to find a satisfactory balance. Once I get the shadows in place, I start working on details like zippers and buttons and reflections and refractions in glasses.

I don't particularly like drawing glasses, since by design they bend light to match the subject's particular eye problems. That means that the details behind the glasses are going to be distorted to some degree. Oh well, people tend to wear glasses, so I have to draw glasses.

I should begin the mountains, trees and snow tomorrow.

One part of my drawing process involves taking digital photos each day. I like to take the camera away from the drawing board and look for balance in shading, details that don't look quite right, and so forth. Sometimes problems in the drawing are apparent in the photo, even though I couldn't see it in the drawing. And I do allow myself to enjoy the progress I've made. I like clicking through various photos of the drawing and watching the drawing come together.

End of 14x17 experiment on drawing of M & K at Yellowstone!

2009-01-27T22:37:00.004-06:00

Well, that didn't take long! I liked the 14x17 size, but my work space just isn't big enough to gracefully accommodate that larger drawing board. I taped up an 11x14 Bristol smooth on the smaller drawing board and sat down to work. I swear that I almost heard my pencil say "Ahhh" when it touched the paper. I love that smooth surface.

The 11x14 format still feels spacious compared to the 9x12 that I'm used to.

New drawing - M & K at Yellowstone

2009-01-27T20:26:00.006-06:00

I had to put the drawing of Misty and Raggedy Ann on the shelf to work on this new drawing, which is being commissioned as a wedding present and is needed in February.

I was pleased when I saw the photo. Great contrast, fun pose, and the mountains in the background are gorgeous. The client, a friend of the couple, took the photo and has an incredible number of amazing photos from this snow-boarding trip.

I usually draw on 9x12 paper, but this photo suggested a larger drawing, maybe 11x14. The more I looked at the photo, the more I wanted a larger drawing; I decided to try 14x17, which will still work with the same 16x20 frame, though with a narrow mat.

I have sketched the basic image but am not sure about the paper. I like Strathmore Bristol smooth, which comes in 9x12 and 11x14 at 100 pound weight. Strathmore's 14x17 stock has a rougher surface and is a lighter 70 pound stock. Hmmm. I'm soldiering on with the stock just because I like the larger size, but am not ruling out restarting with 11x14 if the rougher surface gets in the way too much. [correction: The place I usually buy art supplies only carried 9x12 and 11x14 in Bristol smooth. I even went out and searched Blick's site and didn't find a larger Bristol. I was at Hobby Lobby yesterday and, what do you know, there was 14x17 Bristol smooth 100 pound on the shelf!]

The larger paper also requires a larger drawing board. The board, 25x22, is also turning out to be a problem. It doesn't fit on my desk or under my lamp nearly as well as the 13x17 I'm used to. If I decide to do many larger drawings, I'll need to consider a larger desk.

Beginning a new drawing - Misty with Raggedy Ann

2009-01-20T19:47:00.009-06:00

This is a photo I love but will not be the easiest of drawings. I like white, clean backgrounds in my drawings, but sometimes, as in this drawing, a dark background just seems to be a better choice. Notice the pig tail that is partially lost in shadow? That will be interesting to draw with a dark background. SO, that means lots of graphite and time is going into this drawing!

Drawing this sort of photo also begs the question of how much of the appeal of the picture is from the vivid colors of the eyes, dress and doll. I love the clean lines of Misty's face and features and the flash has provided some intense shadows that can give depth to the drawing. Got to try it as a graphite drawing.

To work!

The paper is 9x12 Strathmore Bristol smooth and is taped down on all four sides using low tack artists tape. For a drawing with white background, I may only tape down two sides.

After lightly sketching in the rough outlines of the various objects, I begin most portraits at the eyes. Besides being the focus of the drawing, the eyes (the pupils, actually) let me establish the darkest value in the drawing. (I draw most of the edges and the dark areas with a 0.3 mm mechanical pencil with an HD lead. For the early shading, I use a 2H and HB in 2.0 mm lead holders.) I then begin lightly sketching and shading other features of the face. If the face features look like their heading in the right direction, I continue defining and shading the major parts of the rest of the drawing. I put lots of graphite into other dark areas which will give me one end of the range of values from white to black that will be used in the rest of the drawing. In this drawing, you can see that I've started drawing the deep blacks by the neck and around Raggedy Ann's hand and hair.

I love this phase of the drawing process. Even though the drawing is just starting to take shape, those first shadows make the portrait seem to pop out of the paper right before my eyes, like some sort of magic. I love it!

Trying out Aquarelle Arches watercolor paper for drawing

2009-01-19T22:21:00.003-06:00

A graphite pencil artist HIGHLY recommended the 140 pound, hot pressed Arches watercolor paper because it took graphite so well and permitted very deep blacks. I've liked my 100 pound Strathmore Bristol smooth well enough, but thought I'd give the Arches a try. List price was $50 for a block of 20 sheets, but Blick has it for a bit under $30. Not a cheap experiment, but if it is great for drawing...

I drew the portrait of Karen on the Arches. My conclusion: the paper isn't for me! It did hold the graphite well, but the blacks didn't seem any better than what I managed with the Bristol. Unfortunately, the Arches didn't allow a clean erasure either. I erase as little as possible, but I do occasionally clean up an edge or enhance a highlight with an eraser. Couldn't do that with the Arches.

A second thing I didn't like was that the Arches shows a weave sort of like canvas under the graphite. Not a bad look in itself, but I prefer making my own textures when I want them.

So, I have a nice block of 19 sheets of Arches. Maybe I'll do watercolor some day.

Brady - hardhat, sunglasses and doll - FINISHED!

2009-01-18T16:50:00.003-06:00

This drawing took longer than perhaps any of my other drawing so far, not because it was all that difficult, but because a couple of other drawings interrupted! I was always glad to get back to this drawing, but I'm glad to finally have it finished, too. Brady, if nothing else, has an enthusiasm for life that he showed in this picture and that he continues to display with every venture.

Karen

2009-01-04T19:16:00.011-06:00

Here's another drawing I'm working on. The photo is brightly lit providing relatively few shadows to define the facial features. Less of a problem with colored media, but with graphite pencils, I need those shadows! I usually expand the contrasts in the drawing, but for me, doing so with women's faces has resulted in a "dirty face" look that I don't like. For this photo, I do try to emphasize the dark areas in other parts of the drawing but actually lighten the face up a bit.

I'm currently working on the hair. I haven't decided how much of the black hoodie to draw. I guess I'll figure that out when I get there.

Brady - hardhat, sunglasses, and doll

2008-12-27T23:24:00.005-06:00

Here's a drawing I really am enjoying. I hope to finish it during the Christmas break.

I was worried that the drawing would lose too much by not having the intense yellows of the hardhat and sunglasses, but I think it will work out in graphite anyway. I can't look at the original photo or this drawing without smiling. That's actually a nice way to work - with a smile on your face!

Drawing and technology

2008-12-27T21:24:00.003-06:00

One of the reasons I love drawing is because it is so low tech - pushing a piece of graphite lead across a sheet of paper. But then, irony of ironies, technology stomps right into the middle of the stage.

To show the drawing on a web site, you need to get an electronic image using a camera or a scanner. And in either case you end up needing to use photo editing software like GIMP or Photoshop Elements to change size and resolution of the images as well as to try to compensate for limitations of the photo or scanning process. Got to work on white balance if you're using a camera, and scanners filter out a bit of the low end to make the whites appear crisper, so you have to try to shift levels to bring back some of the balance. And then you discover that there's a fairly wide range of monitors out there. Your average laptop is going to be a lot dimmer than the average desktop LCD, so what looks good on one won't look right on the other. Compromises, and again you're spending more time NOT drawing.

And then there's the web site! Want to draw? Then here's your HTML book!

What about a blog? You probably need a blog. More non-drawing time!

Fun, fun, fun... Sigh. Now where's my pencil?

Sue and Stephanie

2008-12-27T14:30:00.005-06:00

I finished a drawing of Sue and Stephanie last week. The original photo included other people, but Stephanie wanted the drawing to show her and her mother side by side (Sue is in the denim jacket, Stephanie in the pink blouse.) I do like drawing denim!

The drawing was commissioned as a Christmas present for Sue.

Subjects with bright backgrounds and faces in shadow aren't ideal for drawing, but such photos are common. In drawing such subjects, I expand the contrasts to emphasize highlights that do exist on the subjects.

Strong glasses are another interesting complication. Too literal a rendering can look wrong, but trying too hard to minimize the reality of the prescription can look wrong, too! I love contact lenses! :)