Sketch for a commission

6"x8"

Oil on Canvas Panel

NFS

This is a color sketch I did today for a commission I'm going to be doing, mainly to see if the color is accurate for the horse and the car. The proportions need work--it seemed hard to get them right when the objects were so little--I'm glad the final painting will be larger!

"Nathaniel" #24 in a series of 50 faces

image: 6"x6"

graphite on bristol board

This is Nathaniel, my grandson. I wish I knew how to show the creaminess of his child's skin with my pencils! Speaking of pencils, I received a note from someone wondering if these drawings were all midtones as there aren't alot of deep darks that show up here. I am using 2B, 4B and an ebony pencil, so I am not getting a full range of values. In some of the other drawings I do, I use black color pencils because I love deep blacks. Also, I've mentioned before that I do think that these all appear a little lighter than in reality. I haven't been able to get either photos or scans that show the subtleties and the range of values I see in the originals. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be glad to try them!