The Fine Art of Fitness

Finished. This portrait took 25 hours of work. It measures 24 inches wide and 18 inches tall (matted) and was done with a combination of acrylic, pencil and charcoal on Strathmore illustration board. I consider this a “medium-sized” piece which is a good scale for illustration board. I like that it accepts paint and graphite [...]

  The further I go, the slower progress is made. In the beginning steps, my pencil is carefree and bouncing along, throwing spontaneous lassoes around general shapes. As the work goes on, my attention becomes focused on details and my hand slows down. I’m processing the same amount of “information” but at a smaller and [...]

  Switching from eraser to pencil now. I like to start with the eyes because they are so important. If the eyes are not done successfully, then the whole portrait is a loss so I get them done right in the beginning. I might “warm up” a little on some obscure area of the drawing [...]

Next step is to pull out some highlights. Basically, I am erasing out some of the tone I had put down in order to lighten up the bright spots. This part of the process is rough and messy but the results look bright and clean. This is also where I start adding the first hints [...]

The next step is laying in the dark shadows. The exciting thing about this stage is that you get to see big changes very quickly. Even though there are no details, the composition of light and dark is essentially complete. Stand back far enough and you might believe it was finished. Don’t be fooled — [...]