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Showing posts with the label Portraits

Five tips for a pencil portrait

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Originally published 12/26/15 ___________________________________________________ Since I have dedicated my attention to watercolor painting in the past several years, it has been a long while since I created a pencil portrait. Drawing skills, of course, are important to any painter - as you still have to transfer your design to the paper before painting. But, I haven't focused on pencil drawings as the final product for a long time. So, recently, when I was commissioned to do a pencil portrait for a Christmas gift, I thought I might break down the steps and tools that I prefer to use in the process and write a little blog post about it. Tip #1 : Use a grid. This is good for any drawing you are trying to recreate from a snapshot, but especially for portrait work. Make a copy of the picture you are using and draw a grid on the top. Then make a proportional grid (in light pencil marks) on the paper you are using in order to lay out the picture proportionally. This will be esp

FRIDAY FEATURE: Featured Artist ~ Catherine Darling Hostetter

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Here is a re-post of my  Friday Feature of whimsical artist  Catherine Darling Hostetter (first published 4/24/15). Enjoy! ______________________________________ I am trying a new thing with my blog that I am going to call FRIDAY FEATURE. These posts might include Top 10 lists, products/services I have found useful, or other art-related topics (beyond writing about my own art).  To start out, I am writing a series of features about artists I admire. My goal will also be to provide some personal input from each artist - though that might not prove to be possible in every case. But, I will try my best. With that, I welcome you to my inaugural FRIDAY FEATURE post...let's begin! Welcome to the wonderful, witty, and whimsical world of Catherine Darling Hostetter! "Adoggio" ©Catherine Darling Hostetter Catherine, a full-time artist from Midvale, UT, also happens to be a friend of mine (though I don't get to see her as often as I would like). A