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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 ~ Ian Ramsay

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Repblished. Original blog post published on 5/22/15 __________________________________ Ian Ramsay ~  "I love to paint scruffy farms." I'm so excited for this featured artist post! My husband and I are collectors of Ian Ramsay's work and, to date, own at least eight of his paintings. He has an incredible talent for luminosity and seeing beauty in the every day things that most people might take for granted. Kudos to my husband for making the first purchase! But, I too love Ian's work and enjoy looking at the paintings hanging in our home daily as well.  "Capestrano, Abruzzo, Italy"   ©Ian Ramsay. This painting  is presently at the High Country Summer  Exhibition  at Trailside Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY I was privileged to take a workshop with Ian about a year and a half ago. He was so open with teaching his technique for building layers of watercolor in order to achieve the beautiful painti