Double portrait update

S & S
Master line drawing 11 x 14
copyright Jeanette Jobson

I freed up this afternoon to dedicate to some drawing and completed the other half of the master line drawing for the double portrait that I started last week. This is a portrait of my eldest daughter and her fiance.

I draw freehand in 95% of my portraits, so often have to go back into my initial sketch to do some measurement of major facial features to make sure everything lines up and a reasonable likeness is achieved.

I use a large sketchpad to create the master line drawing as I spend time going over lines or correcting placement so in the end the paper can look a little scruffy at times. I also draw the values to use as guidelines so that I have a complete map of the lights and darks to use as I draw.

I always transfer my line drawing onto another sheet of paper, in this case, Bristol 400 11 x 14. I wanted a smooth paper but need some good darks in here and they aren't as easily achieved on the plate Bristol. I can then keep my master line drawing and use it in the future if I want to paint the same image or if perhaps my initial attempt doesn't work out as I want it too. Yes, its another step and a delay before I can reach the shading portion of work, but it pays off to take the extra time.

This scan is of the rough paper, not the transferred drawing and will be subject to minor changes as I go along. Just seeing it online lets me find areas that I need to tweak to get the likenesses that I want. And all those teeth will be a challenge to draw...