# Marilyn Monroe



## lovetowrite

My second stab at drawing a human face. 

View attachment 1571


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## garza

lovetowrite - What kind of pencils are you using, and what kind of paper? I sketch a lot using charcoal pencil and powder on butcher paper which works good for me. If you look in the various issues of the Newsletter you'll see some of my sketches, most of them with water colour added. 

What have you done besides faces?


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## lovetowrite

I'm using sketch paper and charcoal pencils. Looking into buying some Willow soft charcoals, for better shading. 

I am predominantly an animal sketch artist.  Equine, mainly, but I've also done some fantasy too.


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## garza

I like powder for shading. Here's one I did a few months ago.


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## lovetowrite

Wow! That's really good! :O 

where do you get the powder?


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## Gumby

I love to sketch too. I usually use graphite pencils and a lightweight paper. I've never used powder, would be interested to hear about it garza.


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## garza

Mostly I buy from a little crafts supply shop in Chetumal. 

The powder is tricky to start, but once you get used to it you can do finer shading and control contrast better than with a pencil. Angél has freckles on his cheeks and nose. To get the right contrast between the shadow on his cheek and the freckles I used the powder first for the shadow area then a soft pencil for the freckles. He sat in bright sunlight, which wiped out the freckles on his right cheek and almost wiped them out on his nose. I rescued the ones on his nose with a soft pencil. The shading under his chin would have been difficult, for me at least, with a pencil. As with many things, choice of weapons is mostly what you are most comfortable working with.

Usually I do a preliminary sketch with graphite, then go over it with charcoal. I also cheat. Sometimes when I've finished a sketch, but I'm not really happy with it, I'll scan it in and work on it with Gimp. I don't make any major changes, but do a bit of minor editing. And sometimes I use a combination of graphite, charcoal, and water colour to produce a picture that resembles a photo. There is a picture of the National Assembly Building in Belmopan in one of the Newsletters produced that way. 

Then I'll turn the tables and turn a photo into something that looks like a painting. In the December issue the picture 'Los Tres Vaqueros Perdidos' is a hybrid. It started as a photo, I processed it to get a basic painterly quality, printed it out, added charcoal and water colour, scanned it back in, and did a bit more with Gimp. A purist would say, 'either use the photo or make a drawing'. I say I do whatever I need to do to get the picture to look the way I want it to look. If that's heresy, so be it.

Now, lovetowrite, let us see some more of your work.


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## lovetowrite

Okay, but please dont laugh.


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## Gumby

Very nice, you have a good artistic eye.  I love the colors on the winged horse.


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## garza

I like the shadow effect on the chair. That's very good - I can't do that with pencil. That's where I pick up the brush and use powder. The pointilist technique on the dragon is excellent. It lifts the drawing out of the ordinary.

You do good work. Thank you very much for sharing with us.


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## Sync

I used to draw with pencil, sometimes charcoal, but found my love is for carving stone and wood, maybe its because my hands are upon it, I am unsure

nice drawings everyone who posted them.

Sync


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## lovetowrite

You're welcome.  

For the chair, I used Charcoal pastels. 

But my favored medium is a set of charcoal pencils, to sketch with.  Like I said, people are a new thing that I'm doing.  I'm used to still lifes, and animals, fantasy, etc.  So I figured I would try to expand my horizons to faces.  Well, mainly since I put my foot in my mouth and promised my friend I would do a portrait of her favorite actor for her.


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## Sync

I started doing that, carving dream sticks and figurines for a few and then a few more, and then, urgh...its a fine line between enjoyment and commitments when it comes to art. having to 'do it' vice 'just the mood'

Nice of you to do this for your friend.


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## lovetowrite

Exactly. 

When people get to be demanding and you feel rushed, it doesnt feel like your passion anymore.  It feels like a chore.  It's not fun anymore.


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## Gumby

That is exactly how I feel too. I love to draw, but it has to be something I'm passionate about, or something that has made my fingers itch. I took about a 20 yr. break from drawing because of life interfering, then took it up again about a year ago. To date my favorite drawings have been of my grandchildren, it's not easy to capture that personality on paper. Here is one I did of my grandaughter Mia, last year. 


View attachment 1572


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## Sync

Very nice, this is. As you said, the character of the child can be seen easily.

thanks for sharing


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## lovetowrite

I think you captured the emotion really well.  It's nice!


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## garza

Gumby - Now I'm sorry I posted the sketch of Angél. Your drawing of your grand daughter makes my sketches look like hen scratches. That's beautiful work.


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## Gumby

Thank you both, she's a mischievous little monkey.


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## lovetowrite

View attachment 1574


work in progress.


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## Gumby

Nice, lovetowrite. I'd love to see the progression on this one.

garza, I've just seen your comment above. Thank you for the compliment, you're very kind. I have a brother who can draw unbelievably well, I would call him genius in his capability. Compared to him, I come off _very _poorly.


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## lovetowrite

Thanks, I'll definitely update with pictures. 

And pish, posh.  Yours are good enough.  I like them at any rate, they make mine look like chicken scratch lol


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