18 October, 2012

Progress



This post was first published at Pastel Workshop in 2011.
I think this was a practical exercise from a text book.
Detail
Charcoal, Conte and White Chalk
@ 8" x 12"
Casey Klahn


Okay.  I fixed the eye placement and the lip.  It is fascinating how once good abilities can evade me after too many years out of practice.  Figures and heads require lots of practice, and then there's the art part, too.

This is done on newsprint.



9 comments:

Sonya Johnson said...

Oh, how I can relate to the abilities and lack of practice comment! I keep wondering if I can get my drawing skills back to the level they were 20+ years ago at their peak.

A nice little study, and certainly worthy of reposting. I especially like the way you handled her eyes.

Karin Goeppert and Kenneth Burns said...

It is interesting and different. I like it.
Did you put gesso or something onto the newspaper first?

Art Matters said...

Lovely contrast between the opaque chalk and conte and the transparent charcoal.

Celeste Bergin said...

Nicely done---it has a really nice quality

Casey Klahn said...

Hi, Sonya. It is good to foray back into the figure and the head. I am mostly happy with some of these, and very happy with a few.

Karin, thank you and no gesso. I ought to try that, though.

Hi, Carol! Thanks and I think technique may have saved me a little here.

Thank you, Celeste. I am reminded of your practice pieces that I love so much.

Ruth Andre said...

What a beauty. I am thinking no more newsprint. This is just too nice.

Casey Klahn said...

Thank you, Ruth. One interesting thing @ the newsprint is the character of the paper is so fragile - it adds to the work in the end.

Unknown said...

Your work is so good and so inspirational. I'm going to be taking a figure drawing workshop using nupastel on newsprint. I've never worked on such a flimsy paper before, why is that the preferred paper for this type of drawing? Just curious how it's going to go...

Casey Klahn said...

Thank you for the very kind comment, Katherine.

Newsprint? Let me enumerate just some random points @ this support.

1.) Cheap.
2.) The rag has a hand that is very soft, and I use the abrasive aspects to produce soft effects. Also subtlety.
2.) When I use Rives BFK, it has a similar response, so the newsprint is good practice.
4.) You can get it big.
5.) Back to the hand: NP is a joy to erase, and the effects of erasure, and of using rags and stomps/tortillions are wonderful.

Nupastel will be about the hardest tool you can use, so I'd be tempted to bring charcoal, too. See what the teacher says - I also really love chalk, Conte and graphite. I also use chamois clothes, Viva paper towels and tissues, paper stomps, erasers of all sorts, especially kneaded. Classical artists used bread, but I have yet to try that.

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