Part 4 Project 6 Ex 3 Portrait with no reference

A portrait without a reference.

I haven't been looking forward to this exercise so my mindset wasn't good even before I picked up my pencils.  I didn't see how I could conjure up a portrait from either my memory or my imagination.

I made a dreadful attempt with my pens and it is the first time I have not published a piece of work.

To cut a sad story short this is the drawing I did.

I had no reference to look at so where is the light coming from?  The portrait seems to have no bone structure - no wonder it didn't exist.  The eyes are without soul.  And the awful thing is I don't know what I could have done differently.

What I wrote in my sketchbook is

I've hated every minute of this - it looks completely dead.  The references I usually use didn't exist so nothing hangs together.  It means nothing - and means nothing to me.  I spent as little time on it as I could manage.  It is the hardest thing I have done on this course.  I think it's a well made point!

Not very positive and I don't usually back off if something is tough.

It is however, very thought provoking:

• I had to rely on my new gained knowledge without any aide memoire
• I had to imagine where the light source was coming from then interpret it
• I had no sign posts - I couldn't see the bone structure
• the eyes are so vital to personality 
• artists tend to work from life for a very good reason
• does an artist need to know who is being drawn or just see them?  The latter I think.

I know I should try again and maybe make a plan of what I want to do rather than let it just happen. Right now I don't have the will to tackle it but if i change my mine I'll be back.

10 days later.....

I'm not sure whether it's in the spirit of the exercise but I decided to have someone I love in mind when I drew another portrait without a reference.  I drew my happy go lucky granddaughter, Esme. First I looked at some photos of her and tried to capture her fundamental spirit in my mind before I drew.  What I've ended up with is someone who could be Esme in a year or two but with her current zest for life (she's 4)

I did this drawing again a week or so later (after using pastels for my Assignment).  I used my usual selection of pastels on water colour paper beginning with a light sketch to position things.  I was disappointed with the way the pastel seemed to "clump" when I blended it so I won't be using it again.

Esme in pastel

This is a better likeness but it doesn't quite capture the mischief that is essentially Esme.