Comments on: Line and Wash – Portraiture Part 1

By: Gaelle Vallee-Tourangeau

Gaelle Vallee-Tourangeau — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 16:46:14 +0000

I really enjoyed this lesson

By: matt

matt — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 12:48:18 +0000

In reply to Mary Howe. Hi Mary, Yes, tracing is controversial, but it has a rich history in art. Cheating happens in test taking, sports and games, taxes, and in personal relationships. But "cheating" is a little less clear in art. Although we transferred the contour lines, we still had to draw the image with ink and paint it with watercolor. Here's a link to a post that may help...https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/is-it-ok-to-trace-in-art

By: Mary Howe

Mary Howe — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 04:51:21 +0000

I have been hesitant to attempt a portrait because I’m just too hard on myself. I appreciate you allowing us to “trace” the contour lines of the subject to create our art.

What is your true feeling on tracing an image for a portrait drawing/ painting?

Even if we create a phenomenal piece of art, aren’t we still cheating???

By: carole thomas

carole thomas — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 16:15:51 +0000

In reply to Merry Dang. I use different types of graphite paper although some are easier to erase than others (not so much).

By: carole thomas

carole thomas — Sun, 02 Aug 2020 16:13:06 +0000

You did a great job of showing how to ink in a man’s short hair. How would i do a woman’s? Or someone with LONG hair?

By: Merry Dang

Merry Dang — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 16:49:01 +0000

Thank you so much for that tip about how to transfer the reference photo onto paper! Such a time saver and so brilliant. I wish I found this sooner.

By: matt

matt — Wed, 29 May 2019 17:25:10 +0000

In reply to Mary Benton. Hi Mary, Yes, if the hair was white, I would have added some contrast in the background to make it pop out. I probably would have simply brought the blue up a little higher.

By: Mary Benton

Mary Benton — Thu, 23 May 2019 02:00:16 +0000

Hi Matt,
This was beautifully executed and wonderfully taught. Question: what would you have done if the subject had had solid white hair? Although there would inevitably be some subtle changes in value with shadows between strands of hair, too much marking would make it look no longer white. Also if some of the hair’s contours are only visible against a somewhat darker background, would you have drawn in the background to create the contrast? Thanks.