I first do several compositional sketches, drawing from photographs taken of the subject.
Then I do a rough pencil drawing on tracing paper directly over the previous sketch to establish the final gray and black tones.
I trace the previous drawing onto a piece of illustration board.
Using a technical pen I draw the basic outline.
Gradually I add the various tones using the photographs as reference.
7 comments:
Harry,I've noticed that in your ink drawings you always seem to be looking for a pattern, an area of black or some element to activate the design,is that so?
Hi Steve,
Yes, I'm very interested in design and tend to lean towards creating a pattern or design element in most of the illustrations and paintings that I create. To me it is a way to create more interest in a scene.
Harry
Hi Harry,
Could you explain again step 3? How does one trace a drawing onto an illustration board?
I never really got how you did it when I was reading your books. I know from memory that you had a Volanta Vu-Lite projector. Was that how? Or is there another technique that doesn't use a projector?
Hi Vince,
If I had done this drawing today I would have projected the image onto the illustration board with my Beseler projection. This was drawn quite a few years ago when I used to use Graphite tracing sheet to transfer images. The sheet was made by rubbing a graphite stick onto a sheet of tracing paper, then smoothed out by rubbing over with a cloth and Bestine. Projecting images is much easier and less messy. You can also project your reference photo, which was a common practice in the business.
Harry
I really like the way you leave the viewer to fill in the blanks.You see so much illustration that seems to think the ability to copy a photo is the pinnacle of skill.
Hi Steve,
I totally agree with you, an artist should not merely copy a photo but should try to add something to the image, perhaps a design element or even color variations when painting.
Harry
Nice,nice,nice.
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