June week 4: The monthly exercise

This week there is no weekly challenge - instead it is time to work on the monthly exercise: "Illustrate a scene from a favourite book".

Rest Time

This is from 'briankosena's photostream' on flickr. He explains that although the children had been brought in for a rest, this little girl didn't seem to need one.

She is resting her head against her arm and the grid pattern is her uniform, which isn't quite accurate.

Her ears aren't quite right and her nose and mouth are slightly too far to the left but I'd already spent 40 minutes on it. (Great exercise, Gry: thanks.)

Derwent 'Onyx Medium' and 'Onyx Dark' on Goldline cartridge paper; 4x4".

June week 3: Aging

Find a picture of a young(ish) person and make a quick portrait sketch. Try to use to add age to the drawing, using what you have learnt from the last two exercises.

Maccydees Lady

Not wanting to waste any more time, I also went to Flickr and found this lady. (There was an interesting story attached.) Her face was actually wider, her head at more of an angle and her expression more 'knowing' but I've run out of time.

This lady does not have that many lines so doing the drawing made me focus on the identifiers that make a person look 'old': grey hair, lines, loose skin, large ears, liver spots, a bent frame and, oftentimes, a wise expression. (Gry mentioned some others in her post.)

(Medium Derwent Onyx on A6 copy paper.)

Aged

I made this drawing from a picture on Flickr. I wish I had time to draw more faces, but I only had time to make three - this one is the best.

I am fascinated by the way our faces change with age, the way it shows the life we have led. It is more than just wrinkles. The skin sags which changes the expression of the face, especially the eyes. Skin, hair and lips get paler, which can make the colour of the eyes the more striking. The nose and ears continue to grow throughout life. I chose a very aged face, but really the challenge is to draw faces at different ages.

What I want to do with the weekly challenges this month is to explore how to draw a person's age. It may seem only tie loosely with the monthly challenge, but it is a problem I have had when I have tried to illustrate scenes from books, so I thought it was worth working a bit with.

June week 2: Youth

I am continuing the theme of drawing different ages - it something that many artists struggle with. This week the challenge to make a drawing of a young child or infant. Again it can be from imagination or reference.

Interim Illustration - Live Painting at LCF

Apologies - this is not an 'old face' but it is what has consumed me and some of the LCF Creative Arts Team for the past week - and it is an actual 'illustration'.
The text is from Galations 5:22-23: "... the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." Seven of us worked on this one. We painted the trunk and leaves ready for the 'live painting' event this morning. I painted the oranges last night before it was mounted on the wall as it would be difficult to reach once it was up and so I had time to focus on writing the words. One of the artists used steps to paint the grapes. Each of us had our own fruit to paint but, as I had painted the oranges last night, I simply wrote the related words beneath the fruit once each artist had finished painting.
It was great to work together while Alan was speaking and the audience reaction was fantastic - many people came onto the stage and photographed it after the meeting. Thanks everyone!
(Emulsion on 9 lengths of lining paper.) Now for an old face...