Tag: #drawings

Coloured Conceptions II

Cheemnonso20 Comments

It’s been over four years since I branched out to coloured pencil portraiture in my artistic journey, albeit inconsistently, and I must say it has been quite an experience.

Deterred by the duration of coloured pencil portraiture, most of my drawings (besides animations/cartoons) have been rendered in graphite pencils. However, I must say, that my recent drawing is causing me to reconsider things as I weigh the associated pros and cons.

Portrait of a smiling girl rendered on vellum paper using coloured pencils.

As mentioned in my first coloured portrait post, drawings executed using crayons and coloured pencils do require a sufficient deal of patience as one needs to account for every single hue gradation and the right colour blends to come up with a satisfactory result. On the flipside, results tend to be more visually appealing due to the vibrant colour spectrum available to the artist when compared to the limited range of monochromatic graphite pencils.

In addition to time constraints, coloured pencil portraiture is generally less lightfast (i.e. less resistant to fading over time upon exposure to light) when compared to graphite pencil portraiture. So you may ask, “Why should I invest that much time in these drawings if they tend to fade away faster?” The good thing is that most of my coloured drawings are completed in sketchbooks, which tend to last longer due to limited light exposure. Furthermore, most coloured pencil brands develop improved lightfast pencils to enhance the longevity of our splendid creations, thus mitigating the fading/smudging pitfall in the process.

After considering these aspects, it’s challenging to fully favour one over the other. Thus, my next steps will involve refining techniques to enhance overall portrait realism using both platforms. I’m satisfied with the outcome of this drawing and plan to incorporate more coloured pencils into my portraits to achieve a harmonious balance between the two forms of dry media.

For those who could be discouraged by the time constraints posed by colour pencil drawings or any form of artwork in general, I’ve found that adopting the kaizen approach does work effectively. It generally ensures continuous improvement of a singular artwork by discretizing the artistic stages rather than completing everything in one fell swoop. 

I hope that works for you, and I’m excited to hear any other ideas you have about coloured pencil portraiture or your artistic process in general. In the meantime, I wish you a fantastic week ahead, and until next time, take care!

Cheemnonso

The Perception of Love

Cheemnonso20 Comments
A portrait rendition using graphite on Bristol vellum

How do you perceive love? Is she like the seasonal relative that visits only during Valentine’s, Easter, Christmas and other holidays, then vanishes with the wind when the jolly days are over? Does her auburn aura, ever so bright and stunning, blind your judgement of that which is right and wrong? Do you feel like the utterance of Her Majesty’s name to thy ears seeps through the mouth and not from the heart? Sigh!

Well, whilst you try to answer these questions introspectively, here’s L’Antoinette Stines’ reply when quizzed on her perception of love, as sampled in The Carters’ BLACK EFFECT intro.

“Hmm, well, there’s love of children,

Love of self,

Love of God,

Love of a partner,

and all of them have a different shape;

but all of them are the same in the end.

It’s about sensitivity, it’s about passion,

It’s about unconditional giving of self to another person;

And there’s love of humanity,

that’s the love that is right now needed most,

Love of humanity;

but in everything, in all of that love, there is a soul;

It’s like when you take some eggs and break them,

and you take the shells and mix them up,

trying to find the ones that match;

when you find the perfect match

that compatibility results in passion.

results in unconditional giving of self”

Now, that truly packs a lot, I must say; and even though Love has the patience, kindness and endurance to overcome those nagging questions, L’Antoinette makes us remember that it’s more of the unconditional giving of self, whilst prioritizing humankind, thus, suggesting our questions should be confined within the boundaries of the love we give rather than that which we receive.

Alas, this begs another question, at least from my perspective: In a world where certain varying conditions are essential for existence by default, is it possible to give self to another unconditionally?

Anyway, these spurred me to have this drawing; no more than the inscription of love on the muse’s fingers, lol, and I will say I hugely enjoyed it, particularly as this is my first drawing in a while. I also look forward to creating more, as I have just recently got a new pencil and chalk pastel set that I would love to try out in the coming days; but in the meantime, do feel free to share your views on this piece.

Do stay blessed and have a good week ahead. Ciao!

Cheemnonso

Portraying Moms. (Sketch)

Cheemnonso55 Comments

It is Mothering Sunday! A day to acknowledge and honor the adorable ladies who bore and aided our passage to Earth. However, mothers should not be limited to women who bear children and aid in procreation, as many who proved infertile have nurtured, fostered, and raised children who have been seemingly abandoned by their so-called procreators. These, I liken to the sweet roses of love everblooming in a desolated land of hate, thus, earning their right to be called mothers.

Mother and child portrayed with STÆDTLER graphite Pencil set on Bristol vellum surface paper.

In my little way of honoring mothers, I peeked through Pinterest to find reference photos depicting motherhood and ended up with my recent portrait study. I found it captivating and challenging as it is my first portrait with two faces, albeit completed with graphite pencils on a 9 by 12 inch Bristol vellum paper (small surface given reference photo). In my After Dark post, I highlighted the importance of shading drawings of big sizes, as this captures more details in your drawings, thus, providing more accuracy in drawings. However, my recent study was mainly for illustration purposes and I was okay with how it turned out in the end.

Without further ado, I wish a happy Mothering Sunday to all the moms, with hopes you continue to be that undying source of love to your offspring, family, and the world in general. Do stay blessed.

Cheemnonso

Dany. (Sketch)

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Page 3 of my sketchbook.

At long last, the totally absorbing series, Game of Thrones, drew its curtains after eight fantastic seasons albeit a somewhat drab series finale.

Nonetheless, here’s my sketchy tribute to Queen Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, The rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, Queen of Dragonstone, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons,regent of the realm.

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Cheemnonso™