I started with pastels but didn't concentrate on proportions so, not surprisingly, I ended up with a very distorted drawing. To rectify this, I turned the photograph upside down and began again, this time in acrylics. I used just black and white paint so I could keep things simple. That helped me dispense with my prejudices - what I mistakenly expected to see - and really look more closely at shapes, angles, distances and comparative tones. Half-way through, maybe too soon, I turned the photo and my canvas the right way round. I can see it's not the best, but it's considerably better than my pastel! I've just watched a Youtube video in which the artist recommends a discipline for beginners: a limited palette with plenty of paint and only one big flat brush: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXm7Wk9QQ0 I'll try that next time and post my results. |