Wax Bloom

I’ve not decided on a title for this one yet. This is a somewhat close-up, cropped shot in poor light. Hopefully tomorrow morning after another session with it I’ll manage a better shot with daylight on my side.

Colored Pencil on Pearl Mi-Teintes Board, 16 x 9″

(Yes, its a self-portrait)

This is a repeat of a post I made on slayeroffice back in September, but since this blog (newly renamed Wax Bloom if you hadn’t noticed) has a different audience, I figure a repost isn’t entirely out of line.This is a time lapse video I created of myself working on my drawing of Owais – six hours of drawing condensed into about four minutes. Enjoy!

Update The embedded video was slowing down page render too much. Follow this link if you’d like to watch.

Jeanette Jobson asked about the color palette I used on Nate & Hannah. I replied in the comments with the palette, but thought I’d make a post about the palette I use for portraits with a bit more detail since the colors are generally the same in all of the portraits I do – what varies are the intensities depending on complexion.

Beige

The base color I use for medium Caucasian and Asian complexions.

Peach

Used for rosiness in cheeks and as a preliminary layer for shadows.

Salmon Pink

Used as a secondary layer for shadows.

White

When used on colored paper, preliminary layer color for highlights. On white paper, strictly for burnishing.

Light Peach

Alternate base color for lighter complexions.

Copenhagen Blue

I use this color for very dark shadows, and always in conjunction with Dark Umber.

Blue Slate

Used for light shadows as well as highlights. I use this color a lot.

Warm Gray 10 & 20%

Shadows in eyes, stubble.

Sienna Brown

Used in shadow layers after applications of Peach and Blue Slate.

Terra Cotta

For warming up shadows over Sienna Brown.

Light Umber

For brown hair.

Deco Pink

This color is perfect to blend flesh tones into highlights. Unfortunately, its been discontinued by Prismacolor. I have a half inch stub left that I use sparingly.

Rosy Beige

This is a purplish/grayish color that works well for cool shadows.

Dark Green

For very dark shadows. Often combined with Scarlet Lake.

Pink Rose

Cheeks and transitions into shadow.

Blush Pink

Another heavily used color. Used as the second layer of color over Beige.

Cream

Used for transitions between flesh tones and bright highlights.

Sand

For hair, as well as the base color for very dark complexions, such as in this one.

Parma Violet

Used for cool shadows on light complexions.

Dark Umber

For shadows, often coupled with Copenhagen Blue.

Grayed Lavender

Cool shadows on light complexions.

Scarlet Lake

For warming up shadows.

Of course, your milage may vary and there may be colors in your subject that aren’t in this list and vice-versa. The main thing to remember – use more than the preconceived colors you believe make up a skin tone. If you’re only using peaches and pinks, you’ll end up with a drawing that feels flat. Play around with subtle additions of color in many layers and you’ll be pleased with this results.

Colored Pencil on Cold Press Illustration Board

Colored Pencil on Cold Press Illustration Board, 14 x 10″

Colored Pencil on Cold Press Illustration Board, 14 x 10″

Mostly just adding more layers to what was already there and darkening shadows in this blurry, lets call it “action”, shot.

Colored Pencil on Cold Press Illustration Board, 10 x 14″

Rose tagged me for everyone’s favorite “Five Things You Don’t Know About Me” meme, so here goes. Prepare to be enlightened! Or something!

I play the drums.

And I’ll bet if you sit around me at work, the incessant tapping on my desk in rhythm to whatever I’m listening to on my iPod probably gave that away.

I work for AOL.

I started in late ‘99, just in time for the stock to hit its peak and be completely useless to me. And if you knew that I played drums by way of hearing me tap on my desk, then you already knew this one too.

I used to smoke.

Two packs of Basic Lights a day, but I quit three years ago. Now I can’t abide it.

Until 2003, I’d never been outside of the U.S..

And since then I’ve been to Germany, Austria, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, and the UK.

My wife and I are expecting our second child in March.

A boy!

Of course, a meme isn’t a meme if it isn’t passed on, so…

• Jeanette Jobson, because she left such a nice comment about Nate & Hannah.
• Cindy Li, even though I’m sure she’s been tagged with this meme before but without her excellent photographs to work from, a lot of my portraits wouldn’t exist.
• Kevin Lawver, because outside of my own family, I’ve drawn more Lawvers than anyone else.
• Paulette, because she was nice enough to add me to her blogroll.
• Stuart Langridge, because this is just the sort of thing that I’m sure would conjure a litany of curses from him just for being tagged. And that amuses me.

Not that I expect any of you to carry it on. Well, except Stuart.

Colored Penil on Cold Press Illustration Board, 14 x 10″

Nate’s had some refinements made and Hannah begins to appear in this short session I squeezed in over lunch: