Danger lies in the halftones

A fairly quick standing pose drawn in charcoal and chalk on toned paper. The tricky thing with this one was in keeping the halftones under control. In order to keep a sense of clarity and impact, getting bogged down in detail is dangerous.

Making decisions on how far to go in this regard reinforces the premise (for me) that working from life is more than representing purely what is in front of you. Decisions need to be made constantly as to what to leave in, what to emphasise, when not to chase the pose and so on. It is a dynamic way of working that requires an active and imaginative thought process to be at work throughout.

Some progress shots…