Corrugated portrait
Step 1
Having first drawn the contours using a B pencil, I started mapping in the features and contour lines with a permanent fineliner (0.3mm). I constantly checked the measurements and angles as this was the opportunity to correct any drawing errors. The aim is to keep the line flowing and lively; do not simply go over your pencil work. Holding the pen far up the shaft helps to keep the line loose. If you do put in a wrong line, don’t panic; just put in the right one and your viewer’s eye will be drawn to it. You have the chance to put more pen on later, but you cannot take it off, so err on the side of caution. Be careful not to puncture the surface of the board; on corrugated card it can be quite thin. Rub out any pencil lines at this point.
Step 2
By starting to paint before the drawing is entirely finished you will avoid the temptation to simply colour in your work. You are looking for the paint and line to add up to more than the sum of the parts. Tone is more important than hue. The lights and darks describe the volume of the face, while the colour brings emotion to the piece. If you struggle to imagine or see interesting colours, use your computer or phone’s photo software and filters to give ideas. The posterise feature is helpful, as it clumps colour together. The colour of the card acts as my mid-tone. Card becomes darker when wet, so take this into account when judging tone. The paint does not flow and mix on the surface in the same way as on watercolour paper, so wet in wet work is trickier. Just enjoy playing – after all it is only rubbish! I darkened some areas with black, but tried not to let it dominate. The lips are warm, so I added some red and pink and dotted the pink into other areas to warm things up.
Step 3
With the colour in place and dry it was time to add highlights. I used a white paint pen to add highlights across the nose and lips and to put sparkles in his eyes. This was too stark, so I put more highlights than intended with watereddown gouache, to try to balance things up.
Step 4
Now carefully consider if more colour or pen work is needed. It is easier to add than to take away, so stop too soon and not too late. I ended up adding quite a bit of pen, including contour lines and a few splashes of paint.