Tim Rees: Alla Prima Portraits in Charcoal
Ihave always considered drawing to be one of the greatest vessels to study painting. Not bound by the same potentially inhibiting chemical processes, and free of the danger of making muddy colors, it allows one more easily to tackle portraiture with bravura. Because of this, I used drawing to help me develop my aesthetic for paintings, leading many people to say my drawings look a great deal like monochromatic paintings. This process that I developed allowed me to work quickly and loosely, which meant I could practice portraiture and design repeatedly, and for a fraction of the time and cost of painting. With each step requiring between five to 20 minutes (depending on the level of refinement I choose), a drawing of this type takes me between 30 minutes to two hours.
STAGE 1 I begin by squinting to see the model in a pattern of light and dark, often called a notan. Using willow charcoal, the proportions of the shapes are carefully measured, and the general angles are captured, although the specifics of the shapes are left open to change as needed. I take this opportunity to really contemplate the design and placement as well, attempting to envision the final drawing. Because this stage takes only a few minutes, I have no qualms about starting over if I am dissatisfied with the size/placement.
STAGE 2 I zero in to make the shadow shapes of the eyes more specific, as they are simple and easy to see. Using careful measurements with plumbs, levels, comparative, triangulation and sight size (when possible), I place the rest of the notan. I strictly avoid using any outlines while developing the drawing, and instead try to use the willow to build shapes. I often separate the figure from the background by turning the willow on its side for the background and using the tip for the figure, pressing firmly in both instances. I avoid any modeling/value variation in the face of the portrait.
STAGE 3 I crumple up the least absorbent paper towel I can find, and with firm pressure swipe the willow charcoal from the darks toward the light source, avoiding a scrubbing or back-and-forth motion. By swiping in this way, a relationship of edges is established early in the drawing. Form shadows remain soft and cast shadows remain firm. Also, the basic set of value transitions becomes established. These two points are key, as it can be difficult to build up values and edges independent of one another. If the swipe produces lines that are too streaky, a soft perpendicular swipe (again, toward the general direction of the light source if possible), can knock down the variation. Remember, though, that incidental random marks are another one of the key components in loose work, so don’t destroy them all.
STAGE 4 Using a white click eraser, large
structural shapes of the lights are corrected as needed (in this case, above the mouth), then the lighter lights are pulled out using a series of hatches. For a looser sketch, I intentionally leave the hard edge appearance of the eraser lines instead of softening them out. Large numbers of harder edges at a micro scale will give the drawing the appearance of high resolution instead of frothiness. Large structural shapes of the darks are corrected as needed with a 2B charcoal pencil, and the firmer and harder edges are indicated (usually cast shadows). A few discreet core shadows placed with a 6B also help to aid in the description of the solid form.
STAGE 5 Using a 6B, shapes within the darks are carefully measured and shaded in. A deliberate effort is made to subordinate the volume of information in the darks to the volume of information in the lights. If they are brought to equilibrium, the darks will come forward and the image with flatten out. I flip between “micro and macro”: after working a small area of little shapes for a couple minutes, I then jump to bigger overall shapes (like the correction of the jaw, in this case). Working back and forth like this allows me to contemplate how the small changes affect the overall image. I put most of the final face accents in at this stage.
STAGE 6 I spend the last few minutes relating the face to the hair to the background, adding information and values as needed to make a proper transition. Again, in the case of the background/hair, a deliberate effort is made to subordinate information in relation to the face. If too much information is added in these areas, the face will then require further rendering for it to read completed and in focus. I add final marks to the hair and overall design, and utilize more stylistic curves, offsetting the more formal angularity of the face marks. Practicing design while still having fun is the most important way to finish off a solid portrait sketch.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tim Rees, a full-time artist and instructor at the Rees Atelier, picked up his first set of oil paints in 2009. Moving to Chicago in September of that year to paint at Palette & Chisel, he has since built a career in figurative art and portraiture and now resides in Arizona.