So Elana is my teacher and mentor and friend. She is really accomplished. You can see her CV here and listen to an excellent interview with her at Savvy Painter podcast here.
Last week she did a portrait drawing demonstration live hosted by Savvy Painter. I tuned in and took some notes. Elana said some real gems that I want to share with you here:
- Understand the whole shadow of the head
- indulge yourself
- delay gratification
- keep things moveable
- get the correct height to width ratio of the head at the start
- measure out anchor points
- don't rely too heavily on rules
- create an envelope for the head and face
- I will definitely make mistakes, and I will react to them.
- don't look too deeply into the shadows
- help the shadow hold together as a mass
- ask detailed questions of drawings by masters
- live in the tension between school knowledge and self knowledge
- each move is an opportunity to follow and experience and really observe
- straight lines act as a scaffold
Dina
pastel and charcoal on paper
14.75" x 11.5"
drawing by Elana Hagler