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STEP
1. 
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Drawing a likeness is not
as difficult as you may think...
Lee Hammond's gridding and blending method is
a technique that can be used by anyone. You can
be drawing in hours and earning in weeks... I'd
sold 3 of my earliest portraits within 3 months
of starting and I can assure you, I couldn't draw
the proverbial 'straight line' before reading
Lee's book!!!
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Albrecht
Durer, Draughtsman making a perspective
Drawing of a Woman (1525)
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| Gridding,
to obtain correct linear perspective, is a method
that has been used for many hundreds of years...
Portrait artists often clamped their subject's
head into a fixed position and then, peering through
a wire framework, would transfer the information
onto the gridded support... thus providing an
accurate foundation on which to build. This method,
once regarded as a trade secret, was employed
by Leonardo de Vinci himself as part of his apprenticeship...
so consider yourself in good company...
The most praisworthy form of painting is the
one that most resembles what it imitates. ~Leonardo
da Vinci |
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This
method calls for a reasonably sized photograph,
preferably an 8" x 10"
or the cover of one of the many glossy magazines.
Try to choose one with good, strong shadows and
clearly defined detail... the better the photograph,
the better the drawing. |
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For
this particular demonstration I've selected a
black and white photograph of Matt Le Blanc taken
from one of my daughter's magazines. A quick study
of the face shows that the light is quite high
and slightly to the right of the subject casting
shadows beneath the brows, nose, top lip, bottom
lip, chin and jawline. These shadows are actually
defining the features and shape of the face. You
will notice that there are no outlines around
the lips, eyes or nose. This is probably the most
common fault with peoples drawings, resulting
in a cartoon or caricature rather than a realistic
portrait. What I hope to demonstrate is, the use
of shapes and tones to produce the finished drawing. |
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