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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