HOME | DD
jjkiefer — John Lennon
Published: 2012-02-23 06:26:31 +0000 UTC; Views: 1468; Favourites: 35; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
John Lennon19" x 24" Graphite on Bristol Smooth Paper
Related content
Comments: 36
I've been visiting this piece over and over, and i can't believe how well you've drawn all of the different textures, light reffractions and shading.. It's unrealisticly realistic for a graphite drawing. I realise that years of hard work have paid off in terms of experience and eye to hand coordination, but forgive me for asking, from what were you able to learn about human facial expressions, and generaly, about the technical aspect of drawing portraits the most?
All the best in your work sir!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I think the most important aspects of realistic portrait drawing are patience and observation. Id you are like me, a perfectionist, patience doesn't come easily. I use to draw portraits in 4 - 5 hours. Most of the ones in my gallery took a minimum of 40 hours and maximum of 125 hours. I still need to slow down more. Everybody is different in how they work when it comes to drawing. I have a little quote taped to my drawing table from my own limited wisdom that simply states: "Every pencil stroke is just as important as the last one taken." For years I couldn't wait to see the finished drawing. Now, I can't wait to see the finished stroke. Focus on the process or journey, not the finished piece or destination.
Another critical aspect is know the material you're using. All paper is not the same and all graphite is not the same. I always credit Armin Mersmann (Deviant member) for my inspiration as well as some of his techniques that he has shared with many others. Erasers also create different textures as well. I use mechanical pencils (0.3 and 0.5 mm) which eliminates the need for sharpening. For detailed drawings I use Canson bristol paper. Others use Stathmore. All are bristol paper. You will just have to experiment to find out which is best for you.
Bottom line, I study faces in real life and also study other peoples works which inspires me to learn more. Hope this helps. If not feel free to ask more questions. Cheers!
Almost forgot to thank you for the faves and watch!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Sorry for the late answer, i couldnt find the time to write a proper one..
Thank you for the wise words, and the advice. I feel as if you hit the spot at the center. Since i started using a graphics tablet, i have been speedpainting more than i was paying attention to details and refinement while working. It is especialy usefull for me to "lose" time on details, i feel more at home while doing so, plus, it pays off in the end.
Thank you for your time and thoughts!
Looking forward to seeing more amazing work from you!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks! Feel free to ask any questions.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
you are friggin' insane!!!! ;O this is so amazing! ;D
I love it! xD ♥
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you very much! Thanks for the watch and faves as well!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This is so amazing... I hope someday I could draw as well as you do
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you! From what I've seen of your work - there's no doubt you exceed anything I've done.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
thank you! but I don't think so, your drawings are very realistic.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I just posted a drawing I did about 8 years ago and had no idea how much my work would improve. If you don't believe you can do better, you won't. You have to believe that your capable of drawing anything but that it will take time to master the tools of the trade. Here's a link to the drawing I'm talking about. [link]
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I believe that I can draw anything, I'm 15, so I have a lot of time to improve.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's just fun getting there! Thanks again and enjoy the journey!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thank you very much!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
very well done! amazing detail! you should really make a timelapse video that would be awesome
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
i use "Windows Live Movie Maker" which is a bit different from "Windows Movie Maker". It's free and has a nice feature to adjust video speed easy from 0,125x speed up to 64x speed. When opeing Windows Live Movie Maker, just drag and drop your video into the main editing window. Then another tab pops up at the top with Video Tools and there is a clock symbol to adjust speed of each video element (you can put more videos or parts together, too).
i have bought a new small and cheap but very good video camera wich has a "Time Lapse Recording" function wich is awesome! because there is almost no editing needed at all! And the data of the video is just a fragment in size of a real time recording.
one example: i record 5 minutes drawing in real time(840Mb footage). then it takes me about 12 minutes just to copy and edit it to my desired video speed and size. so if i want to draw and record 1 hour then my computer would be busy for about 2,5 hours dealing with about 8 gigabyte of data.
But when i record in timelapse like 1 picture every 0,5 or every 1 second then 1 minute of video shows about 25 or 50 minutes of drawing time and is only about 80 Mb.
here is a nice example of timelapse recording --> [link]
i need to add this to my journal later
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Thanks! I tried to create a small section of one while working on this one but couldn't figure out how to speed up the video. I tried using both Sony Vegas Pro and Windows Movie Maker. No luck. I also have an old computer XP with only 2 gig of memory and a standard video card. Any suggestions? I read your article on it but guess I don't have the aptitude to figure it out.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Great drawing, impressive textures on his denim jacket
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's the first time I've tried to draw denim and let me tell you, it's a lot more time consuming than I anticipated! Thanks!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yes i have always avoided it because it is a difficult texture to reproduce. You did a fine job on yours .. goes to show it can be done well
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Great drawing Jim - the glasses, denim jacket and hair are all so good - Judy
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks Judy! You just named the 3 reason I wanted to draw this pic. So many textures in this piece. Denim is really a challenge to draw.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I have a feeling I'll be adding many of your works to my Favourites - you are way ahead of me in graphite drawings - 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Absolutely amazing work...the detail of the reflection in the glasses is unreal.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1