"Woman in Blue" (after Vermeer)
Charcoal on Paper
The "take home" midterm assignment was to copy a Vermeer in charcoal. Our instructor provided a list of Vermeer paintings from which to choose. A few other classmates and I chose "Woman in Blue". Our instructor reminded us to allow two weeks to do the project. I took that to heart. Over the course of those two weeks, I did my research, preparation and drawing.
After toning the surface of my Strathmore 400 drawing paper, I united my darks with additional layers of charcoal and lifted charcoal with a small chamois and a kneaded eraser to reveal my lights. On the 19" x 16" (approx.) drawing, I spent about 20 hours capturing Vermeer's range of values.
I used, lengthwise, a large stick of vine charcoal to tone the surface. The toned area turned out somewhat grainy. Since then, on another drawing, I've used soft vine charcoal for toning, spreading it on with my fingertips created an even and velvety tone.
I had no idea how much Vermeer engineered his paintings until I worked on this piece. A spec of charcoal placed ever so slightly from its intended position would throw the whole drawing off. I was never able to conquer the nuanced french curve defining the subject's forehead.
The width of the wall map is 75% the width of the painting. The height of the wall map is 50% the width of the painting. The map appears to be based upon a golden rectangle.
In scaling a picture of the painting up, I drew lines from the two lower corners to their opposite upper corners and formed an "X". Right at the center of the "X" was the woman's obviously pregnant tummy. Because the painting is so well engineered and composed, I would've never guessed that was intentional. Vermeer deftly controlled how he wanted the viewer to engage with the painting through the subtleness of implied lines and careful value transitions.
The drawing received a good grade.
After toning the surface of my Strathmore 400 drawing paper, I united my darks with additional layers of charcoal and lifted charcoal with a small chamois and a kneaded eraser to reveal my lights. On the 19" x 16" (approx.) drawing, I spent about 20 hours capturing Vermeer's range of values.
I used, lengthwise, a large stick of vine charcoal to tone the surface. The toned area turned out somewhat grainy. Since then, on another drawing, I've used soft vine charcoal for toning, spreading it on with my fingertips created an even and velvety tone.
I had no idea how much Vermeer engineered his paintings until I worked on this piece. A spec of charcoal placed ever so slightly from its intended position would throw the whole drawing off. I was never able to conquer the nuanced french curve defining the subject's forehead.
The width of the wall map is 75% the width of the painting. The height of the wall map is 50% the width of the painting. The map appears to be based upon a golden rectangle.
In scaling a picture of the painting up, I drew lines from the two lower corners to their opposite upper corners and formed an "X". Right at the center of the "X" was the woman's obviously pregnant tummy. Because the painting is so well engineered and composed, I would've never guessed that was intentional. Vermeer deftly controlled how he wanted the viewer to engage with the painting through the subtleness of implied lines and careful value transitions.
The drawing received a good grade.
1 comment:
Marvelous! I think you really captured the essence. It's amazing what we can learn from copying the old masters.
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