Art is like singing, some do it better than others, but everyone can and should be doing it for their soul. ( Art is like singing, some do it better than others, but everyone can and should be doing it for their soul. (Barbara Mason)
I begin by scanning the photo(s) into Paint-It. If I am making a composite drawing I will most likely try different combinations in the Paint-it program as it is both easier and faster than making several different sketches.
If I am working from a live model, then I will make several quick sketches and then scan those into Paint-It. It is fairly simple to move things about.
Once I have decided on the compostion I will then begin the drawing. At this stage I concentrate on making an outline of the main elements of the drawing. The details will come later. It is important to get the outline drawing as exact as possible. This is the foundation for everything else to come.
I like to rough in the eyes and nose first. If these features are not 'right' the whole drawing is 'bin' material. It also makes me not feel so alone!
The illustration below shows the main drawing of the Beagle with the eyes, nose and a bit of the contour shading on the head.
This next illustration shows more the pup shaded in. I work on the whole drawing at this point to give me an anchor on the finished project.
Next I will work on the darks and lights, working on making the drawing more 3d.
I'm working in graphite pencil on a flesh coloured paper made by Strathmore. It is 65 lb cover paper. It has a bit of 'tooth' that I think adds something to the drawing. I like the way the background colour in this drawing works with the blacks and grays of the graphite. It seems to soften the drawing.