- Dan

Thanks for your comments! Regarding the Bargue course, yes, it’s true – I’ve only done a bunch of eyes. In fact, I haven’t even finished the first plate entirely! However, it really did make a difference in helping me to observe better and be more patient.

You have to remember, I didn’t just draw those eyes quickly and then move on. I worked as hard and as slowly as possible to match the original drawing EXACTLY by using the sight-size technique. Those eyes took hours and hours to complete, and I even did some of them twice. After I was finished, I would make a copy of the original on tracing paper and compare it to mine. If it was too inconsistent, I would do it again.

I think it’s more about the amount of effort you put into the Bargue course that makes it truly helpful – but that’s true of any educational pursuit, right?

I’m glad to see that you’ve gotten the oil-painting bug! You need to e-mail me some photos so I can see what you’ve been working on lately.

your description of the process was a captivating read as always, thanks! It is inspiring to read about the thinking process and techniques that go into a good picture. What a wonderfully creative piece this is, and you really achieved the poster vs. real person effect. I am really surprised how well this works together. Her expression is great, and you managed the difficult areas (shirt, eyeglasses) well. Your drawing is (to me) very professional-looking. I could never work that patiently in black&white, now oil is a different story.
You say you did benefit a lot from your Bargue exercises. Come on, how many have you done – just a bunch of eyes, right? Did it make that much of a difference?

Say hi to Rachel for me!
Susanne