Fabulous Denim

I have learned much from this fabulous denim! My first take at a study in denim was with ink washes. I had to bring this jacket to life with several values of india ink and I was very discouraged. As I went on the detail was overwhelming with the threads, the folds, the dark shadows and very bright whites. I learned a lot about patience and how to balance what details to add and what details to leave out, it was all so challenging.

 So my next take at denim was with this awkward pose of my boy Maddox, done in graphite. This picture was not only challenging because of the denim jeans but also because of the angle of the body. I learned a lot about foreshortening, how difficult it is to draw a child's face, and how different clothing folds when there is a body inside.

This take on denim was done with pastel. This jacket was the first major study with pastels and again, this was the most challenging thing I had done at the time. I had to learn how to use this material as well  as learn how to bring the subject to life with color. The blending and layering were done like a painting and the small details/highlights were added last to preserve the value changes.

This next piece was  a lot more relaxing and free. This expressive version of the jacket above was done in pastel, with more gestural strokes and less attention to detail. There were a lot of layers of warm colors on top of cool. This style of drawing was much needed after doing the realistic version.

Although denim was a challenging subject to draw, it is also a necessary subject and a great piece to study when beginning a new medium. If anybody else has had a difficult but necessary subject they have had to conquer, please share!