This drawing was done some years ago at Patris Studio and Gallery. At the time, my vision was getting worse (due to Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy + cataracts) and I was really struggling to see the details of the model's face accurately. Hence, I focused more on the design of the features rather than accurate likeness.
First rough lay-in: During the first sitting, I missed the tilt of the head (or possibly the model moved?), but I knew I would need to rework the drawing anyway during the second sitting, so I keep the drawing light and in line only (I hold off on applying any tone for now).
Second sitting: This time I get the tilt of the head, and I think the drawing looks better. But I still hold off on applying any tone until I am satisfied that proportions are reasonably correct and the construction of the head is solid.
Third sitting: I rework the drawing one more time in line, making subtle adjustments to the features, before finally delving into a first pass at tone. By the end of this sitting, I have the shadows mapped out, and the basic value pattern is set, but I hold off on going too dark yet.
In the next session, I finally begin to deepen the dark values and establish local value variations (hair, skin, clothing, etc.) The features are further refined and developed.
By this stage, I fear the shadow values may be too dark, and I need to develop the mid-tones more. I am also cautious about overusing the white pastel (much too easy to do).
This is as far as I got by the final sitting. I feel the mid-tone vales could have been developed further, but I was afraid of over-rendering (a bad habit of mine). At this stage, it’s time to admit: there is only so much you can do in one afternoon. It’s best to take what you learn and move on to the next drawing.
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