This picture shows the tone block at the heel going in. It should be fairly clear here how I’m increasingly using construction lines to find the shape. These points being so close to the heel makes them much easier to find by relating them to the main points on the outline of the heel. I’m finding that the smaller the distance between the points, the easier it is to correct them by eye.
The problem, of course, is that if any of the points I’ve already placed are wrong, even by a fraction of an inch, those mistakes will be replicated in the following stages. I did some checking of the first few points with the plumb line directly on the surface of the drawing, for my own peace of mind as much as anything, but at this point it’s been some time since I did that. I won’t know until I’ve finished the drawing how close I’ve got to the original.
But throughout this drawing, I’m trying to bear in mind what the main point of this practice is. First and foremost, it’s eye training. So I’m trying as much as possible to keep to methods that emphasis judging by eye. I could do the entire drawing with careful measuring with the plumb line. But I think I’m stretching my ability to judge distances, shapes and angles more by doing as much as I can by eye, relating the points one to another.
I may end up with some mistakes this way, but I’m not interested in putting any of these drawing in my ‘portfolio’. I’m not doing these drawings to show off, I’m doing them to train my eye. I’ve noticed that some people sign their Bargue copies. I’ve always found that a very odd thing to do. To me, this is basically someone else’s drawing. It’s Bargue’s drawing. I haven’t made any of the decisions that went into creating this drawing, I’m simply copying it. Signing it would be like trying to lay claim to something that wasn’t mine. These drawings are exercises, pure and simple.
So here we are with the second schematic stage complete.
My version doesn’t quite match up to Bargue’s second schematic, I’ve made a few changes.
I’ve been lead almost entirely by his, though – except around the toes. I approached these a little differently because, from my spot six or seven feet back from the easel, the outlines of the toes in shadow are impossible for me to see. So I’ve worked with what I could see and measure to, which was the shapes of the shadows themselves. When I come to add the outlines which I can’t see from a distance, I can see no alternative to working much closer to the drawing. Although this will break the sight size rule, the meatof the drawing will be done by then, so I can’t see a problem with doing that.
So far, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got. The next step is to refine the outline until I get the outline of my foot as close as I possibly can to the original. I know that’s going to stretch me, because that’s where the accuracy really counts. Once that’s done, I’ll be filling in the tone blocks and finishing the drawing. The last task will be to trace the outline from original plate onto a sheet of clear acetate and lay it over my copy.
That’s the moment of truth, when I find how close I’ve really got, and how accuratelyI’ve judged the shapes. Going on previous experience, I expect to be unpleasantly surprised.
Final Update
Although I did this Bargue copy some time ago now, I recently came across the finished drawing and realised I hadn’t posted it here. Unfortunately it’s too long ago now for me to be able to write up the last stages of the process in detail, I’ll have to save that for the next plate I do.
I should point out also that the drawing has been lying around for a while and has got a little smudged in places! But here is the finished copy:
This is one of a series of six posts describing how to copy Bargue plates sight size:
- Stage 1: Bargue plate 5, setting up the drawing
- Stage 2: making the first marks
- Stage 3: marking the furthest left and furthest right points
- Stage 4: laying in the main shapes of the first schematic
- Stage 5: refining the schematic
- Stage 6: the finished drawing
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Paul, thank you very much, your tips are helping me a lot! thanks!
Gio
Thanks for letting me know Gio, that’s very good to know.
Are you working on Bargue drawing at the moment?
I’ve done this plate in graphite and now I’m trying to do it in charcoal. Since I have little experience with charcoal, I am having a bit a of trouble.
Actually Chad emailed me about this, he was having trouble with the half tones and controlling the value. I’ll add what I put into the email here in case it’s useful to other people too:
I’d recommend doing some value scales with the charcoal, away from the drawing itself, to get some practice in.
Draw out say five blocks to start with, and fill one in as dark as you can at one end, leave the one at the other end empty. Try to do the middle one half way between the two. Then fill in in the two remaining intermediary steps.
Once you’ve done that, add steps either side of the intermediaries so you’ll have a 9 step scale. try to make each block uniform and smooth.
The advantage of doing that in isolation as an exercise is that you’ll practice values and your charcoal technique without risking your drawing. Also, by focusing specifically on that and nothing else, your control with charcoal will improve more rapidly.
With exercises like that, I think it’s really effective to do it every day, for perhaps half an hour or so. Do that for two weeks and you’ll see an improvement. Charcoal takes a lot more control than graphite.
Thanks for your help Paul!
Are you using Roma paper with charcoal? I think the paper would really make or break this. What paper or paper do you recommend and how long in all in hours did the foot take? This really helped me to see how to use construction lines and slow down! Thanks! Do you paint and do other art during this process? or imbetween?
I’ve been told by an Atelier instructor I had an email correspondence with, that Roma is not really required for a Bargue litho copy. He said that it’s necessary when you start doing cast drawings as the darks will get much darker then a Bargue. In my area, Roma is around $17 / sheet. So I went with Strathmore 500 Charcoal (although the drawing paper might surprisingly be better in terms of fighting the tooth / pattern of the rough paper I dunno). Mi Tientes, Ingress, Stonehedge, are all supposedly good options too (can’t speak from experience though besides the strathmore 500 charcoal)
Sorry, the Strathmore 500 drawing paper might be better then charcoal is what I should have said to be more clear 🙂
Hi Devi,
I just used ordinary sketch pad paper for this exercise, a fairly smooth one without too much tooth – just enough to hold the charcoal. I don’t think you should worry too much about the paper – most cartridge paper is pretty good.
Total hours? I really can’t remember now I’m afraid, I wrote it on the paper as I went, but that was a while ago now.
Yes, I did do other things at the same time as this plate. I would get it out every now and again and do a bit more work on it when I had the time.
fascinated by guys like nicholas v sanchez that can do this stuff with a ball point pen in a tiny moleskine.