Sargent in January

I am beginning this blog to push myself (a little bit). I've been a lurker on other blogs for a while. Some of them are spending time this January learning from John Singer Sargent. I've decided to join them and learn from my betters. The real artists participating in this project are: Katherine Tyrrell and Maggie Stiefvater.

I am working my way through Dover's Publication of his portrait drawings. Above is my version from the first page. Sargent did it in his first year of formal training. When I was doing this, I was impressed with his "economy of line." In several places Sargent only used one line to suggest a feature (e.g. the lower lip), but the subtlety of that line produces the detail/likeness for which Sargent is renown. I have found the same to be true in other portraits as I have continued through the book. Katherine makes a similar point more vividly in reference to an oil painting here.

This blog will be rather minimalist - any blogging time must come from my "drawing time." So bear with me, but I hope to continue posting my sketches each day.