Tutorial:  Working on Drafting Film

I discovered something new to work on just over a year ago and have been having more fun with it than I've had with my artwork for years. Drafting film is a translucent support originally developed to use for blueprints. I prefer the double sided .005 mm film which allows work on both sides of the film and have used it for graphite, pastels and colored pencil work with great success. I've had people asking questions about how to work effectively with it, so decided to design two tutorials that will cover the basics, one with graphite and one with pan pastels/pastels and colored pencils. 

There is no charge for this tutorial. I will be adding more photos to this blog post as work progresses until the image is finished so you will be able to work at your own pace. If you would like to try working on drafting film but do not have it available or do not want to invest in the cost for a full sheet or pad of the film, I will have a packet of film and other necessary supplies available for purchase including a printout of the photo and the line drawing.  

If you have questions, just post those questions here, message me through my Facebook art page (Art by Sharon Michael)  https://www.facebook.com/Art-by-Sharon-Michael-426594037677803/  You can also email me direction at: kaleidoscopefarm at gmail.com.

I am using this photo, one I took of a pony foal I raised, as the basis for these first two tutorials so there are absolutely no restrictions on the use of the photo.

             Graphite on drafting film, steps 1 through 3.

Practice sample: Pencils on .005 double sided DuraLar drafting film

Line drawing to work from in graphite on 5 x 7 drafting film

Beginning to lay in the details with graphite. 

Start with very sharp H pencil and lightly define dark areas around the eyelashes which you will want to remain white.  With the 3B pencil add the darker lines above and below the eye which will be the darker areas and, leave the light areas above and below the eye as shown. Use light strokes above the eye to suggest hair direction. For the eye pupil use very tiny circular 'scribble' strokes, lighter at the back of the eye and darkening toward the front of the eye. Once the graphite is laid down in these areas, use one of the small sponge eyeshadow applicators to blend the areas above the eye. You can use the narrow edge of the sponge to smooth the darker areas under the eye if necessary to keep a fine line.     

Examples of strokes and blending used for this tutorial.
1. Light strokes, following the way the hair lies, using B pencil. Start at the bottom with the darker line and feather the line at the top until it fades out.
2. Use eyeshadow makeup sponge (shown at left) to blend the light strokes, working from dark to light.
3. For darker areas, lay hair strokes down with 3B pencil and blend with sponge.
4. To define hair, add hair strokes over blended 3B with a very sharp 6B pencil and a very light touch, especially at the top/fadeout end of the hair.

I use graphite powder for some areas that need to be laid in darker and fairly solid. You can get graphite powder but for the smaller amounts such as I use, I find it simpler to scrub a 6B or softer pencil on a piece of sandpaper and apply that powder with a sponge or finger. I use a sandpaper strip to keep my pencils sharp, so usually have graphite powder to work from

Start adding the suggestion of hair along the lines of the previous sketch with a H or B pencil and a very light touch.

Using an eyeshadow sponge or your finger, begin blending along the lines where you have added the hair strokes.

I sometimes find that using the color version of the photo helps to define highlights, shadows and hair layers more than the grayscale poto. Start laying in the darker areas, using 3B and 6B pencils and graphite powder. For smaller areas, use a very sharp 6B with very light, overlapping circles to get a solid tone. For larger areas, smudge in graphite powder with sponge or finger. If you have loose powder on the film, dab very lightly with a cotton ball to remove excess and then use a very sharp 6B very lightly over the shaded areas to suggest hair.

Finished.  Shading details are a combination of H strokes following hair patterns and blending with eyeshadow sponges and fingers using the photo to determine where to put the shadows and highlights and gradually building coverage until it looks complete. You do need to remember you do have only 2 or 3 layers available to work with so stay with a very light touch, working light to dark, H, 3B and 6B.

                            Art by Sharon Michael

                                                   Old Gray Mare Studio

As an only child growing up on a remote ranch in Montana, my playmates were the ranch animals and I learned to entertain myself early in life. Long Montana winters inhibited outside play time, so when I ran out of books to read, I wrote my own stories and illustrated them. I was entirely self-taught, with my first "instruction book" my grandfather's book "Trails Plowed Under" by Charles Russell.

My first portraits were with school pencils on school tablets and graphite remains one of my favorite mediums, although I now work in pastels and colored pencils as well as graphite and the Internet has now introduced me to many new projects.

Memorial portraits like the one above have always been a very satisfying endeavor for me, a loving reminder of favorite companions that have given so much happiness and are waiting for us at the rainbow bridge.

Weltstern

This is a memorial portrait in graphite of my foundation Oldenburg stallion, Weltstern, who was truly a once in a lifetime horse. Imported from Germany, I purchased him as a 9 year old and loved him dearly until his death in 2012, at the age of 30. He was always a gentleman in all ways, well mannered, responsive and people oriented and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to have had him in my life.

It was nearly 5 years after his death that I was able to finish this portrait, so was reduced to working from two low-resolution photos taken many years before but I feel I managed to capture the essence of this incredible animal, his brilliance and his intelligence.

I have always particularly enjoyed the challenge of memorial portraits, even having to often work from less than ideal photographs and being aware of the emotional connection between the animal and the owner. It is never easy but the rewards are great.

Portraits may be commissioned in graphite, colored pencil or pastels with prices starting at $125.00 and increasing based on size and the complexity of the image. If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, without obligation, please contact me by email at kaleidoscopefarm@gmail.com or by  telephone at (606) 379-05140.

Old Grey Mare Studio

Animal portraits, wildlife and country landscapes and still lifes in pastel, colored pencil and graphite. Original artwork and some prints available. Commissions accepted.


Originals from $65.00.

Sharon Michael
(606) 379-5149
kaleidoscopefarm@gmail.com




Portrait of one of my personal Rottweilers.



Graphite on smooth bristol 11 x 14















Portrait of English Bulldog, a beloved family pet.



Pastel on velour paper
16 x 20

Working Cow Horse

For a number of years when I lived in Montana, I was involved in breeding Quarter Horses and did quite a lot of riding and training. During the summers, several ranchers routinely held weekend training sessions at the small local arena which gave me the opportunity to get a lot of photographs of actual working cow horses in action.

This pencil study, which was done from photographs I took back in the 1970s, when we were raising Quarter Horses and competing ourselves, has always been one of my favorites.

Latest commission ... first portrait of a car!

They say you are never too old to learn something new and this is very definitely something new to me. I have never, ever, in 30-plus years of being an artist and doing commissions, drawn or painted a car.

I offered to donate one of my pictures to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post to be raffled at the car show they were sponsoring. No problem, I've donated work a number of times before over the years, usually to various animal rescue groups.

Oops ... car show ... this means a car picture. Scramble for pictures of cars and books on how to draw cars! Frantic posts to Wet Canvas asking things like "how do you make it look like shiny paint?" I can do horse hair ... I haven't a clue how to make something look like shiny paint!

Three weeks later, this is the result. And I DID learn the techniques for making graphite look like shiny paint ... a whole new process, involving lots of sandpaper to powder the pencil lead and a big supply of Q-tips and sponge-tipped eye shadow applicators!

Ironically, this has led to my first actual paid portrait commission since I've moved from Montana to Kentucky .... yes ... another car! A good friend, who has known me many years, suggested I may be on my way to becoming the "Grandma Moses" of the car show crowd!

Carousel horse

Something new does come along often enough to keep me humble. The last thing was a suggestion that a carousel horse would be really nice for a grand-daughter's room, since she loves horses. I've always been a carousel "aficionado" and in fact had a small collection of porcelain carousel horses and have always thought a real, full sized carousel horse would be wonderful in my living room along with the wall art.

This piece was the result, 16 x 20 (framed) on bristol, with the horse done in graphite and the trappings done in CP. There are things I would change of course but the grand-daughter was thrilled ... love to do things for youngsters!

I rather think two small companion pieces, maybe head studies, might work as the next gift.