Step by step: The Progression of a President
Article Transcript
A glimpse into the art process of ISCA member, Sam Sutton
In this drawing, I was in no way trying to make any statement good or bad about Obama. His face is simply wonderful to draw. I think a lot of people agree that his face screams out “DRAW ME!” “Hey look at this narrow face with these huge ears sticking out!” Also there are a gazillion good reference photos on the web. The lighting of this reference photo really grabbed me when I saw it. I had plenty of fun rendering the sunlight and shadows as they fell on his features.
Sometimes, I just draw what I see. But with Obama, I had seen so many photos of him that I had more time to process what I would exaggerate. At first I lay down a loose form sketch just to get the overall shape. I then begin sketching the placement of the features and “adjust” the face shape as needed until it’s to my liking. His nose is rather wide so I made it a bit larger. The reference photo I used had great contrast in lighting and also captured his mouth while speaking so I played on that and drew his mouth larger and kept the same pose which was in mid-sentence. His ears are also on the large side and jut out well away from his head so there was yet another opportunity. I wanted to make his jaw a little narrower and the chin a little longer (in my opinion if you make his chin too long you can lose some of the likeness). The top of his head, eyes and eyebrows are very close to a portrait and this was intentional.
As with most drawings, it all starts with a loose sketch, in this case in pencil. Some people do several thumbnail sketches prior to the final but I prefer to rework the same sketch (erase, redraw, etc) until I am satisfied I can take it to another level.
Obama likes to point during his speeches. I thought it would add an element of his character if his hand was included in the drawing. Since my original reference photo didn’t show his hand I found a separate photo and used it to include the hand in the drawing.
If I like the overall look of the sketch, I add more details. I wanted the finished drawing to be a bit bigger so I enlarged the sketch on a copier. I then traced the basic lines of the sketch onto 100 lb. smooth bristol using a light table. The finished drawing will be done with a black Prismacolor pencil. I sketch in pencil quite frequently, but it’s difficult to get regular pencil to be as dark as Prismacolor pencils. I think colored pencils also translate better in a photo.
Now that I have my basic facial foundation, the next phase involves concentrating on the reference photo, its details and how they will translate to the drawing. I chose the reference photo for the expression (looks like mid-sentence during an intense speech) and because of the outdoor lighting.
To render the hair I simply tried to mimic the texture of hair in my reference photo and paid attention to the light and dark values. For some details it takes a concentrated look to see what’s going on with certain features and how they work together.
It’s always a fun challenge to bring out light reflections contrasted with dark lines and recesses. Photos of a drawing are only so good — the original is always better and the contrast is more apparent. This drawing was purely for my own enjoyment. I plan to do more drawings like this one as I get time if I ever work through my list of commissions. Mr. Obama is framed and hanging in my basement studio.
Here’s the finished drawing. I hope to do more in this style. It’s one of my favorites!
Sam currently lives in Smithville, Ohio with his wife, Connie, who supports his drawing addiction and has attended a couple of cons. Sam has been an ISCA member since 2008 and enjoys entertaining at gigs all around northeast Ohio and doing gift caricatures and pencil portraits when he finds time. He has an enjoyable day job which is in no way art related so it’s always a challenge to make time to indulge his inner artist.
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