Creating Neo Deco – 02-02-23

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/neo-deco-02-02-23/
Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-neo-deco-02-02-23/

Extending the Series

This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 02-02-23’ follows one in the same series. However, for the last one I used my regular model. This time I got yet another one of those Walter Bird’s pictures. The last one was almost two months ago. Now, I never hid my admiration for him and certainly will do not this time. There were some obstacles to meet first though. I thought there was a whole lot of blackness that I found to be too much of a good thing. Because of the extreme lighting some shadows in the hands formed new, yet incomprehensible tiny subforms. Besides that, the reference picture was of low resolution and therefor a lot of details were hard to detect. The model’s hair looked uncanny straight like straigth flaxen straw. Consequently, the beginning wasn’t promising. I can tell you that.

Artistic Search

I first got the proportions right. Then I thought it was a good idea to put the stress on the curvature of the body. Somehow I saw the curves extending from her buttons I could extend to her rib cage. The curve in the lower upper leg forms a nice contrast directionwise. The next sequence is the calf mimicing the curve in her lower back. I made her hair a bit more wavy in the lower part of the drawing, deviating from Bird’s photograph. There was more needed. I kept the lower right corner empty. That was a big void but I could rest my hand on it easily, preveting smudging up the whole drawing. I decided to put in two golden ratio curves. Not the first time I have to admit but they are essential to me. I see the ratio embedded in all things. Do you?

Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers