Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Priest Before the Sermon

Here's a priest before the sermon, turned inward in contemplation. 


I used just four tools: black and red-brown water-soluble colored pencils, a water brush filled with black ink, and a water brush filled with clear water.

7 comments:

Dennis Applebee said...

James, do you dilute the ink in the water brush, or fill it straight out of the jar? I know that you use a water soluble ink based on the link and previous videos I have watched.

James Gurney said...

Dennis, with the black ink I usually use it straight from the jar so that I can get a good velvety black.

Susan Krzywicki said...

In spite of my frustrations with the Catholic Church at the moment, I felt this image captured his inward focus so clearly and made me feel calm and hopeful. Somehow, the way you put down the marks for his eyes...

Bevan said...

Out of curiosity, what size was this sketch? And what size would you recommend to get a likeness for a rookie painter? I have been sketching a person a day for the last year trying to improve my skills, but I find if I get too small they are so much harder to get a likeness. I have moved to about two per page in a Pentallic 5*8 book and that seems easier if I get the drawing right---which is still a challenge, but getting easier with more pencil/brush miles.

James Gurney said...

Stephen and Nyree, this sketch is about 6 x 8 inches in a vertical book, small but not tiny. When drawing in church it's probably best to keep it small. I've worked even smaller, and I'm always amazed by how small Menzel's drawings are.

Timothy Bollenbaugh said...

Stephen & Nyree:

James posted the following concerning figure size:

https://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/12/seven-inch-figures.html

And his GJ Book Club posts contain a wealth of information concerning nailing a likeness:

https://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/search?q=figure+drawing&updated-max=2012-07-14T18:39:00-04:00&max-results=20&start=13&by-date=false

He's posted much more concerning your issues, so the search box he provided is of great help.

Bevan said...

James and Timothy,
Thank you both for the feedback, it is much appreciated.