Forest

surface & texture

Light these days (on the edge of spring) is just plain awesome! Just before the sun sets, the magic just comes pouring in through the windows. I'm going to do more of these simple color sketches.

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From drawing to painting

(sketch by Dirk van Dulmen)
Lately I've been discussing the differences between a sketch and a painting. With this one I tried to stay as close to the sketch as I could. I picked this sketch out of a dozen other faces on the same page, because it had something I liked. By staying so close to the sketch I hope that it keeps that something I liked in the beginning.

Example: As you can see his face (on the sketch) has no eyebrows. When I'm adding paint, should I decide on adding eyebrows in the final painting? I think not. I'm not discussing how one should use a sketch or how to interpretate a sketch.

I'm just thinking: If you want to stay close to the 'magic' of a sketch it's best to stick to the original creative decisions. So, no eyebrows.


Another thing I tried to do is to push the character's personality and translate it in the painted version. His reddish cheeks with little highlighted spots enhances his innocence and with that, still fit the sketch but communicates his character in a stronger way.