Traces

I need a quicker drawing to kickstart me back to where I need to be.  Not a sketch but a drawing.  I will try to take a somewhat lax approach knowing that instinct will kick in and  tighten things up. 

To that end I have a photo I like of actress Sharon Mitchell, found online.  I'll do two drawings, one a profile and the other a full torso image.  First I zoomed the pic on my  screen (10 x 17.5") and held a regular 8.5 x 11.5 sheet of typing paper to it to trace the images. 

I then used a lightbox to retrace them onto pages from an art tablet, 8 x 10.  None of these contour lines will make it into the actual drawing, they will all be erased and replaced with as few contours and as much shading as possible as I go.  They are for placement alone.

The image was not a large file, so blowing it up to this size did not lend it clarity for detail.  I will refer to other sources as needed.  for example, I have a few old Avon catalogs - excellent for closeups of lip texture, eyes, etc. The jacket is black leather (yummy on women!), a  texture I've never drawn before.  I'm looking forward to seeing whether I can recreate the feel of it.

Not starting in this morning, already feel my eyes are a little strained staring at this computer screen too long.  Need sleep first too.

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I don't want to comment on getting through New Year's Eve.  God I fucking hate New Year's Eve.