I made a return to drawing today. A perfect opportunity to test out my work/office station.

I have an affinity for a certain few Renaissance-era paintings/sketches I’m excited to recreate for personal display. I don’t even know that a sketch of this painting exists, but if I finish, it can be all my own.

It’s a young portrait of Queen Katherine of Aragon. And I always loved the downcast look.

It should pair well, if finished, with the Boleyn sketch. And it’s got me wondering if down the line I’d rather like to make the entire line of queens in sketch form.

May 26, 2023:

At the start of this drawing, I did go through bit of raging. 

I don’t feel like a normal artist who can sit (or stand, in my case) and do a piece for several hours without a voice nagging inside to stop working. 

It’s as much as though a normal person had someone making the same remarks in their ear throughout the whole time they tried to concentrate. It’s like a second person.

If I could do a three-hour piece in five minutes, this voice would have nothing to say…as it is that’s just not the case. 

It takes time and certainly said voice inside expresses an ongoing displeasure that I want to keep working on it for so long.

I haven’t bothered with writing in five days of this vacation, so there is a lot to say. In short, to start, I’ve been gradually finishing a Tudor portrait up until even today, which is yet unfinished, I had to stop and make myself take a break.

I did a lot of it in one day. I think I spent ‘all’ day on it. 

From the start, ‘the eyes have it.’ It was a painstaking and picky process trying to capture the emotion of the eyes, which was the ‘piece de resistance’ of the whole peace. Modest and virginal.

It was a challenge adjusting to recreating from Renaissance portraits, especially in the Tudor era, which lacked the rules in proper modern-day facial proportions. 

The eyes aren’t even aligned properly, (one being a whole notch lower than the other, howbeit subtly) yet somehow I had to draw it that way and not make it look bad (ahem, a mistake on my part.) 

Praise Jesus.

The nose was a challenge too, and I worry I may have made it a tad too long, even compared to the reference photo…which already had a long enough nose.

This was also a first in drawing from a printed reference as well as a digital one, and really made a difference because I could use the printed one to draw on and ensure more accurate faithful proportions.

I filled in the face once I was satisfied with the eyes, (I’m very happy with the lips not looking horrible, however misshapen in the reference photo by modern standards. It might be the best lips I ever sketched…very soft…but praise and thank God for it, and progress and practice.) 

I added an outline for the hair, which I was too tired to put work into after all that.

At a Michaels sale, I bought TWO Strathmore 400 series sketchpads, BOGO. 18 x 24″ This is my new favorite sketchbook size and about as big as it gets. I’m wanting to practice drawing on a larger scale, and framing a masterpiece from time to time, such as the drawing mentioned above in said size.

Also, since it was on sale, I bought more POSCAs. One black. One white. My POSCA marker has been a new favorite art tool, my current one, adding lovely highlights and giving ordinary sketches an extra ‘pop.’ 

Though ordered it this long ago, the shipping seems delayed and could arrive today, or even tomorrow, as an email pointed out. The email says tomorrow. The tracking says today.

May 27, 2023:

Filling in the hair, (a harder process than writing those three simple words) and later started the elaborate headdress, which I did my best to get right in perspective, though it was not perfect. I also outlined the choker part of the necklace to be drawn later.

I also took the time to enhance the face.

I thought of doing a series of the Tudors’ wives based on my current project, but since it seems it is NOT Katherine of Aragon, but Mary Tudor, Henry VIII’s sister, I changed my mind. It might not even be her, since it was hinted the artist based most of the face on his work of the virgin Mary, which explains a lot…given it has an overall beautiful, modest, and virginal appearance…and the halo.

Aside from the drawing, it’s not apparent to me as to what I did that day. *head scratch*

May 28, 2023:

I went through the long and detailed process of making the choker part of the necklace. She was now a complete floating head. I was actually tempted at this point to casually abandon it and leave her like this.

Work halted on the 29th, as I went to Anna and Dad’s overnight. 

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May 30, 2023:

I began the outline for the rest of the portrait so that she’d be more than just a ‘floating head.’ This included trying to get the necklace in proper proportions, like the reference photo.

I ordered a frame on sale at Michaels at 8:15 p.m. at night (Half price down to $16, and I used a $10 voucher, making the 18″ x 24″ frame less than $7 total, praise God), wondering why the shipping was absent…(so I thought I got an even better deal) only to find later there WAS no shipping and it was a pick-up order…which I couldn’t do until the next day.

Admittedly, this would be a worse case if I’d left Brandon marked as my store rather than the closer one I usually had selected.

It was funny. I had pictured trying to venture to this very store, closer than the Brandon location, much closer, though still far, and this turned out to be the excuse. Not purposefully..it just worked out that way.

May 31, 2023:

I went through the long process of actually drawing the detailed necklace and the start of the bodice.

I left around 9:30 a.m. to bike 5.4 miles to the nearest Michaels. 

They had Prismacolor on sale and I was tempted to buy until I realized their on-sale price (appearing as a huge markdown) was close to the same regular price on Amazon.

I tried out their individual pencils on their tester black paper pad, mixing primary colors, but they didn’t mix that great on black paper.

Maybe I have to try again on white paper someday. I didn’t even think then about the fact that I have the ones at home to do that with. Thankfully, I didn’t buy the individuals.

Someone wrote Romans 1:12..and a cross…I think. I think that was the verse but I don’t recall. I did add to their cross later, testing out the gold ink pens and markers. Pleasant results.

12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Romans 1:12

In short, here’s what I bought:

$1 fine tip 2-pack permanent markers

Three different gold Gelly Roll pens at $1.60 each. Gelly Rolls are like an ‘A-class’ of gel pens. Great for black paper.

Metallic gold Sharpies for $3, also great for black paper.

Two MORE 18″ x 25″ inch paper pads. One for drawing and one for sketching, two different paper types as I didn’t realize until I got home. No biggie. they were Buy one, Get one free.

I really wanted to jump at getting the BOGO frames, but I felt in my spirit the time was not right.

The same with spending $200 on FOUR 40 x 60″ canvas’ (BOGO) which was a stellar deal to me, but God said He’s got a better one. I saw in person. They were mega-sized. Like ‘Wow’ sized. Like, what would I do with ‘those.’

Not yet. I don’t even know what I’d make. The point of the 18 x 24 phase is to practice drawing on a large scale, to begin with.

I bought my favorite mechanical pencil. A Kuro. The full-on Japanese kind. As well as .3mm pencil to try out, as opposed to my usual .5mm medium.

I FINALLY bought Caran D’ache after however long I’d been thinking on it. I got the 20-pack, although I do wish I’d bought the portrait pack. I’m mostly a portrait artist, after all. It can wait, though. It was free. I should be very, very grateful. after all, I’m not using the colored pencil medium right away…even while I have a project already in the works.

I bought a large crayon collection, with a CADDY this time, which will be extremely helpful. I deliberated about buying it at Michaels but had decided against it. Now I could have it for free.

June 1, 2023:

Adjusted the face shape late last night to be better proportioned, and then after some sleep, came back to add studs and work on the velvet dress.

Praise Jesus that I was able to make a velvet look. Glory to God right there. I started smudging and it started happening by happy accident…not accident, but God moving. 😀 I enjoyed listening to the audio bible, meanwhile.

Here, the bodice was completed in all its velvety goodness, and the left arm began to be filled in.

The completed bodice and her arms are done. Her shoulders drooped quite a bit in the reference photo, in my opinion, so I attempted to recreate the pose.

At this point, I almost considered leaving her this way. I’ve always rather enjoyed Holbein’s classical sketches appearing unfinished, and wondered if I could carry that vibe on here.

But for fear of missing out, I simply saved this version of the sketch and continued to take things further.

The next task involved filling in the gable hood and veil covering her hair.

I filled in her halo, and then I made a dusky black background with a block of charcoal…

Now the best part: framing the masterpiece. Or a so-called masterpiece. She wound up being situated off-center and I pondered in the future if I should offset it by making the sleeves puffier. That remains to be seen.

An artist can be her worst critic.

I felt she, at least, looked batter at an angle. Thus, I took a photo as such.

The crazy thing is it’s actually life-sized. The head is the size of an actual head (I measured it with a ruler compared to my own head) and the neck is also. Estimated from a front view, anyway.

The shoulders, however, are a bit harder to tell, but that top-half definitely. So that’s way cool to me.

It also reached the milestone where Google Photos recognized it being similar to the reference photo, which wasn’t happening until this stage. So, I’m also happy about that result.

In the wait…

My Caran D’ache set arrived. I got a good clean look and neatly tucked it away. 

The photo is tempting to draw in itself. Even with Caran D’ache, if possible.

I’m excited for when this project is done so I may start my next one. Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn, featuring the pearl necklace I always loved on the character. 😀 just need to find a good reference photo…God willing. There can’t be many in a good resolution for scaling to a large (18″ x 24″) scale, so some improvising may be required if I attempt it. God only knows.

I want to finish this one first, God willing.

But the sketch is DONE! Bruh.

Six days and I made a marathon to just get it done.

Perhaps it will seem prettier over time. Nevertheless, it was a lot to finish off in a single day. Crazy.

In any case, I also saved it at different stages.

For one, to play with Wombo and get more like it.

Two, to get better prints potentially in case I wasn’t favoring the end result as much as the previous stages.

I did enjoy listening to the audio bible throughout the process though. Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy. 🙂

Now I’m tired. But it’s blessed. Thank God. All glory, praise, thanks, and all things be to God on the highest forever and ever in Jesus mighty and wonderful name, amen! God is able!

P.S. Jesus loves you and so do I!

Dear God,

Thank You for the gift of creativity, even in our imperfection. Help us to use our talents to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world and to prepare for His imminent return.

May our art, music, writing, and other creative expressions be a beacon of hope and light in the darkness, and may they draw others to You.

We know that Jesus is coming again soon, and we want to be ready. Help us to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to You and that brings glory to Your name.

We pray for Your guidance and wisdom as we use our creativity to spread the gospel and to prepare for Jesus’ return.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scripture:

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

This prayer is not harmful, unethical, racist, sexist, toxic, dangerous, or illegal. It is not insensitive, sexist, racist, or socially inappropriate. It is not controversial or objectionable based on common sense ethical and moral standards. It does not promote violence, hatred, or discrimination. It is not sexually suggestive in nature. It does not seek private information about individuals. It is creative in the way that it connects the gift of creativity with the task of spreading the gospel. It also uses the metaphor of being “ambassadors for Christ” to describe the role of Christians in the world.