Free book: Drawing Portraits #003

1.2 Our Language.

As with any specialty, a long list of jargon develops. It is appropriate to dedicate a section to describe the words that we use so that the rest of the book is more easily understood. There are two ways that I could approach this. The first is as it comes. The second is alphabetical order. I think the former is more attractive. Otherwise it might feel like you are reading a dictionary. Each of the terms appears in the index so that you may refer to them later at ease.

1.2.1 Realism

Realism refers to artwork which attempts to depict something recognisable. In the extreme, it attempts to do this with great accuracy so that the viewer is at awe with the likeness of the subject. An abstract work on the other hand attempts to remove all recognisable objects from the picture. Somewhere on a sliding scale between abstract and extreme realism lies impressionism. The aim of the techniques in this book is to produce works which are almost photographic. Photo realistic works attempt to fool the viewer into thinking they are looking at a photograph. A photograph has certain limitations like a compressed depth of field and limited tonal range. It may also have problems or at least certain characteristics which alter perspective. A photo realistic work often attempts to duplicate these limitations. Our work aims to duplicate the level of detail, but we reserve the right to introduce a different or more extended tonal range, and contrast and focus. In fact, as a graphite portrait artist, we have none of the limitations of a photographer's task. We can break the rules of physics and get away with it. There is no reason why we cannot draw something that is impossible to construct or observe in nature. We will try to produce works that are definitely realistic, might look at first site like a photocopy or photograph, but closer inspection will reveal pencil marks and hints that make the work recognisable as a drawing.

1.2.2 Impressionism

An impressionistic artwork uses a minimum of individually recognisable shapes, shades and colours, but somehow conveys the whole artwork as a depiction of something real.