an illustrative process

I always begin my fashion illustrations with a pencil drawing as the under-layer for the painting. My pencil of choice is the GraphGear 500, Pentel mechanical pencil.

All of the shadows and values are rendered in pencil to approximately 60% of the final value (the darks are not as dark as they will be when the painting is completed).

All of the reference images are used to maintain the accuracy in light, form and proportion. Usually, several sketches are made before the final rendering is begun.

The rendering is completed. I spray the surface with a Workable Fixatif to seal the graphite before beginning the painting process. The fixatif stops the graphite from smearing when it meets the water.

Once the pencil rendering is complete I take a deep breath and fill the page with a wash of watercolor paint to start the illustration with an overall sense of continuity. The wash is light but covers everything.

I let the wash completely dry then begin layering in flat layers of color to build up the values. Notice the patterning on the shirt, tie and jacket and the modeling of the face and hand.

After the initial layering and modeling I begin adding white to bring out the highlights and during this same period I add the darkest values to give life to the illustration. The painting slowly evolves.

I realized that the head was fading to the background and that I need to give it a bit of a push forward. With another deep breath I painted in the background around Walter's head.