FRIDAY DRAWING CHALLENGE #2: MAGNIFIED

Here are the directions for this challenge. They are on page 21 of Experimental Drawing by Robert Kaupelis: Using one or two hours, make a very detailed contour drawing of yourself by looking in a magnified mirror. I did this drawing today using pen and ink in my sketch book. It was really fun to do. I spent maybe an hour and a half. I wasn't timing myself and I kept being interupted but the idea is to take time to really observe and record all the minutiae. I used a standing mirror but you can get an inexpensive magnifying mirror at the drug store in the cosmetic department that you would just hold in one hand. I shifted position accidentally so watch out for that. Since I was using pen I just made the best of it. The other thing to watch out for is working large without having the paper upright. This creates a distorted image. Consequently, my face is elongated. It's not so much about an exact likeness. This kind of drawing is more about learning to really look and record what you see.
I hope I am not the only brave soul willing to post a scarry unflattering portrait of themselves. If I can do it, you can do it! I am looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with! If you really don't want to do your face, take a magnifying glass and do a section of your hand. Check out Nancy Stanley's blog (see my links on the side) for a very exciting slide show! If I can figure out how to do that, I will feature everyone's challenge responses in that format. You can click on individual images and the person's name appears.
I managed to draw my image onto my practice sheet for my next painting but time ran out before I was able to get a brush wet. I will try to get the practice painting done tomorrow after the Gallery Concord Reception for the fall show. It is my turn to be the featured artist. I am very pleased to have so many paintings hanging at the same time.