This is my neighbor, Cate. Single mother of three and devout Christian. She has agreed to let me photograph her every Sunday after church, so I may draw her later. This is the first of hopefully many to follow. I told her I don’t have the opportunity to draw black women that often and I was having a difficult time drawing her facial features. She prayed for me right there. I got a kick out of it, because I have a difficult time praying for success with my art. She has no problem praying for anything and truly believes God hears and answers all prayers. Well, this is a first hand example of a prayer answered because I finally finished it.

As forementioned, this was a difficult process. Her eyes are extremely dark and I had to strike a very delicate balance between her eyes, lashes and lids, all of which have little contrast. Her skin was about as delicate. When first drawn and shaded, the differences in her cheeks and jaw resembled a beard more than skin. Through an iterative process of adding and subtracting (erasing), her cheeks and jaws evolved into what you see here. I didn’t spend a lot of time on her body, just because I had spent so much time on her face and needed to move on.

Q:

So, Kevin, if you have so much dfifficulty drawing black women, why would you draw her every week?

A:

…Give me a minute…

I named this sketch The First Kiss, because it started out as an office romance scene. I think it’s important to mention at this time that this is not a self-portrait and I am NOT in love with anyone in my office. Now then, I am a sucker for a good romance story, so here it is. After thinking about it for a while, this scene then became the same couple ten years after their first kiss in the office. They are married and have two children. It is early Saturday morning and Grammy has picked up the kids and taken them to McDonalds for breakfast and they have the house to themselves, if only for a couple of hours. As he looks at her, he remembered that today was “the” anniversary, and as any man knows, if you are the first to remember ANY anniversary, that makes you king for the day. This is that moment. I just hope they brushed their teeth first.

This sketch is on a piece of printer paper of all things. Its was meant to be a reference sketch and nothing more. What I mean by reference sketch is just a reminder of what I was thinking at the time. I started with a ribbon microphone on a table, oddly enough, and roughed in the bodies. As soon as I drew her face, I knew I couldn’t stop there. The result is what you see.

I teach my boys about choices and consequences. If you decide something is a “good idea”, just think about the outcome and ask yourself, is it worth it?

When my youngest, Stephen was about four or five, he asked to do something he would be punished for, which was play in the mud with his clothes on. This is not normally a crime with a sentence, but we had to get going and a bath would have slowed us down. I told him no, repeatedly and finally said,  “If you do it, I’ll swat your behind”. He pauses for a moment, then says, “Are you gonna swat me hard, because I really wanna do it?” This story has little to do with the sketch, but the theme is the same. It’s all about choices. I believe a habit is just a familiar choice. I recently quit smoking cold turkey, by the grace of God, and replaced that nasty habit with a productive one. Now drawing is a very familiar choice and smoking is a distant memory.

I like this paper stock. It’s ultra white and stays relatively clean. Ideal for drawing straight, clean lines. Although, it has a nice finish to blend with, I chose only a select few areas to darken. This creates quite a contrast between the sharp, crisp lines and the white of the paper.