Raven portrait in progress 5 - The importance of multiple reference photos

Raven has such a beautifully symmetrical face, and I have been portraying him symmetrical – with a lot of attention on getting that symmetry even on both sides of his head. My previous posts explain the methods I used to do that. Today as I worked into the muzzle area I saw that his muzzle is NOT symmetrical. 

1

This is what I started with when I began work in the studio today.

When I began working on the black area of the right cheek today (below the right eye), I had to first outline the right side of his white muzzle, as I did on the left. (Giving myself a white edge to work up to.) Then I saw that his muzzle was NOT symmetrical. 

2

These are the reference photos I pulled out to look at, in addition to the main reference photo I'm using for the portrait. In my main ref photo it looks like Raven has a white muzzle that’s just in shadow on the right side.

This is why it’s very important for portrait artists to look at more than one reference photo of their subject, showing the features in different lighting, and at different angles. So you can clearly understand what you are seeing in your primary photo. Photos can be deceptive, lighting and shadows can make the forms of the face look different than they are. This additional reference photo on the far right, in particular, with Raven’s head turned to the side, really shows me the markings on that side of his muzzle clearly.

3

Now when I outline that side of Raven’s muzzle, I understand what I need to capture. I know what I need to do with my pencils. Notice I have not used white pencil to outline the right side of the muzzle like I did on the left. I know that I’ll be working into grey and black values as I go down that right side. 

Next I’ll start filling in the white muzzle on the left, inside the white outline I made. That white outline captures the little white hairs and white whiskers that stick out into the black cheek area (on the left side and the upper right). I had to create that white outline with those hairs and whiskers, so that I could work up to that white edge with the dark grey and black pencils I used to fill in both lower cheeks.

I needed that white edge before I could complete the black cheeks that you see finished in this pic. Certain steps have to happen in certain orders. So before I could complete the right black cheek today, I had to pause my artwork and take the time to pull out some of the other reference photos Cathy had sent and study the right side of Raven’s muzzle until I understood what to portray.

🎨 Prismacolor pencil on “Sand” Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 16 x 20 inches.

“Raven”

Conant’s Raven Nevermore CDX RN

Commissioned by Cathy Nearman.