Drawing... a review on Rembrandt initial tries.

I really Rembrandt's style of drawing from observation. the way the lines have this age, this movement and the need for him to get the image down onto a piece of paper. I thought i would have a go at his Self Portrait from the 1630's (first image below) as i liked the way he portrayed the face and the sweeping and free strokes of ink, i like the way in which he portrays form and depth in the drawing, like the wash in the background and the strong shadows which lines of cross hatching follow the contours of the face to create the deinition of the figures form.

 

1. First go at trying with ink, i think the face is to tubby and looks nothing like Rembrandt's image. Need to make the shadows in the form of the contours of the face and the eyes are too small in proportion to the rest of the face.
2. This one looks much better from the first one, the brush became to dry though which made mostly all of the lines become disturbed which isn't Rembrandt's style so REMEMBER TO WET THE BRUSH OFTEN! looks abit more like Rembrandt's drawing though in he marks made and the proportions are definitely better.
3.This one failed at the eye dripped water then went on it with the ink and it just bled. This one i think looks like an actor can't remember the name but it really does and he's been in a fight and gotten a black eye. Again eyes are too small Annie! and the marks don't define the facial contours and it doesn't have a lot of fluid movement in it.
4. i though that since i can't do the eyes properly i would shrink it down and try doing the drawing at a smaller scale the eyes are definitely the right size in proportion to the face but the face is too bulky and the cheek is too black so shows no actual definition to his face also at the right side the line is too smudged, need to be more confident in my line making.

5. For the next couple of ones i tried to move on from the ink to see if i used another media it would help in my development of applying the media to paper think this is definitely a step forward in making it more like Rembrandt's and done in the technique of Rembrandt. I like as well that I've tried it out in its original colour even though it watercolours as i don't have a sepia ink on hand. Think I've definitely worked better. Also i used a more defined brush so i think that helped me in the mark making over the page.
6. Tried to make the lines more defined and bolder, i think the brush became dry again on some occasion which made the lines disrupted and i tried adding a highlight of a darker shade as that's what it looks like has happened on Rembrandt's original and i think this helps in defining the face abit more and deeper the shadows. Some areas though have became to watery so I've got to make sure there's not to much water on the brush or it will become a painting instead

7. Felt this one failed again, this i was becoming to accustomed with the media and  tried  to get too comfortable with  what i was doing and steered away from Rembrandt's technique. I feel the facial features have shrunk an the face has grown abit which is strange and it looks like he's got half a moustache on his face. Need to define more and make the shadows deeper in the which Rembrandt's shadows are portrayed.
8. After getting to comfortable with the use of the brush and ink/watercolour. i thought about what i could do and chose pencil as it might help me in the speed in which he does the drawing and the way in which he marks the page when drawing. I feel I've got more definition with this drawing and looks more like Rembrandt's characteristic style, and my quickness definitely increased making this drawing.

9. Here i continued with the pencil trying to master the technique i feel the face is too bulgy and the shadows are not as deep as they should be for a Rembrandt style of drawing. I feel though that the lines are more in the contours of the face and defines the face more. the collar is also to big for the face! Use the darker colour more!

10. This is actually lighter in the photo than it is in real life (used flash). Think this has  worked out really well the quickness i feel shows through the lines and the faces proportions are in tact. I feel the face has real definition in it and the features aren't just sitting there and are actually part of the face. I used the darker colour more than the one before and feel this definitely helped in producing deeper and more Rembrandt styled drawing. 

Overall i think from the 1st drawing to the 10th the image has definitely grown in definition and is more like Rembrandt's style of drawing which has this fluidity and this quickness and rough appearance in where the lines are placed. Would like to go back now after i feel i have improved... but not mastered! Rembrandt's style of drawing there are definitely room for improvement in the proportions and the actually likeliness of the image as the face still has qualities that aren't there. I've learned that Rembrandt's style isn't as easy as i thought it would be and it definitely is a great way to put down an image onto paper. I feel the change in media also helped me improve as it didn't let me cheat my way through using the technique finding ways in which i could mask the real technique and helped me progress in using it, to understand the way in which i have to do it, to get the Rembrandt style.

Thanks for reading that essay, probably a unnessesary spraf right there for you :)
Annie x