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Elegy (stage two)
When I had the composition down and all the details drawn in, I did the linework using a 2B mechanical pencil. This stage was pretty straightforward. Some lines were only meant to be guides for future shading (such as the folds on the shirt sleeves) so I used a lighter grade pencil to work them over. When I was finished, I took a kneaded eraser and gently erased all the leftover sketch lines and grime that I might've added accidentally. It's now ready for shading.
People sometimes comment on my work saying stuff like "it's great, but you need to learn to make the transition from light to dark more smoothly instead of using such bold lines". People assume I'm shooting for a classic-style realistic drawing, which makes them assume that my use of bold lines is a "mistake". A few have commented on the old tutorial in this manner, so I thought it necessary to mention it in this new one.
I learned how to "blend smoothly" some fifteen years ago. I have about a ton of realistic figure drawings from my life drawing classes. Truth is, pure realism is not something that interests me, therefore it's definitely not what I'm shooting for. The linework is there not because I'm incompetent/unable to blend light and shadow, but because that's how I want it to be. I like to use stylistic approach in my work. I want to maintain a certain amount of realism but at the same time I don't want my drawings to look like photos.
Don't get me wrong: realism is one of my favorite styles of art, and I admire artists who create a seamless reflection of reality in their work. As a viewer, I find it aesthetically pleasing. But as an artist, I find it boring to just copy reality. In large part I owe my love of bold lines to Art Nouveau, the style I love but also don't want to copy exactly. This is the look I want for my work; it's as simple as that.
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