Plate IV · line study, drawing itself as you arrive.
Graphite & sanguine
The first two sittings are drawn in graphite on white paper: precise, erasable, good for measuring. The last is drawn in sanguine chalk on toned paper, heightened with white — a warmer, faster medium that rewards a sure block-in.
Graphite · 2H–2B
Sanguine on toned paper
Fig. 6 The portrait kit adds sanguine and white chalk.
Sitting structure
Sitting I · weeks 1–3
Setup at the model
Sight-size station beside the sitter; plumb lines, the eye line, the big shape.
Sitting II · weeks 4–6
Light & shadow
The shadow shape as one value; half-tones that turn the form.
Sitting III · weeks 7–8
Likeness
Built from measured relationships, not features — in sanguine.
A typical path
Typical path
Returning amateur (retiree)
Student
A retired teacher who painted for years without formal training
Goal
Draw portraits of family members with a likeness she could trust
What they did
Portrait from Life in graphite and sanguine over three multi-week sittings, sight-size setup