Rough Sketch of Grandad, A3 sketchbook, graphite, 2009

This is another commission I will be working on at the moment. The task is challenging but I am up for it. The client wants his Grandad painted. It would have been simpler if he was alive but he is not and also they only have a small 6" x 4" black and white picture.




I have a blog dedicated to black and whites to colour where I experiment transforming my sketches into colour with no colour reference and sometimes with only mental notes they come out well. For this commission I 'll be using the colour of the clients face(I took reference shots) since he said his grandfather would or should be his complexion, this makes it much easier.

This painting will be in oil on canvas and will be 10" x 12". But for the client to understand how the portrait will sit on the canvas, I normally do a rough sketch without scaling or griding. The clients has approved and I will be working on this in the weeks ahead.