Entry #2

The work atmosphere is usually just me and my grandma in her studio working or when I go out to get
water or clean paint brushes I say hello to other artists walking buy or anyone asking me if I’m Anna’s
intern. The atmosphere is very quiet and relaxed which I very much enjoy. Dress code is clothes you can
get dirty or don’t mind getting paint on. The work ethic is a very satisfying one because I usually finish
or almost complete a study or piece in one workday. We take breaks every once and a while to almost
reset our eyes. What I mean by this is to see the work with fresh eyes and mind because when you stay
at a painting for a long time you get used to what it looks like and then when you take a break and come
back you instantly see many mistakes that you didn’t before.

During this week at the studio I do my usual cleaning and setting up my Grandma's station and for my next charcoal study. I am studying the values of the human face. I used a cast mold of a face as a reference for my charcoal drawing. The first drawing is just a two value simplified version of what I see. It takes many tries to get the proportions correct. You do a lot of measurements, comparing, and problem-solving in this process to get it right. Then the next day I come back and add the next darker values to the drawing and blend things together were needed to make it look a lot more realistic. I lastly I go in with a small white charcoal pencil the make the very lightest part of the drawing pop.