Probity

self portrait, 20" x 16", oil on panel (in progress)

Ingres said "drawing is the probity of art" (probity means integrity and uprightness; honesty -- yes, I had to look it up). Having allowed the imprimatura to dry, I laid down a small grid and drew the basis for my painting in charcoal. Why the grid? It helped me to quickly transfer my reference image to the panel. This can be accomplished by a number of different methods and this one is hardly my invention (or anyone else's living in the last few centuries). Because of the organic nature of charcoal, drawings such as this can still be detected under layers of paint (when not simply visible) in some masters' paintings... even more fascinating when it doesn't match the final image.

My reference is a digital photo with a grid overlay. Durer used a contraption that would present a grid over whatever he was viewing. This brings up the occaisionally heated topic of painting from photos which I intend to sidestep for the moment. What I really want to convey here is the part of the process where you try to establish a foundation. Ingres is talking about much more in his quote, but I'm choosing to apply it narrowly here. At this stage it's much easier to fix problems in layout and proportion. Case in point, notice the mouth... I originally placed it too high despite using a grid to "cheat." A little bit of effort now can save a lot of time and frustration later. This won't be the last time drawing comes into play however in the course of this painting.