Downward Gaze

Posted on March 19, 2012 by spilledinkguy

Simon says… post a drawing.

Simon (*singing his theme song*): “Well, you know my name is Simon… and I like to do drawerings…”

– Mike Myers – Saturday Night Live

About this image: charcoal drawing on Bristol Board

70 thoughts on “Downward Gaze”

Syncopated Eyeball on March 19, 2012 at 2:19 am said:

That’s particularly lovely, Robert. Beautiful and gentle.

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 7:48 am said:
  
  Why thank you, S.E…
  I thought Annabelle had a Vermeer-esque quality about her mood in this one…
  hope I didn’t loose too much of that in the drawing…
  🙂
  
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ristinw on March 19, 2012 at 2:32 am said:

The feeling is more powerful in black and white! 😀 Excellent work!

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 7:45 am said:
  
  Thank you very much, Cristina!
  I considered colorizing this one, (and I still might try it at some point) but I have to admit I kind of liked the black and white, too!
  🙂
  
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nursemyra on March 19, 2012 at 4:40 am said:

Who is the model? Is it Annabelle?

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 7:44 am said:
  
  It is indeed, N.M…
  (a mirrored image of her, anyway… I liked the light source best on the left here for some reason…)
  🙂
  
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ceceliafutch on March 19, 2012 at 6:49 am said:

Lovely. Absolutely lovely.

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 7:43 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Ms. F!
  🙂
  
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cocomino on March 19, 2012 at 8:14 am said:

Hmm. She has a expressive face.Great work, indeed.

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 9:20 am said:
  
  I think so, too, cocomino…
  she’s an excellent actress, isn’t she?
  Thank you so much, sir!
  🙂
  
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  - cocomino on March 19, 2012 at 9:21 am said:
    
    Sure. 🙂
    
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    - spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 12:01 pm said:
      
      🙂
      
      Reply ↓
Mary on March 19, 2012 at 8:17 am said:

It is lovely! Any time I question myself about leaving something black and white or adding color, I’m ususally unhappy if I do add the color.

This piece is so pristine….how’d you do that using charcoal? 😀
Excellent!

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 9:20 am said:
  
  Many thanks, Mary!
  Yeah… I think if I add color it will probably be a digital attempt… I’m kind of a chicken that way, you know.
  
  Just trying to be careful… and frequent erasing. Sometimes I have to touch up the edges a bit in Photoshop, but this one stayed pretty clean. I kind of luck out sometimes, I guess.
  🙂
  
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Deb on March 19, 2012 at 9:03 am said:

You are so good at what you do, Bob! This is a amazing work!…Annabelle must be very proud. And so should you be.
Hugs, xx

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 9:17 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Deb…
  I just hope she isn’t fed up with the constant harassment!
  ‘Hey, Annabelle… could you help me out… I’ve got this idea for a drawing/painting/photo…’
  🙂
  
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frigginloon on March 19, 2012 at 9:35 am said:

OK, what has Annabelle seen?
Such an unusual angle …like!!!

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 9:47 am said:
  
  Maybe she was just nodding off waiting for me to finish this!?
  Thanks so much, Loon!
  🙂
  
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pattisj on March 19, 2012 at 10:23 am said:

Wow. Mad skills you have there. Beautiful.

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 11:56 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Patti!
  I appreciate that very much!
  🙂
  
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Jackie Cangro on March 19, 2012 at 12:21 pm said:

Magnificent, SIG!
Did Annabelle pose or did you work from a photo?

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 12:39 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Ms. C!
  I pretty much always work from a reference photo… I’m SO ridiculously slow…
  🙂
  
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nrhatch on March 19, 2012 at 12:44 pm said:

Beautiful reflection upon which to gaze. Really like the B&W.

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 1:31 pm said:
  
  Thank you so much, Nancy!
  The reference photo is especially so, I think…
  I hope I didn’t loose too much of that ‘pondering’ quality in the translation…
  🙂
  
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Unapologetically Mundane on March 19, 2012 at 1:52 pm said:

I’m convinced that your wife never wears clothes. I can’t actively name another time I’ve seen her without clothes on in one of your pieces, but I never let facts and figures stand in the way of my absolutely beliefs.

This is beautiful. Almost too good to be a drawing, as is the case with all of your work.

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 5:21 pm said:
  
  Ha… if there’s one thing I’ve discovered over the years it’s that arguing an absolute belief takes some real doing!
  I’m so happy to hear you liked it, U.M… I’m fairly happy with how this one turned out… for the moment, anyway.
  🙂
  
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youngamericanwisdom.com on March 19, 2012 at 2:56 pm said:

So beautiful! I love her glow. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that you draw this stuff. It’s remarkable.

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 5:16 pm said:
  
  Some of them seem to turn out better than others…
  so I’ve always got my fingers crossed
  (which makes drawing a bit more challenging, really). 😉
  Thank you so very much, Nancy!
  🙂
  
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Tony McGurk on March 19, 2012 at 2:58 pm said:

That’s a drawing??? Definite photo quality Robert. You captured such a quiet calm mood & it really puts that feeling across. Brilliant work

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 5:14 pm said:
  
  They usually read a bit more believably in small-scale / up on the screen I think…
  so that definitely helps me out a bit.
  Thanks so much, Tony… the reference photo really seemed to capture that mood well, so I’m very happy to hear some of that came across in the drawing, as well!
  🙂
  
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FS Photography on March 19, 2012 at 2:59 pm said:

As always SIG, masterfully impressive… I’m in awe…

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- spilledinkguy on March 19, 2012 at 5:12 pm said:
  
  You are always incredibly kind, FS…
  many thanks, sir!
  🙂
  
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Rachael Black on March 19, 2012 at 6:33 pm said:

Beautiful SIG! the artwork, the subject (she is beautiful), the way you put it together.
I adore your work. amazing 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on March 20, 2012 at 7:26 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Ms. B…
  that is very, very nice of you to say!
  I sincerely appreciate your kindness!
  🙂
  
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Androgoth on March 19, 2012 at 8:56 pm said:

I have no idea whom your muse is but
I certainly like this one my fine and wicked
friend, you have once again excelled 🙂

Well done SIG 🙂

Androgoth

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- spilledinkguy on March 20, 2012 at 7:30 am said:
  
  Thanks so much, A.G.!
  This is a portrait of my wife (who is always very kind in putting up with my perpetually bothering her with projects like this)…
  I think she was happy with the results (although she is always too kind to say otherwise, so…)
  
  Thank you again, A.G.!
  I hope you have a wonderful day!
  🙂
  
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  - Androgoth on March 23, 2012 at 6:00 pm said:
    
    If you don’t mind me saying so,
    you have a most beautiful wife SIG 🙂
    
    Enjoy a fine evening and
    equally an exciting weekend also…
    
    Androgoth
    
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    - spilledinkguy on March 24, 2012 at 10:17 am said:
      
      Agreed, sir!
      I’m a very lucky dude!
      Thank you so much, A.G.!
      I hope your weekend is going well!
      🙂
      
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Binky on March 19, 2012 at 9:30 pm said:

Very nice, as always. You always make these portraits look so real. In olden days, you’d be the one painting the official royal portraits, I’m sure.

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- spilledinkguy on March 20, 2012 at 7:31 am said:
  
  That is wonderfully kind of you to say, sir… thank you!
  Hahaha… well… maybe I’d be the guy with the bells on his shoes and hat, anyway…:)
  
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Lynn on March 20, 2012 at 12:58 am said:

Bravo! *I wonder if Annabelle knows how fortunate she is to be your muse.(I’m sure she does.)*
She has so many beautiful renderings of herself through your art. And just once I’d like to hear someone say they like the light best on my left side. 😦

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- spilledinkguy on March 20, 2012 at 7:33 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Lynn!
  I feel pretty sorry for her having to put up with it all, really… although she’s always very kind about doing so. I would imagine the novelty wore off quite some time ago and now it’s all just a huge pain in the… um… neck.
  I bet they are thinking it all the time, though, Lynn…
  🙂
  
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  - Annabelle on March 20, 2012 at 8:30 pm said:
    
    I like being the subject of your artwork/attention. Don’t worry, I won’t get sick of it. Glad to help! It’s fun!
    
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    - spilledinkguy on March 21, 2012 at 6:52 am said:
      
      Thank you very much for your constant help, Annabelle…
      I don’t know how you aren’t tired of it by now…
      but I really do appreciate it very much!
      🙂
      
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    - Lynn on March 21, 2012 at 8:01 pm said:
      
      Annabelle. you are not only beautiful and patient but you’re sweet too?? Aargh, how can I compete with that?? lol
      
      Reply ↓
      - spilledinkguy on March 22, 2012 at 7:54 am said:
        
        She’s the best, Lynn…
        and has to be…
        to put up with my wild shenanigans!
        🙂
Patti Kuche on March 20, 2012 at 12:58 pm said:

Honestly SiG, I don’t know what to say! This is so well done and I adore the shadow and form, and it’s charcoal, fantastic!

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- spilledinkguy on March 21, 2012 at 7:03 am said:
  
  Thank you very, very much, Ms. K!
  If you’ve never tried them the pencils are much more user friendly than you might expect… and you can keep such a nice sharp point with them, too… very helpful! Of course it’s a bit difficult to keep everything ‘clean’, but that’s just part of the challenge, I guess!
  🙂
  
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elmediat on March 20, 2012 at 6:03 pm said:

Beautiful execution of a beautiful subject. Very well done indeed.

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- spilledinkguy on March 21, 2012 at 6:53 am said:
  
  Many thanks, sir!
  🙂
  
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milkayphoto on March 20, 2012 at 6:57 pm said:

Very nice, Robert! 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on March 21, 2012 at 6:53 am said:
  
  Thank you so much, Tracy!
  🙂
  
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Lenore Diane on March 20, 2012 at 10:00 pm said:

This is beautiful! So soft and gentle. Wow.
The part that captures my eye the most are her earrings. SIG, the earrings look real. I am amazed you were able to get a metal/shiny appearance with this charcoal drawing. Incredible!

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- spilledinkguy on March 21, 2012 at 6:51 am said:
  
  I think sometimes when hard-ish lines are surrounded by softer areas that can almost happen on it’s own…
  I considered removing the earrings from the drawing (to eliminate more clues as to time / when it was drawn), but in the end I thought that bit of ‘pop’ might be kind of fun.
  Thanks so much, Ms. D! I appreciate that very much!
  🙂
  
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pegoleg on March 21, 2012 at 11:18 am said:

How lovely – both the model and the portrait. She looks a little…not sad, but pensive.

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- spilledinkguy on March 22, 2012 at 8:01 am said:
  
  Very well said, Peg!
  I think I should get you to ghost-write my posts for me! My stats would be through the roof!
  Thank you so much!
  🙂
  
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2e0mca on March 21, 2012 at 1:46 pm said:

Such a natural look to this – almost like the model is not aware of the artist. I love the shades and textures. I also love the choice of model – a really human face 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on March 22, 2012 at 7:58 am said:
  
  Annabelle is such a wonderful actress…
  she seems able to capture pretty much any mood effortlessly.
  I, on the other hand, pretty much only have one look. And it’s really not all that flattering!
  Thank you very much, Martin!
  🙂
  
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suitablefish on March 21, 2012 at 2:11 pm said:

A lovely portrait, SIG. I like the downward gaze, and the shadowing is excellent. I’m glad Simon said!

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- spilledinkguy on March 22, 2012 at 7:57 am said:
  
  Simon might have left the building already,
  but I’m going to go ahead and thank you anyway. Even without his permission. Because I sure do appreciate that!
  🙂
  
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jbstoons on March 21, 2012 at 8:45 pm said:

You know everytime I see one of these pictures i allways wonder what they are looking at. My wild imagination always takes over then. Good picture by the way.

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- spilledinkguy on March 22, 2012 at 7:53 am said:
  
  That’s very cool to hear, J.B.! Pictures that let you write the story are usually my favorites, JB… I like ’em because there are so many possibilities that way!
  🙂
  
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Sabina Brave on March 22, 2012 at 1:24 pm said:

Last time you posted legs, now face, so I guess next time it’ll be something between 😉 I like that portrait. And I wait fo more. 🙂

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- spilledinkguy on March 22, 2012 at 5:02 pm said:
  
  I was wondering if anyone would notice that progression, Ms. B!
  Thank you so much, as always, for your great kindness!
  🙂
  
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conspiracyofravens on March 23, 2012 at 6:06 pm said:

Another great portrait SIG!

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- spilledinkguy on March 24, 2012 at 10:14 am said:
  
  Thanks so much for all your kind comments, C.O.R!
  You’ve made my day, sir!
  🙂
  
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Annabelle on March 26, 2012 at 12:30 am said:

The many faces of Annabelle… lol. You know I really do enjoy trying to look different/play a different characters for all of these different project of yours. Also, could I say different again? Different.

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- spilledinkguy on March 26, 2012 at 7:46 pm said:
  
  Such a wide range of roles…
  you certainly haven’t been type-cast yet, have you, Annabelle?!
  Always something… ‘different’.
  🙂
  
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pix & kardz on March 26, 2012 at 3:28 pm said:

this is so well-done. that hair looks as if it is soft to the touch. incredible drawing.
thanks for sharing.

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- spilledinkguy on March 26, 2012 at 3:52 pm said:
  
  Thanks so much, P&K!
  That’s often one of the most difficult things for me to render in a convincing way…
  sometimes I get lucky, though, and it seems to work better than others!
  🙂
  
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