Self-Portrait in a letter to Paul Valéry

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · black · sepia

secondary · cream · white

The sepia tone can be achieved by diluting black ink or paint with water or a transparent medium. The cream color is the paper itself.

techniques

• ·contour drawing
• ·line variation
• ·hatching
• ·cross-hatching

common pitfalls

• →Rushing the initial sketch and ending up with incorrect proportions.
• →Making the lines too heavy and losing the delicate quality of the original.
• →Not varying the line weight enough, resulting in a flat and lifeless drawing.
• →Ignoring the negative space around the figure and the text.