sketches

Day three hundred and twelve: Today’s sketch is based on a detail in a mid-16th century drawing in the Thrivent Financial Collection. The artist or artists that made the drawing are essentially unknown, though it is generally in the style of Michelangelo. My sketch is not, however, as I used a pencil instead of ink, and my draftsmanship is nowhere near as honed as the Italian artists that were working in Rome and Florence in the 1500s. I make several lines where there should be one, or where subtle wash should create the shading. But the general mannerist shape of the face is similar to the original.