Although I've done scores of digital drawings over the last couple of years my output of drawing traditional form--ink, graphite, charcoal, etc.--has been much smaller. It's true that I've done a dozen or more small metalpoint drawings, but not much in the other media. You might think that skills in graphite or charcoal would get rusty but it doesn't really work that way.
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| Hoff, "Dad," digital drawing, 2019 |
Drawing with graphite is a bit like drawing digitally, without some of the manipulations. That is, when you draw with a computer you can then pick up pieces, even big chunks of the result and move them around until the drawing is correct. With graphite or ink, though, the artist has to make his marks correct the first time. That's not to say of course that it always happens like that, but accuracy is the constant goal. If you can get each piece of a drawing right the first time it is easier to move on and get the next part right in graphite. On the other hand, practice is always useful and seeing mistakes and fixing them is the goal of all practice. Still, drawing with traditional media require deeper concentration, in my opinion.
Lately graphite has again caught my interest. In the past year or two when I've drawn studies for possible paintings digital work has been foremost. Again it's because the form is so easy to use, easy to change and correct, and so on. But having a pencil and kneaded eraser in hand, drawing on good quality toned paper, and the need for deep concentration have lured me back. Gradually, without thinking about it very much I've done a number of graphite works. Here are two head studies, both graphite on toned paper highlighted with white chalk.
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| Hoff, "Head of a Young Woman," graphite & chalk on paper, 2020 |
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| Hoff, "Louise B," graphite & chalk on paper, 2020 |
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