Portraiture and Drawings

This portrait is one of my 3 entries for the 2009 Calontir Kingdom Arts and Sciences Championship competition.

It was intended to be done in the style of Leonardo da Vinci's charcoal drawings. Leonardo's drawings ranged from quick sketches to detailed studies of light and shadow.

Before the beginning of the sixteenth century, drawings served a purely functional role – as models for assistants/apprentices to copy or as part of sculpture or painting contracts to illustrate exactly what the buyer was purchasing. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, though, drawings began to be collected for their own sake. Patrons, who, for whatever reason, could not acquire a painting done by a certain artist, were willing and even sought after, drawings by that same artist. (Isabella d’ Este wanted a painted portrait done by Leonardo da Vince, but only received a charcoal drawing.)

Leonardo used black charcoal as well as white and red chalks for his drawings. (He also used silverpoint or pen and ink when he desired a more “crisp” feel for his work.) The charcoal used would have been made by baking grape vines in an air-tight container until they are carbonized. Cennini’s manual suggests taking the grape vines to the baker’s oven to do this.

Here is a charcoal portrait I did of TRM Anton and Isabeau for the Da Vinci event in Calontir (in April of 2008).

Here's a portrait I did of Master Alan of Darkdale (Calontir)

Here's a portrait of TRM YngvarII and Luce II of Northshield (March 2018)