In this final instalment of a fabulous five-part series, shows you how he created this portrait in his most favoured medium: the mighty coloured pencil
ADEBANJI ALADE
STEP-BY-STEP
I LOVE THE FACT that you can just pick the coloured pencil up – without any mixing – and just apply them, and the results are almost instant. I have always felt that painting involves too much thinking, but with drawing with dry media, you just have to pick and apply. That’s what I enjoy about coloured pencils. The other advantage is that they aren’t messy. Pastel pencils are great, but they rub off easily. Coloured pencils just do the job without any fuss, and I love them for that reason. Now that you are aware of my devotion to this medium, let’s go into the exact ones and other materials I’m going to be using for this portrait, which is of a little girl I’ve known for a while. Her grandfather was my godfather.
MY MATERIALS
The surface I’ve chosen for this portrait is Clairefontaine Pastelmat. I hear you asking why? A couple of years ago, my dear friend, the master coloured pencil artist David Sandell, did a portrait of me and used it. I was astounded by the results. I asked what he used, and he introduced me to Clairefontaine Pastelmat. That was it. I love how the coloured pencil dances on its surface.
CONCLUSION
Sometimes the work completes itself and there’s no need to overwork it or go back into it, even though there are so many parts and passages that keep shouting for attention. In this case, I just had to ignore the shouting from the crowd and call it quits.
I hope you have enjoyed the five ways I approach a portrait whilst I hope it has given you the courage and confidence to explore your own portrait possibilities.
1THE OUTLINE SKETCH
Even though I love sketching loosely and with a free hand, when it comes to portraits – and especially commissions – I never trust my natural ability. I make sure I grid the reference picture so that I become very sure that I am able to get the drawing or the sketch right. Portraiture can be brutal, especially when resemblance is a key factor in the agreement between client and artist, so I take nothing for granted. The grid lines are done with a light brown coloured pencil, which is different from the one I’ll be using as a mid-tone colour for the initial build-up sketch. I start s
