I begin my drawing from a distance – the same spot marked on the floor so that my viewpoint is always the same (be careful not to wear high heels one day and flats the next!). I study, look, and visually choose the position on the paper that I wish to make my mark. Then I advance and draw on the paper, immediately retreating to my same viewpoint to see if I have made the drawing accurate. This is a slow process, because I do this starting with every height and width, often using a knitting needle in my fully extended arm to measure the original and compare to my marks on the paper.
In this photo, you can see that I have drawn the outline of the figure, as well as the shapes of the shadow areas. I must decide what is in shadow and what is in light. The lightest part in shadow will always be darker than the darkest area of the lights. This drawing process helps me to never lose my form, which is determined by tone (and edges). After creating the line drawing of the figure and shadow shapes, I then make all of the background near the figure dark. Then I can see more clearly all of the errors in my shapes. For example, the straight arm is way too thick. More to follow . . .
