Update- Commission of Emily- Disaster Strikes

Previous post picture and updated picture. I'm further along than this but I've got some fixing to do before I post the next picture.

It was quite a night for me. More excitement than I'd rather have had.

I was making really good progress on my Emily portrait last night and was starting to work on the background. Then something happened that made me want to cry.

I needed to use my ruler to put in some guidelines for the background. I laid down my first line but when I picked the ruler up, I noticed a couple spots on the drawing. Apparently there was some kind of sticky substance on the ruler--like syrup. I don't know what it actually was, or how it got there, but it had transferred to the paper.

I've had the experience of blowing on the paper and transferring just a spot of moisture and how that can blemish a drawing. That's why I now use my drafting brush to remove any eraser dust. This was sooo much worse! There were at least fives spots total. One was in Emily's hair. That one was bad. It wouldn't lift with the kneaded eraser. I ended up having to scrape it out with an exact-o knife. Ohhh the breaking of the heart! I reworked the area the best that I could and it certainly looked better than the shiny syrupy spot, but it also changed the texture of the paper in that area. I'm going to have to do some experimenting with some scraps of the same kind of paper to see if there is anything more I can do to "doctor" that kind of injury. If I come up with anything helpful, I'll be sure to share it.

The other spots were all within the background area. I was able to lift most of the syrupy stuff to get rid of the shine, but they left behind a dark grey "stain". I was able to work around these and make the tone of the background match the stain so the stain would blend as much as possible. There was one spot that was in a crucial area of the background that is giving me a bit of trouble, but I haven't given up yet. I'm layering, then layering some more, then layering some more until I get it as close as I possibly can.

Stubborn stains- I'm a Taurus, I will not give up easily!!!

Here are my drawing tips for today:

• Before you start to draw, make sure ALL of your equipment, hands included, are clean, dry and free of anything that might transfer to your drawing.


• If your drawing is large and you must rest your hand on the surface, place another piece of paper between your hand and the drawing, preferably something smooth to minimize any smudging.


• If you are in the habit of blowing on your drawing to clear away eraser debris, I recommend investing in a drafting brush or hake brush (something with very soft bristles). Learn a new trick and brush, don't blow!