realistic drawing – J DeMaio Draws

Wow, A whole year passed……..

Since I last wrote on this blog. I’ve just been so busy. This is just to inform that I am still working and doing some great Portraits. Here’s a sample of a recent one I particularly like because of the lighting. I was given a great photo to work from.

A holiday drawing

I composed this still life with my daughter at her house. She really wanted to use the plaid tablecloth which I knew was going to be a lot of work and sure enough, it really was. In the end I loved the challenge of drawing it and how it came out.

Using standard size paper

I like to use standard size paper because people can frame the pieces more easily then, but sometimes the photo does not fit well on the page as in the case below. I always leave a 1 inch border, but in this case, leaving an inch above, and below, left more than an inch ofContinue reading “Using standard size paper”

Backgrounds can be tricky

I don’t put them in first as many artists recommend. Here I used a paintbrush to blur the grass and walkway so my subjects would stand out. Had I drawn the background first I may not have done that, it was something that just developed.

Doodles…

I’m not talking about the kind you do with a . pencil on a pad. I’m talking, Labra, or Cocker, or Golden. For me, they are the hardest dogs to draw because of their short curly hair. I never feel like I know what I’m doing, but in the end it always somehow comes together.Continue reading “Doodles…”

Using Colored Paper

I’ve been experimenting with different colored papers and really like the results. Colors seem to really pop, especially the light ones. Not to say I don’t love a white animal on white paper though, always one of my favorites. ❤️

This is Andrew

He has a rare condition called 13 chromosomes depletion and was not expected to live past six months. The camera caught him at a strange angle so I faded his shoulders into the background which made the pose seem less awkward. His mother wanted to capture the joy he feels performing in Shining Stars, hisContinue reading “This is Andrew”

One year of practice

I”ve been drawing in colored pencil for a year now with marked improvement. It’s a challenging medium, vastly different from oils or watercolor. You can achieve great detail, but its excruciatingly slow. I wish I had more patience. Anyway here is an example from last April and this April.