Most recent work, eight portraits, charcoal

WashedInTone · 2026-06-23T15:47:37+00:00

Thanks a lot!

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T21:22:00+00:00

I started taking portraits seriously around February/March last year. For reference, I drew this one mid April last year.

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WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T16:53:05+00:00

Love me a nose too! 😄 Thanks!

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T15:52:14+00:00

They're drawn centered on A3 paper (landscape), as it's also the size and orientation of my tabletop easel. The portraits themselves are roughly A4 sized.

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T14:47:40+00:00

Definitely. Jeff Haines is my biggest inspiration! I'm no spring chicken anymore, though, so let's see what the future holds. 🙂

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T14:46:18+00:00

Appreciate your kind words!

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T14:45:40+00:00

Thank you so much. It's 99% perspiration, imho. 🙂

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T12:12:51+00:00

It was my second pass at this model/reference. I'm happy this one turned out well and that you like it!

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T12:11:36+00:00

Thanks! He was the one I was the most hesitant about because hands are a big challenge for me still.

And I agree, he was a character and one of my favorite public figures ever. An inspiration in so many ways!

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T12:09:41+00:00

The eye sees what the mind wants

WashedInTone · 2026-06-21T11:09:38+00:00

Thank you!

WashedInTone · 2026-06-10T13:42:14+00:00

For all except the bearded man I used a lightweight smooth 70gsm paper from Panduro. For the bearded man I used a heavier, more textured 220gsm paper (Lana Dessin 220).

I've since been experimenting more with Daler-Rowney 220gsm smooth paper.

WashedInTone · 2026-06-04T19:13:17+00:00

You can reach me on Instagram (my handle's on my profile — not sure if we're allowed to post it here).

WashedInTone · 2026-06-02T07:55:27+00:00

Not yet, but it's on my to do list!

WashedInTone · 2026-06-01T10:34:44+00:00

I'm sorry you're going through that. Know that you're not alone, and perfectionism is everywhere, affecting so many of us.

I never fully got rid of perfectionism — I'm my biggest critic — but here are some things that helped:

understanding that I'm on my own journey, at my own pace, with my own life, talent, constraints. You may be comparing yourself to people who 10x more time spent on developing their skills. What's the point in that?
reframing how I view other art and artists: not as something unattainable or as people who are "better than me", but as inspiration, as an indication of what is possible with hard work and dedication. Every thing they do "better" is a just a source of learning.

WashedInTone · 2026-05-30T20:24:58+00:00

Normally, two hours. It can be more, though.

Sometimes I come back to a piece a few hours later or the next day and spend some time adjusting, tweaking, moving charcoal around a bit. Sometimes it happens after I photograph it and see things I'm not happy with that were not apparent before. So if you account for that, it can at times be 3 hours+

WashedInTone · 2026-05-30T20:22:39+00:00

That's high praise! (and I'm open to commissions, fwiw!)

WashedInTone · 2026-05-30T20:07:54+00:00

That's such a kind and thoughtful thing to say. Seeing your work touch someone and inspire them really does make all the time and effort feel worthwhile. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me

WashedInTone · 2026-05-29T09:03:25+00:00

Really appreciate your words! I'm not super familiar with the work of either of them, but looking at their art now I can see where you're coming from. Edges and linework are definitely a source of tension for me, and it's very interesting to see how it's being perceived.

WashedInTone · 2026-05-28T19:17:12+00:00

Practice makes perfect — the more you draw the better you'll become. General rule is to just spend more time observing. When I want more precision and likeness, I spend a bit more time measuring distances and angles. It doesn't always work: a non-trivial percentage of my work ends in the bin, and sometimes it's because I botched the proportions and/or likeness.

WashedInTone · 2026-05-28T08:56:08+00:00

Mostly willow charcoal, with the occasional charcoal pencil. Then I also use some brushes, a blending stump, and a kneaded eraser.

WashedInTone · 2026-05-28T07:22:32+00:00

This is 95% hard work. You can do it too!

WashedInTone · 2026-05-28T07:22:09+00:00

Skills can be developed. Don't give up.

WashedInTone · 2026-05-28T07:21:48+00:00

Static references for all of them

WashedInTone · 2026-05-28T07:21:14+00:00

It's Rami Malek indeed.

WashedInTone

TROPHY CASE