USA

Craig Nelson

2006

55m

English

CRAIG NELSON emphasizes logical order while drawing. He compares his drawing process to focusing a photograph. He builds layers of soft lines and swatches of tone then rapidly sharpens his subject with crisp edges and bold darks.
You see Craig Nelson translate angles from his source photo to his paper, as he looks for reference points to guide him. He completes a gentle outline of his subject then dusts in a layer of tone. With tissue and fingertips, Craig diffuses blocks of color to avoid locking in detail too early in the drawing. With his value in place, Craig finishes the drawing with dark charcoal lines and deliberate strokes. He carves out the well worn character of his subject’s face and lifts out highlights with a kneaded eraser. Throughout the workshop, Craig Nelson emphasizes restraint, “under doing” each step until he finds the right moment to bring his subject into focus. As he adds last details to the nose and chin, you’ll see this logical, intuitive process come to fruition.
Craig Nelson is the director of Fine Art, Drawing and Painting at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. He has taught for over 30 years.

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