A little while ago, I was working on a drawing for a friend for confirmation. I realized this would be a good time to share a bit of my process. I’m sure professionally trained artists may wince a bit. Still, outside of the regular school curriculum, I believe fashion design was the only course I ever took that covered drawing techniques.
Despite this, I’ve always loved to draw and practiced consistently throughout my life. I think I’d be a better artist if I didn’t lose motor function from neurological damage due to celiac disease. In some ways, that challenge makes the art I am capable of more special. I don’t get to rest on my abilities; I have to work at it, and relearn if I have accidental gluten exposure. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen too often, but a couple of times a year presents challenges (can’t escape the word filled with wheat products).
When I draw, I tend to lay out the general outline of the subject. After that, I will sketch in detail to see tentatively if I like how it will look. From there, it’s erase and refine… on repeat. This particular design, called “Confirmation,” was drawn with graphite and pencil crayon. I keep the main subjects in grey to emphasize the unseen reality of the Holy Spirit descending during this sacrament. It was very fun to draw! You can find prints on Redbubble if you are interested.
