I started with the model's face because that's my favourite place to start and Clémentine Balcaen's is so beautiful. It was a nerve wracking thing to use that first pencil! I was also worried about the quality not being as good as my Prismacolors but they were incredible, DUH! So easy to blend, not a  massive amount of pressure needed for a strong result and so rich in pigment. Also, I didn't need to keep constantly sharpening them which is always heartbreaking when they break while doing that and in this case literally would feel like shaving down money! Anyway I worked from the face out completing little bits of background from the left to the right. I'd have to say the black part of the top was easiest to draw and the hair was by far the most difficult! That end section in the middle where it's lightly fading into the background but getting thicker towards the roots?! Aghhhhhh! It's weird, I was listening to a great BOF podcast while drawing that part, with Tim Blanks interviewing menswear Craig Green, so I feel equally relaxed (from the great interview) but frustrated (from the hair battle!) while looking at that particular part of the drawing. I can generally look back at most artworks I’ve done and remember what I was listening to at that moment...but I can’t remember my husband’s phone number after 16 years. 

So I figured out the whole piece took around 12hours of solid illustrating time. And I had the absolute best time. Having a bit of hindsight and perspective I feel like I’ve been avoiding painting for a while now. I think because my life has been feeling very much like limbo-land with my mum being sick, my retail job winding down due to the economy and a general sense of ‘time to grow up a bit’ I have been really reaching for something new to get that creative spark sparking. I think this is a fun path for now. I’m reluctant to say ‘it’s all pencils going forward!’ But I have visions of a series or an exhibition, anything to keep that good-drawing-feeling going. Stay tuned I guess!