The Golden Boy

Graphite and gold leaf paper, 2023
35cm x 50cm

This piece was an exercise in shaping and shading the human form using the Bargue method. I worked from a photo of a statue and used the comparative method to accurately lay in proportions. I started the shading by applying a flat tone for the shadow shapes, then gradually softening transitions, modeling large forms, and finally I developed darker values to create depth.

After completing the drawing, I was happy with the results but I felt it was missing something...

While gold leaf isn't typically used in academic drawing, I personally love how it complemented the graphite. Also, the addition of the circle framing the statue 'rounded off' the whole composition and satisfied the designer in me.