DRAWINGS AND SKETCHES
Paintings and preliminary drawings. Huiles récentes et dessins préliminaires.
“I make a very clear distinction between drawing and sketching. The sketches you see here were done as a lead up of ideas moving toward a painting. Once an idea is established through sketching in a first session with the model, the next session is devoted to refining that idea through more sketching until what I call ‘the incongruity’ is found - that one little element within the idea that separates it from all the others - some litle quirk of a difference. Until and unless this incongruity is found, I do not move to the painting stage.
Once the definitive sketch is achieved, along with its incongruity element and perfect balance in the design, then a definitive drawing is attempted, usually in pure line, using pen & ink. This drawing then contains all the linear information I require to set out the idea in drawing on the canvas.
Sketches have tonal ranges established as a guide for lighting direction purposes. My drawings generally do not. In most cases, I distinguish drawing from sketching simply by saying “a drawing is done for its own sake - a stand alone item, whereas a sketch is to lead to something else”
Quotes from RFM McInnis’ unpublished biography ©
