One of the most important steps in completing a good drawing is how well you get each portion of your future picture placed on the substrate. Here artist Richard D. Burton is tracing the figure of “father time” in the center of the paper. He began by drawing the inner working gears of a clock which seem to be floating aimlessly behind the seated character. All that is completed at this time is the left hand side of the substrate. Now he is working to the top and center.

He is tracing over with line (only) the outline of the figure. On the back of the tracing paper is a graphite line which can be seen in the photographs depicted on this page.

To begin, the artist lifted a paper covering that was over the center of the substrate and taped the tracing paper with an outline drawing of the main subject. Mr. Burton is extremely careful to protect the substrate from any graphite smearing. On a drawing this large (18″X24″), he draws in block technique from the left to the right and top to bottom, always aware of oil in the hands and fingers and the damaging effect of graphite smearing.

The photograph to the left is line only. The artist desires the freedom of being able to “re-create” his drawing as he goes along. He uses the lines only to keep him in place. For example, he already knows this will not follow exactly his practice drawing showing the face of “father time” to be more European than East Asian. It was not his choice, it was his wife that made that decision. He insisted that “father time” was not from any of these places but from somewhere out there.

His wife won the argument so the face will eventually wind up more European. The original drawing is on the right.

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