Detlef Jumpertz

With all that anguish concerning the magician's face I have decided to tackle the problem head-on (pardon the pun). Rather than waiting up until the end to finalise the face, let's do it straight away so as to get me out of my misery! At least that way if I stuff it up then I can stop work and excise the magician from the drawing altogether. On the other hand if I pull it off then I'll have enough motivation to finish this drawing - it is starting to get on my nerves; its uncompleted state taunting and mocking me every time I go into the "studio".

Magician's face

Much of my dilemma has focussed on what expression to the give our wily conjurer. The debate has raged in my head for weeks, so in the end I've gone for a compromise. A mesmerizing look with the merest hint of mystery and menace. That settled, let's commence.

The face, like that of the snake charmer, had to be just right, in terms of skin tone, angle of the head. Firstly, I back-filled everything around the head and hairline, then lightly marked-up the distinguishing facial features, and then commenced with eyes.

As is my practice I like to work on the eyes and the bridge of the nose first and then gradually radiate out from there. I started with the respective corneas and the eyeballs. From there, the eyebrows and then the creases and bags under the eyes. In this case I used B, 2B and 4B pencils to build up tone and then a torchon to blend into the facial strucure. I then used a soiled rag, to lightly apply skin tone to the forehead, again following the curvature of the face and underlying bone structure. To get the right effect, means that in certain areas (those which I wish to be darker) is rubbed with the rag but with more pressure than I used on the rest of the face. Near the top of his head, where the forehead meets the hairline I softened and lightened with an eraser to give the effect of light from a stage light landing on his noggin.

Having completed tha task, I started drawing his nose, cheeks and chin mostly with a rag, but also B and 2B pencils where I need sharper lines and more darkness to bring out facial features. This just left the moustache - in the end it is a mix of bush and ringmaster's moustache. To give the impression of hair/bristles/whiskers some highlights were added by a 2B pencil using short strokes to provide texture (or more accurately the perception of a lush moustache). That job finsished meant that only the hair was left to do. A similar technique to the moustache was used to get the required effect. To complete the head, and give it that "pop-out" look against the background, I went around the head and outlined it with a 9B pencil.

All up there was about 3 to 4 hours work in completing the face, and I think I've nailed it!!! The proportion and perspective works, the facial expression is close to what I want, and there is enough contrast with the background. Indian Rope Trick mock me no more.