Newborn baby commissioned graphite drawing - 11x14"

Custom piece requested as a gift for the father of the newborn baby. 11x14" - on 100lb. acid free vellum - using graphite pencils, powder/brush, and a white gel pen.

Started out with a grid for this piece. I have a variety of methods I use to begin drawings, if I have plenty of time I will often go freehand, but utilizing a grid does help with the accuracy when drawing from a photograph. If I do use a grid, I try to use no more than 4 indicator lines (horizontal and vertical) so that my guides are used as minimally as possible, as I prefer free hand.

The image that was used as a reference.

Recent Commissioned drawings

Below is a collection of photos from a couple recent commissioned drawings I've done, others I've completed will be shared at a later date as they are gifts. All of the drawings below were created using an assortment of graphite pencils and brushes with graphite powder. Each piece was also created in less than 30 hours. The challenges varied with each piece, as I was working with a lack of detail with the photo in the football drawing, the kids and horse drawing was a combination of two separate photos, and the last piece was a wedding gift which I used nothing but the clients ideas of a silhouette couple in the Boston area and a few reference photos of the two to be married.

If you're interested in commissioned work, feel free to email me. I can usually work with just about any ideas/photos. 11 x 14 is the most common size for commissoned drawings so far, but I can go as big as you need, I've completed drawings as big as 3 ft x 4 ft, and paintings 5 ft + as well as murals. Unless the commissioned work is a gift, I post most progress shots on Instagram so be sure to follow me @Jon_Cotroneo .

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