Using the bust seen in the last post and some of the thumbnail sketch ideas seen in older posts, I refined the sketch of George Washington by the campfire. More sketches will follow but the ones seen here experiment with lighting and poses.
In the first sketch we get a solid, rough idea of George at the fire, but I wanted his pose to be more dynamic and also more "open" to Wynonah, who will be seated opposite him. In the more complete sketch he doesn't have the appearance of someone who will meet her halfway. In the second sketch he is more relaxed and reaches farther out to her.
Some challenges in this image include how to fit George comfortably on the page without putting his face in the gutter of the book; also how to balance the composition nicely. The "Rule of Thirds" suggests that objects of interest are pleasing to the eye when they fall along the one-third division lines of a composition; however in this case, the one-third line is the book gutter!Another challenge will be for George the image to live up to George the legend. In Gretchen's text young Washington's physique is described as "extraordinary." He will of course be clothed in the final image but it helps to start with the human form, and then clothe it.
