A sketch tribute to J.C. Leyendecker

Sketch from J.C. Leyendecker painting

James Gurney posted a great overview post of J.C. Leyendecker's drawing process. After looking over some of this basic technques, I was truly impressed by how confident Leyendecker's approach appeared on canvas. His strokes are purposeful yet organic. A rare combination, found only with the true masters. I took it as a challenge to create a sketch of his  little boy portrait included in Gurney's post.

The aspects of the painting that really stood out the most to me were the wonderfully bold line work in the painting. There's no doubt that he is a master illustrator and understood the importance of clarity of form. But the other aspect was the beautiful way he captured the reflected light along the cheek, lips and nose in the painting. It really speaks to his knowledge of lighting and his emphasis on keeping things bold yet simple.

I wasn't very familiar with Leyendecker's work, but Gurney's post really makes me intrigued with his techniques. I found a wonderful online portfolio of his sketches and studies for some of his Saturday Evening Post cover pieces. This one made me chuckle aloud...