Hedcut portraits

[sam]

I’ve been getting into hedcut portraits lately. The style was pioneered by one of the Wall Street Journal staff artists and has been used for decades. They use pen and ink. I used my iPad.

 

[SamW]

Super!

 

[monk]

how does the technique differ from drawing ? i mean other than the use of the i pad.

 

[mitch]

i always liked looking at those in the WSJ. the technique appeared to be a simplified version of banknote portraits, presumably done by 'tracing' over a photograph? but who knows, maybe the artists could freehand it...

 

[sam]

i always liked looking at those in the WSJ. the technique appeared to be a simplified version of banknote portraits, presumably done by 'tracing' over a photograph? but who knows, maybe the artists could freehand it...

It’s done on a light table using a sort-of tracing method. They really don’t divulge much. I’m attempting a digital version using layers in Procreate similar to the way they do it. They’re under time constraints and deadlines so they have to get them done in 4-5 hrs ea, so they don’t do much freehanding and do it the fastest way possible. And it’s quite challenging to say the least.

 

[John B.]

Thanks for the info, Sam.
I always enjoyed them in the WSJ,
Somewhere among my files I have a collection of them that I cut out and saved.
Years ago I tried to get method info from the publishers but they weren't very forthcoming.

 

[sam]

Thanks for the info, Sam.
I always enjoyed them in the WSJ,
Somewhere among my files I have a collection of them that I cut out and saved.
Years ago I tried to get method info from the publishers but they weren't very forthcoming.

I’ve gotten bits and pieces and that’s about it. They really don’t go into the nuts and bolts of how it’s done.

 

[Imageraj]

It’s done on a light table using a sort-of tracing method. They really don’t divulge much. I’m attempting a digital version using layers in Procreate similar to the way they do it. They’re under time constraints and deadlines so they have to get them done in 4-5 hrs ea, so they don’t do much freehanding and do it the fastest way possible. And it’s quite challenging to say the least.

I learned and did something similar during my doctoral studies on Wildlife Ecology to create scientific illustrations several decades ago. We used various crow quills and India ink to trace photographs and drawings to create this stippled illustrations on clear plastic sheets with one side shiny and one rough. As I recall it was a requirement for submitting research papers for publication. Not sure if this info is useful but thought to share.