CHUCK BOWDEN’S BASIC STEPS FOR PHOTOREALISM with PENCIL
{Levels 1+2+3 of 4 levels}

CHOOSE SUITABLE PAPER...SMOOTH...SMOOTH IS SMOOTHER THAN PLATE OR VELLUM, REMEMBER, DUE TO MANUFACTURERS INABILITY TO CREATE AN EQUALLY TEXTURED PAPER ON EACH SIDE OF A SINGLE PIECE OF PAPER, CHECK WHICH SIDE IS SMOOTHER, DO THIS WITH A BRIGHT LIGHT AT A LOW ANGLE, THIS WILL REVEAL WHICH SIDE IS SMOOTHER...

ACQUIRE A KNEADED ERASER...IT IS GRAY, STRETCHABLE AND MOLDABLE, ALLOWS FOR VARIOUS ERASING TECHNIQUES...

ACQUIRE A 2MM MECHANICAL PENCIL & 2MM LEADS OF VARYING HARDNESS...8H, 4H, H, F, 2B & 4B WILL COVER MOST NEEDS...

ACQUIRE A LONG SWIVEL DESK LAMP with a 75-100W BULB...LIGHT SHOULD BE 6-8 INCHES AWAY FROM DRAWING SURFACE, ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF HAND...{LEFT SIDE IF RIGHT HANDED}...

ORDER A PIECE OF 1/4 INCH GLASS W/ ROUNDED EDGES, 15X18 INCHES OR SO, THIS WILL MAINTAIN A CONSISTENTLY SMOOTH SUPPORT FOR ALL YOUR DRAWINGS...

FIND A PENCIL POINTER/SHARPENER...KOH-I-NOOR DOES THE BEST JOB, IF YOU CAN’T FIND THIS BRAND, USE WHAT YOU CAN FIND AND FINE TUNE THE POINT ON A PIECE OF PAPER...

CHOOSE AN IMAGE/PHOTO AS A BASIS FOR WORK, HISTORICAL PHOTO, YOUR OWN PHOTO, ETC....

NOW PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING INFO IS NORMALLY OFFERED OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME COVERING MANY CLASS SESSIONS, SO, DON’T START THINKING THE FOLLOWING IS OVERLY COMPLICATED. THE FOLLOWING IS JUST A CONDENSED VERSION OF WHAT THE CLASSES WILL COVER.

GRID EITHER THE PHOTO OR A TRANSPARENT ACETATE OVERLAY...BALL POINT PEN WORKS WELL ON ALMOST ANY PHOTO & IF THERE ARE LOTS OF DARKER AREAS, THE B.P. PEN CAN STILL BE SEEN AT AN ANGLE, HOWEVER, IF YOU NEED TO SEE LINES BETTER IN THE DARKER AREAS, YOU CAN USE A #11 EXACTO BLADE TO CARVE WHITE LINES INTO THE PAPER...IF YOU USE ACETATE, TURN ACETATE OVER AFTER GRIDDING SO IT IS CLOSER IN CONTACT TO PHOTO EMULSION/SURFACE...GRID CAN BE DRAWN ON ACETATE W/ RAPIDIOGRAPH KOH-I-NOOR PEN # 3X0 OR SMALLER OR WITH BALLPOINT PEN...CHOOSE SIZE OF GRID WHERE A TO B {“A” being the photograph, “B” being the new drawing} GUESSWORK IS TAKEN OUT OF THE EQUATION, WHERE SHAPES TO BE RENDERED ARE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO GRID, MEANING, IF YOU CHOOSE TO LARGE OF A GRID, THEN THERE WILL BE A LOT MORE GUESS WORK DUE TO THE FACT THE VARIOUS DIRECTIONAL CHANGES OF THE FACE TO BE RENDERED {OR ?} WILL BE LEFT WITHOUT A DEFINING REFERENCE POINT {GRID}...USUALLY THE GRID IS 3/8 TO 1/2 INCH {MORE OR LESS}...IF NEEDED IN AREAS OF GREATER DETAIL {EYES OR ?}, THE GRID CAN BE MADE 1/2 SIZE IN THOSE AREAS...I USUALLY USE A MILLIMETER SCALE AND USE EVEN INCREMENTS SUCH AS 8MM OR 10MM......

GRID SURFACE OF PAPER...SAME SIZE INCREMENTS IF DOING A ONE TO ONE DRAWING {SAME SIZE}, OR FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU WANT/NEED THE DRAWING TO BE SLIGHTLY SMALLER AND YOU DREW A 10MM GRID ON YOUR PHOTO, THEN USE A 9MM GRID ON YOUR DRAWING PAPER...FOR DRAWING THE GRID USE 4H, DRAW JUST LIGHT ENOUGH TO BE SEEN, THIS WILL MINIMIZE THE NEED TO ERASE PARTS OF THE GRID LATER ON. WHEN DRAWING THIS GRID, USE THE MECHANICAL 2mm PENCIL HOLDER WITH THE VERY SHARP 4H AND GRIP PENCIL LOOSELY AT END AND LET THE WEIGHT OF THE HOLDER DO THE WORK OF RELEGATING PRESSURE. ALSO, ROTATE THE HOLDER SLOWLY AS THE LINE IS DRAWN, THIS WILL ALLOW NO UNEVEN FLAT POINTS TO DEVELOP WHICH WOULD RESULT IN AN UNEVENESS OF LINE DARKNESS. MAKE THE GRID MARKS {DOTS} FAR FROM DRAWING SURFACE JUST INCASE THE DRAWING EXPANDS LATER ON WITH NEW IDEAS....

NOW THAT THE CORRECT GRID IS LAYED OUT, YOU WILL NEXT BE  DRAWING THE OUTLINES OF ALL THE MAJOR FEATURES OF YOUR SUBJECT  MATTER. AT THIS POINT AND FORWARD TILL COMPLETION, YOU WILL BE USING SOME SORT OF SCRAP PAPER IN BETWEEN YOUR HAND AND THE DRAWING SURFACE. THIS MINIMIZES ANY SMUDGING, OIL TRANSFERENCE FROM YOUR HAND OR HEAT FROM YOUR HAND CHANGING THE SHAPE OF THE DRAWING PAPER, SO CHOOSE A SCRAP PAPER AT LEAST AS THICK AS YOUR DRAWING PAPER OR THICKER. THE PROPORTIONS/OUTLINES OF THE SUBJECT MATTER ARE TO BE DRAWN WITH AN 8h LEAD, HELD BY YOUR FINGERS ONLY, NO MECHANICAL PENCIL. THIS ALLOWS FOR FAR GREATER CONTROL OVER THE MOVEMENTS OF YOUR FINGERS, AS OPPOSED TO HOLDING THE MECHANICAL PENCIL. THIS LIGHT OUTLINE IS THE PRIMARY BASIS FOR THE FUTURE MASTERPIECE. THE 8H OUTLINES SHOULD BE THIN AND DRAWN PRECISELY WHERE THEY BELONG. YOU WILL BE DRAWING THE OUTLINE FOR ALL MAJOR FEATURES AND INCLUDING THE INDICATION OF ALL DEFINED SHADOW AREAS. MATCH THE PHOTOS PROPORTIONAL ATTRIBUTES AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE. WHERE THE EYES, NOSE, MOUTH, JAW LINE AND OTHER FACIAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE ESPECIALLY OF IMPORTANCE. AS STATED, THE OUTLINE IS TO BE THIN EXACTING LINES, NOT SKETCHY AND VAGUE, THIS WILL MINIMIZE GREATLY ANY GUESSWORK LATER ON WHEN BEGINNING TO ADD SHADING, ETC.. WHEN VISUALLY TRANSFERRING THE PROPORTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL, VIA YOUR MIND, FROM THE ORIGINAL GRIDDED PHOTO TO YOUR BLANK GRIDDED DRAWING SURFACE, REMEMBER TO MAKE AS AN EXACT JUDGEMENT CALL AS POSSIBLE FROM ANY GIVEN GRID CROSSING ON THE ORIGINAL. THIS MEANS THAT WHERE A JAW LINE OR COLLAR OR WHATEVER CROSSES A PARTICULAR PLACE ON THE GRID, MAKE SURE THAT IN YOUR MIND YOU HAVE GOT A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THAT POINT, SO THAT WHEN INDICATING THAT EXACT SAME POINT ON THE NEW DRAWING SURFACE, THERE IS NO FUZZY GUESSWORK INVOLVED. THIS I USUALLY DO BY THINKING IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGES AND/OR FRACTIONS...SUCH AS 1/2 WAY, 1/4 OF THE WAY, OR 45% OR 10% OR SOME SUCH JUDGEMENT CALL. THIS WAY YOU ARE TAKING THE GUESSWORK OUT OF THE EQUATION AND ALSO, YOU ONLY NEED TO THINK IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGES OF 50% OR LESS OR FRACTIONS OF 1/2 OR LESS. THIS OF COURSE IS BECAUSE YOU ARE MAKING COMPARATIVE JUDGMENT CALLS TO THE NEAREST GRID LINE AND THAT WILL ALWAYS BE 50% OF THE WAY OR LESS. WHEN ALL OF THE OUTLINING IS DONE, YOU WILL BE READY TO BEGIN THE DRAWING OF THE VARIOUS TONES.

HERE IS WHERE YOU WILL BEGIN FIRST DRAWING THE VARIOUS TONES OF THE SUBJECT MATTER. IF YOU ARE RIGHT HANDED, TRY WORKING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THIS MINIMIZES POSSIBLE SMUDGING OF THE ORIGINAL {EVEN WITH THE PROTECTIVE SCRAP PAPER  SOME GRAPHITE CAN BE LIFTED AND OR/SMUDGED, ALSO REMEMBER, TO LIFT AND PLACE THE SCRAP PAPER, NOT JUST SLIDE}. ALSO, IF YOU WANT TO TOTALLY ELIMINATE ANY POSSIBLE SMUDGING, HAVE A PIECE OF GLASS CUT {HAVE EDGES SANDED} AT LEAST 3” WIDER THAN YOUR DRAWING WILL BE AND ABOUT 3” WIDE OR THEREABOUTS. AT EACH END, ON THE UNDERSIDE, BUILD UP MAYBE 8 LAYERS OF 1/2” TAPE ON EACH SIDE, THIS WILL RAISE THE GLASS BRIDGE SUPPORT ENOUGH SO THAT IT WILL NOT BE IN CONTACT WITH THE DRAWING SURFACE AND THEREFORE YOUR HAND WILL NOT EVER BE AT REST ON THE SCRAP PAPER WHICH IS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE GRAPHITE. I HAVE ONLY DONE THIS A FEW TIMES WHERE I KNEW MY HAND WOULD BE ABOVE A GRAPHITE DRAWN AREA FOR MANY, MANY HOURS. THE WHITE OF THE PAPER IS THE FINAL WHITE OF THE DRAWING, SO TO ACHIEVE A GOOD MENTAL PICTURE OF THE NECESSARY TONAL GRADATIONS NEEDED, ALWAYS CHOOSE AN AREA TO BEGIN WITH WHICH INCORPORATES THE DARKEST TONES. ONCE THE DARKEST TONES ARE IN PLACE {4B}, THEN THE MID TONES WILL BECOME MORE APPARENT RELATIVE TO THOSE DARK TONES ALREADY DRAWN. OTHERWISE, IF YOU WERE TO BEGIN DRAWING THE MID TONES FIRST, WITHOUT THESE VISUAL INDICATORS {LIGHTEST & DARKEST TONES}, THEN THERE WOULD BE A LOT MORE GUESS WORK GOING ON IN AN ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE THE CORRECT MID RANGE TONES. THE USUAL MISTAKE HERE IS TO VENTURE OFF WAY TO LIGHT {IF INDICATORS ARE NOT IN PLACE} AND THE FINAL DRAWING HAS A GHOSTLY APPEARANCE OR THERE WOULD BE NEEDED QUITE A BIT OF REWORKING OF THESE MID RANGE TONES. THE DRAWING IS COMPLETED AS YOU GO, THIS MEANS THAT YOU CHOOSE A PARTICULAR AREA TO BEGIN WITH WHICH YOU WILL BE FINISHING. USUALLY AN AREA IS FIRST CHOSEN WHICH IS AWAY FROM THE FACE, AS THE FACE IS ALWAYS THE MOST DIFFICULT AREA. THE AREA IS CHOSEN BASED ON SOME GIVEN BOUNDARIES SUCH AS A COLLAR OR SLEEVE OR THE SUCH. THE AREA IS ALSO CHOSEN FOR THE DARK TONES WHICH ARE TO BE INCORPORATED/DRAWN. USUALLY THE FIRST AREA IS THE LEAST CHALLENGING, MEANING NO MATTER HOW CONFIDENT OR GUNGHO YOU ARE TO BEGIN DRAWING THE FACE, DON’T START THERE BECAUSE YOUR TECHNIQUE WHICH NATURALLY EVOLVES TO A HIGHER LEVEL ALONG THE WAY OF BRINGING THIS WORK TO FRUITION. SO, 1/2 TO 2/3 THE WAY INTO THE DRAWING, YOU WILL BEGIN THE FACIAL FEATURES, THIS WILL GIVE YOUR ABILITIES AND TECHNIQUE TIME TO EVOLVE AND BE REFINED AND ALSO THIS WILL ALLOW A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME TO BE LEFT TO COMPLETE THE WORK THEREBY GIVING YOUR BRAIN MANY MANY CHANCES TO MAKE THE COMPARATIVE OBSERVATIONS {OF THE ORIGINAL PHOTO TO THE NEW DRAWING} THEREBY GIVING YOUR HANDS AMPLE TIME TO MAKE NECESSARY CHANGES TO CLOSER APPROXIMATE THE ORIGINAL FACIAL FEATURES/CHARACTERISTICS, AS SEEN IN THE FOTO. IN YOUR FIRST CHOSEN AREA TO BE DRAWN, THE DARKEST OUTLINES ARE TO BE DRAWN FIRST, THEN THE TONES ARE TO BE LAYED DOWN IN ABOUT 3 STEPS. FIRST A LIGHT & QUICK ROUGH DRAFT {W/ 2H OR H} OF TONES IS DRAWN {HOLDING LEAD ONLY}. THIS WILL ALLOW YOUR BRAIN TO BEGIN TO VISUALIZE THE AREA’S CONTOURS/SHAPES. NEXT YOU WILL CHOOSE THE 4B/2B LEAD WHICH WILL BE USED TO ROUGH IN {WITH THE MECHANICAL PENCIL HOLDER} THE APPROXIMATE TONAL VALUES, THESE TONES ARE TO BE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE FINAL NEEDED TONES. DRAW THE TONAL GRADATIONS FROM THE MID-RANGE AREAS TO THE DARKER TONES TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY, THINKING MORE IN TERMS OF CORRECT GRADATIONS, NOT NECESSARILY IN TERMS OF DETAIL AT THIS POINT. THEN CONTINUE TO EXTEND THE TONAL RANGE/SHADING WITH THE “F” AND OR “2H” PENCIL LEADS TO INCORPORATE THE LIGHTER RANGE OF TONES. THE VERY LIGHTEST AREAS WILL BE DRAWN WITH “8H”. ONCE THIS ROUGH DRAFT OF THE TONES IS IN PLACE FOR THIS GIVEN AREA, THEN THE DARK & MID-RANGE TONES CAN BE REFINED WITH A VERY SHARP 4B OR 2B OR F LEAD WHILE THE LIGHTER SHADING CAN BE REFINED/FINE TUNED WITH A SHARPENED H OR 2H OR 4H PENCIL LEAD. THE DULLER LEAD WHICH WAS USED TO ROUGH DRAFT IN THE APPROXIMATE TONES, ONLY HITS THE HIGHER POINTS OF THE DRAWING SURFACE WHILE THE SHARPENED LEAD CAN MATCH THESE TONES AT THE LOWER POINTS OF THE DRAWING SURFACE. TO THE DEGREE TO WHICH THIS STEP IS MASTERED, IS THE DEGREE TO WHICH YOU WILL DUST ALL YOUR OTHER COMPETITION IN THE WORLD. THIS 3RD STEP  {REFINING THE TONES} IS DONE HOLDING JUST THE 4B/2B LEAD, THE REASON OF COURSE IS THE NEED TO HAVE A PERPETUAL FLOW OF COURSE CHANGES, DUE TO THE STRUCTURE OF THE PAPER FIBERS, AND HOLDING THE LEAD FREELY WITHOUT THE HOLDER ALLOWS FOR A VASTLY SUPERIOR ABILITY TO MAKE INSTANTANEOUS QUICK DIRECTIONAL CHANGES. THE ROUGH DRAFT {I  SUPPOSE I WILL CALL THE 3 STAGES....LIGHT DRAFT, ROUGH DRAFT, FINAL DRAFT} IS DRAWN WITH EITHER A SCRIBBLING MOTION OR DIRECTIONAL STROKES. I HAVE USED BOTH OVER THE YEARS, JUST REMEMBER NOT TO USE CROSS HATCHING {ADDS COMPLICATIONS LATER ON}. THE FINAL DRAFT WILL REFINE THE METHOD/TECHNIQUE USED AND THEREBY WILL BECOME MORE PHOTOGRAPHIC IN QUALITY AND WHETHER USING A  SCRIBBLING MOTION OR DIRECTIONAL STROKES FOR THE ROUGH DRAFT , BOTH WILL ACHIEVE THE FINAL AIM IN THE MASTERING OF THE PENCIL. REMEMBER A SHARP EDGE WILL RENDER A SUBSTANTIALLY DARKER TONE THAN A FLAT OR ROUNDED EDGE. A FLAT EGDE IS USUALLY USED WHEN LAYING DOWN THE ROUGH DRAFT AND A SHARPENED EDGE IS USED FOR THE REFINING FINAL DRAFT. ALSO, WHEN BEGINNING TO DRAW MID RANGE TONES SUCH AS 2B AND F, THE FINAL DRAFT OF THESE AREAS ARE COMPLETED USING A LEAD ONE STEP HARDER, SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF AN AREA IS ROUGH DRAFTED IN USING A 2B, THEN A SHARPENED “F” LEAD WILL BE USED TOWARDS THE FINAL DRAFT. THE REASONING IS THAT THE ONE STEP HARDER SHARPENED LEAD WILL HOLD IT’S POINT LONGER AND IT WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE SAME GRADATIONS AS THE DULLER SOFTER LEAD. THIS CHOSEN AREA IS TO BE COMPLETED AND THEN THE NEXT ADJOINING AREA IS TO BE  DRAWN IN SIMILAR STEPS.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

THE AREAS CHOSEN {TO BE DRAWN} START WITH THE EASIEST, LEAST CHALLENGING. YOUR ABILITIES & TECHNIQUES ARE REFINED AND EVOLVE WHILE YOUR WORK IS IN PROGRESS, SO THERE NEEDS TO BE AN ALLOWANCE FOR THIS EVOLUTION OF ABILITY.

THE PHOTO IS JUST A REFERENCE POINT TO A ONCE PERCEIVED REALITY, AS SUCH, THIS PHOTO IS NOT THE DEFINING LIMIT TO VISUAL POTENTIAL OF THAT SLICE OF TIME, IN OTHER WORDS, YOU AS AN ARTIST DO NOT HAVE TO STOP AT THE LIMIT OF THOSE PERCEIVED LIMITATIONS  OF THE CHARACTERISTICS {GRADATION RANGE} OF THAT REFERENCE PHOTO AND THEREFORE, YOU CAN SURPASS THE ABILITY OF BOTH THE CAMERA AND PHOTO TO RENDER THE PERCEIVED PHOTO/SLICE OF TIME.

LEVELS 1+2 ARE THE FOUNDATIONAL STEPS TO PHOTO REALISM, LEVEL ONE BEING THE LAYING DOWN OF THE TONES IN THE ROUGH DRAFT FORM AMD LEVEL 2 IS THE REFINING OF THOSE TONES TO A CLOSER APPROXIMATION OF THE ORIGINAL PHOTO. SOME MAY WANT TO PERFECT JUST LEVEL 1&2, WHICH IS FINE IN WHICH CASE THEY WILL GRASP AND BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE TONAL RANGES AND PROPORTIONS SUPERIOR TO ANY OTHER TAUGHT TECHNIQUES FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE/MASTER THESE DRAWINGS IN LESS TIME THAN IF ATTEMPTING TO MOVE ON TO LEVEL 3. THE ACHIEVEMENT OF LEVEL 3 REQUIRES MORE TIME AND THE ABILITY TO SEE UP CLOSE SO AS TO PERFECT/REFINE THE LEVEL 1&2 ABILITY. ONCE THIS LEVEL IS ACHIEVED, THERE WILL BE NO OTHERS GRADUATING FROM ANY OTHER INSTITUTION WHO WILL BE ABLE TO MATCH YOUR ABILITIES. LEVEL 4 IS THE UTILIZATION OF MINIATURIZATION, WHICH IS THE EXACT SAME TECHNIQUES AS LEVELS 1+2+3, BUT ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE.  LEVEL 4 ALSO BEGINS THE ADDITION OF BALL POINT PEN WHICH ITSELF WILL EXPAND THE POTENTIAL GRADATIONAL TONAL RANGE 5-10% {IN THE DEEPEST TONES}. BALL POINT PEN AND PENCIL ARE MARRYABLE TO ACHIEVE A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF SEAMLESS GRADATIONAL CHANGES. BALL POINT PEN CAN ACHIEVE ALL OF THE TONAL RANGE OF PENCIL, PLUS A SIGNIFICANT RANGE OF DARKER TONES, HOWEVER, THE LIGHTEST TONES, USING BALL POINT PEN ARE QUITE A CHALLENGE, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, MEANING THE GRAPHITE PENCIL RANGE FROM 6H-10H. IN OTHER WORDS, ONCE THE 2 MEDIUMS ARE COMBINED, PENCIL + BALL POINT PEN, THEN THE ALLOWANCE IS MADE WHEREBY THE ARTIST CAN SURPASS THE CAPABILITIES OF THE PHOTOGRAPH TO RENDER A GIVEN RANGE OF TONES. ONCE LEVEL 4 IS ACHIEVED, YOU WILL BE IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE FROM ANY OTHER GRADUATES FROM ANY OTHER INSTITUTION ON EARTH, MEANING YOUR REFINED TECHNIQUES WILL DUST THE COMPETITION OF ANY PHOTOREALISTS FROM ANY OTHER COUNTRY ON EARTH. OF COURSE THE CHALLENGE ISN’T MERELY DUSTING THE COMPETITION, WHICH CAN BE UTILIZED AS MOTIVATIONAL INSPIRATION, BUT THE CHALLENGE IS THE BRINGING TO FRUITION MASTERPIECES OF SUCH BEAUTY AND PRECISION THAT THE ENTIRETY OF MANKIND WILL BE CULTURALLY ELEVATED, DISTANCING, HOPEFULLY, MANKIND FROM THE NEANDERTHALS IN POSITIONS OF POWER WHO WOULD PREFER TO KEEP ALL OF MANKIND, ESPECIALLY THE U.S.A., IN THE DARK AGES BY CHOOSING BOMBS OVER BRAINS AT EVERY INTERSECTION OF POTENTIAL CULTURAL EVOLVEMENT.

REMEMBER, THE RATE AT WHICH YOU IMPROVE IS SECONDARY TO THE FACT THAT YOU ARE IMPROVING. YOU WILL BE IMPROVING AND CANNOT BE STOPPED FROM IMPROVING REGARDLESS OF THE NON-UPWARD BOUND-LINEAR-ROCKY-ROAD WHICH MAY TAKE PLACE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS JOURNEY. ONCE YOU HAVE ACHIEVED A CERTAIN LEVEL OF VIRTUOSITY, BELIEVING THE HYPE {OF YOUR GREATNESS} WILL ONLY LEAD TO YOUR DEMISE. THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT STUMBLING BLOCKS IN ALL ARENAS OF PURSUIT, MUSIC, SPORTS, ETC. YOU WILL LEARN AND IMPROVE NO MATTER WHAT AND THINKING YOU ARE AS GREAT AS SOME PEOPLE MAY LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE, WILL ONLY LEAD TO A BELIEF THAT NO IMPROVEMENT IS NECESSARY, IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR ENDLESS POTENTIAL WILL HAVE DIED AT THAT MOMENT. YES, USE WHATEVER MIND GAMES YOU NEED TO BRING TO FRUITION THE SUPER TALENT WAITING TO BE EXPRESSED. I, FOR EXAMPLE, SAW NOT ONLY EVERYONE ON EARTH AS MY COMPETITION, BUT EVERYONE FROM 500 YEARS PAST TO 500 YEARS IN THE FUTURE, AS MY COMPETITION. I WANTED TO CREATE SOMETHING BEYOND WHAT ANYONE HAS EVER SEEN AND SOMETHING WHICH NO OTHER HUMAN COULD EVER REPLICATE. OF COURSE, NOW, I HAVE DECIDED I AM GOING TO DO MY BEST TO FIND OTHERS WHO WANT TO MASTER THIS DIRECTION TO WHATEVER DEGREE THEY SO CHOOSE AND I WILL NOT HOLD BACK ON ANY KNOWN TECHNIQUE, TRICK OR MENTAL APPROACH IN ALLOWING OTHERS TO ACHIEVE THE MASTERING OF PHOTOREALISM, A MASTERING WHICH WILL UNDOUBTEDLY CHALLENGE AND/OR SURPASS SOME OF THE GREATEST WORKS OF ART EVER ACHIEVED ON EARTH. YOU ARE HERE AS A SYMBOLIC INFERENCE OF THE POTENTIAL OF MANKIND IN AN EFFORT TO ELEVATE CIVILIZATION OUT OF THE WAR-MONGERING DARK AGES. BEING A VAINGLORIOUS HIGH-ON-YOUR-HORSE-IRRITANT WILL NOT HELP ALONG THE WAY TOWARDS THAT END. REMEMBER, THESE DRAWINGS ARE MORE ABOUT A MENTAL STATE ACHIEVED RATHER THAN A TECHNIQUE LEARNED.

THANKS, TAKE CARE,
CHUCK BOWDEN
SEPTEMBER, 2014