19th Century 'academie' Drawing 

Having followed through all of the previous steps we should now have a drawing that is ready to be brought to a finish. All the information should be there in its unrefined state and we can now look to tidy up the drawing moving from one area to another. By having the earlier stages already worked through, we bring each area to a finish knowing that the areas will still make sense within the whole. Concentrating our efforts in one area at a time we slow down and avoid distraction of other areas and give ourselves the opportunity to finish each area to a high degree.

The rendering stages as we move from one area to another become repetitive in their nature. We are always looking to understand how the form turns towards the light and how we can best represent that with our materials.

In the example below I started with the right leg. I chose this area in order to not dive into the areas that would need a lighter touch straight away. This may be helpful but, if there are time limitations it may be worthwhile picking an area that is more important for the drawing.

Step 1 – Rendering of the lights part 1

The right leg.

Step 2 – Rendering of the lights part 2

The left leg.

Step 3 – Rendering of the lights part 3

Gluteals and lower back.

Step 4 – Rendering of the lights part 4

Back.

Step 5 – Rendering of the lights part 5

Head, neck and arms.

Step 6 – Rendering of the darks

The rendering of the darks is saved for last due to the importance of the light areas. If needed, the darks could be left alone if out of time. Leaving the darks for last is also good practice for the process of painting.

Step 7 – Finishing touches

In this finishing stage we want to step back and look at the drawing as a whole and see if there are any areas that we can bring up to a higher degree of finish than previously reached. Generally you will find that the first areas that you worked in, or the lightest areas may require some small adjustments. This is all to do with the context of the rest of the drawing having been improved. Final tip: Look for accents that could be pushed or perhaps edges that could be lost.