Photorealism

I have been experimenting with mixed media within my photorealism. Sketching is one thing, but photorealism reaches out to an entire different set of receptors in the brain and therefore needs different stimulus. The varying degrees of darkness within shadows are the main challenge I seem to face. Sketching, you can get away with bland shading. Photorealism and your brain expects to see every detail of the shadow and what it falls on.

Therefore I started experimenting with darker mediums such as different types of inks. This seems to generally darken the entire sketch but adds depth to the shadows. Mixing the two (graphite and ink) and you can play with highlights and shadows till your hearts content!