Distinguished Lady

This graphite pencil drawing ‘Louise Brooks – 2026-06-01’ is inspired mainly by the dress Louise wears. Soft gradients meeting hard lines. Since completing my last oil painting ‘In Hoc Signo’, I’m free to move on to new projects. For some time now I had this incredible photo of her in a shiny dress, sitting on a couch. The way she crosses her legs reminds me to Queen Elizabeth II doing the same. In an elegant way only distinguished ladies, aware of their status, can.

Compositional Challenges

There was only problem: her first husband. On the picture he is standing next to her, with a cigarette bud between his fingers. Not exactly the ideal composition, save for her pose. That’s why I changed quite a few things. First, get rid of her husband. Next thing that I wanted to change was her hand resting in her lap. The foreshortened look of her arm and hand felt uncomfortable and clumpy. Now I set her loose of her (first) husband I could move her arm freely. Let it rest on the backrest of the sofa, which I lowered to enable her doing so.

The ideal Composition

This way I achieved the ideal compostion. Her body was at rest, but her arms, legs, and torso were beautifully arranged in horizontal, vertical, and slanted alignments. More dynamic than last time I drew her. Basic idea though: the soft structures and hard lines combined. Last but not least, I kept the lighting quite light, following the reference picture basically. Perhaps out of fear a darker couch and floor would eat up her posture. Instead, I had her dress shimmer in all its glory. Personally, I like the linear structures around her legs most. They put the stress on what attracted me in the picture initially.

Pitt Graphite Matt pencil (Faber-Castell, 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (24 x 31 x 0.1 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

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