'Mary' - Eric Robertson

The first of the art pieces that I attempted to replicate was 'Mary', by Eric Robertson. When first starting this brief, this was the image I was most looking forward to working on as it was plainly a face, something that I am rather comfortable drawing. Upon reflection, I actually found the forgery experience to be rather relaxing. Pencil is a very forgiving material, that can be easily edited, which was comforting throughout the task. Despite not using pencil often, I didn't find it too difficult to adapt to, it's fairly simple to use, so once I had got down the outlines of her features, replicating the piece was rather straight forward. 
    To begin, I scaled the drawing to the correct size, and then used the light box to faintly draw in the key features of the face. I then practised basic techniques and tested different pencil grades in my sketchbook, until I felt comfortable enough to begin the actual drawing. I also tested out different rubbers that I own against blocked in pencil, as I knew that Robertson had used the rubber as a tool in the drawing to create highlights and shape in the darker tones of pencil. After the testing stage, I began the forgery of the piece, beginning at an H pencil to shade and start to gain shape in the face very lightly. Once I was happy with the base level of the sketch, I then went on to add layers of shading where needed to create more depth, using various grades of pencil. I continued to do this until I was happy with the overall appearance, and felt that it looked as close as I could possibly get it to the original. Then finally to finish, I filled in the background using a cross-hatching technique, and erased to make the highlights and hair strands.
     Overall, I am very happy with how my replica has turned out. I feel that I managed to closely copy the shape of her face and features, and that the blend of shades that I created with the pencils is rather successful. I am proud considering pencil is definitely not a medium I ever reach for beyond planning or sketching stages, and think that the task has developed my skills and understanding of the tool.

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A Glance at Eric Robertson

Born in Dumfries in 1887, Robertson was an artist inspired by the Pre-Rapaelites and the Symbolist painters John Duncan, and Gustave Moreau. Throughout his career as an artist, he took part in numerous group shows in Scotland, which eventually lead to the formation of the The Edinburgh Group in 1919. Within his time in the group, he took interest in Cecile Walton - a painter, illustrator and sculptor. They married in 1914, and together played large parts in the Scottish Symbolist movement During the war, he took up a more distinct interest in painting landscapes, however, he is most notably known for his nude figure compositions. This is due to the controversial nature of the pieces, in a more conservative time period. Following the failure of his marriage, he moved to Liverpool in 1923. Soon after this, he was largely forgotten as an artist, and eventually succumbed to alcohol. He died in Cheshire, in 1941 at age 54.