For some reason I’ve been stuck on the idea that when I’m drawing, the initial sketch is what’s supposed to end up being the inked final. This is how I’ve always drawn. Habit, I suppose. It’s lead me to having finished pieces which, in my mind, aren’t perfect.
After a whole lot of time spent on that final ink, I’ll try shading with crosshatch and fuck it up. All that work, and already there’s something I don’t like about it. Subsequently this ruins my drive to try again, or even start another piece. I’ve only just realized I haven’t been giving myself permission to fuck up.
So in trots the Grid Method.

I’ve been desperately wanting to draw a John Waters portrait reflecting the joyous weirdo that anyone who knows him understands what I’m talking about. I’ve done a few other inks of him already, but they’ve yet to accomplish what I truly have in my brain. And I’ve just finished reading Carsick for a second time, so I was truly inspired to do this right.

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Phase 1 – The Doodle – A loose pencil sketch, to be inked, puts forward the initial idea.
Phase 2 – Doodle Refining – Gridding it out I’m able to copy a larger version to work out details. Another sketch to make it look more like him. This is where I can freely experiment without risk. For instance, I regretted the crosshatching around the eyes (below) so I excluded that from the final piece.

Phase 3 – The Final – Now I grid that inking for the final sketch. Here I scanned and enlarged it so I could copy it 1 to 1. This is when I realize what I want to do differently. And without risk I was able to practice things I wasn’t sure about on the previous piece.
I was the difficulty I had drawing Aubrey Plaza that lead me to this technique. And it’s how I hope to improve my drawing skills while I sit at the coffeeshop and draw all afternoon.

Yesterday I completed the John Waters I was dreaming of.

Just thought this might interest the people. And the artists, maybe it could help. Let yourself have the freedom to experiment. It’s not cheating… as long as you’re copying your own work, uh duh!

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