"Marlene Dietrich" drawn by Harris (2013)

This is one of a few pencil studies I've been working on recently, inspired by the masterful black and white photography of the 1930's and 40's cinema. I've always been fascinated by the way the characters from that era were created larger than life with the use of atmospheric lighting and exaggerated angles (in addition to all other standard tricks like make-up, costumes, hair-styles etc). I'm sure Hollywood borrowed a few hints from past European artists like Rembrandt, Daumier, Velazquez and others and quite rightly so.

Anyway, this is from a film called "The Devil Is A Woman" (1935) starring Marlene Dietrich. I love the way the camera portays her as angelic and serene, in complete contrast with the title of course! I am still working to capture that expression and the deapth of the light and the shadows...