Carmen Ruiz Sánchez de León Creating In Situ Pencil Drawings Using Procreate on the iPad Pro

Written by Daniel M. Méndez-Rodríguez and Carmen Ruiz Sánchez de León, Epigraphers at the Spanish mission at Dra Abu el-Naga / ‘Djehuty Project,’ digitalEPIGRAPHY's second entry about the documentation process developed for Theban Tomb 11 follows a scene's journey from photograph to digitally inked line drawing.

The digital epigraphic record in Djehuty’s funerary chapel comprises five phases: photographic documentation, in situ preliminary drawings, initial inking, collation, and final inking. This procedure ensures that the record is faithful and reflects the artistic spirit embedded in the original work.

Although the Spanish team's epigraphic method borrows a few key elements from the Epigraphic Survey's digital procedure, TT 11's unique situation requires several alterations to the core techniques. Almost completely eroded, and broken-up decorative surfaces need to be puzzled together, interpreted, and represented on their line drawings. Some areas contain pigment traces of their original hues, requiring extra attention from the epigrapher. Other areas are so complex that a set of color brushes and artificial textures must be used on several layers.

This is all achieved using Procreate on the iPad and Adobe Photoshop for the studio drawings. As they write: "... inking is done freehand. This is a more agile and faster process in its execution than the one carried out using a vector program such as Adobe Illustrator. It also makes it possible to preserve the human and aesthetic component that the ancient artist transferred to the work, capturing the essence of the lines left by the original creator."

To read Part 2 of documenting Theban Tomb 11, click here!

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