Giraffe in Okavango Delta

[Manish]

Hi all,
Few weeks back, I went to Air Botswana front office in Gaborone to buy air tickets to India. There, I picked up In Flight Mag of Air Botswana, in which I saw many images of Giraffes runing through Okavango Delta.
(You can chase them with chartered flight, it is popular tourist destination here).
I have attempted to draw them on 200 gsm art paper and used 2H, 2B and 6B pencils. I also used (first time) carpenter's pencil for grasses (I read somewhere). I have combined two giraffe images into one as there ware taken from same angle.
I have never made landscape before, so I am not sure whether effect of delta, water, marshy track and long grashes came out properly. The distant hillocks and trees are purely my imagination.
C & C are most welcome.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Oct-2010/278691-Girrafe_in_Okhavango.jpg

Manish.

[srisarts]

Love the action in the girrafes :)
And it's nice to see someone else from India!

[ccollins]

Nice! I think I'll try those carpenetr's pencils, too.

Cinda

[jennaboo88]

Great sense of speed in these animals! Good work on the landscape, especially for it being your first attempt. The sense of distance in the land would be even better if you made the foreground darker and have it become lighter in the distance.

Also, it may be the angle, but I only see three legs on the left giraffe...

Otherwise, this is a wonderful drawing! :)

[SparrowHawk7]

This is off to a very good start, Manish. See how much more presence the drawing has with enough darks? I don't think you need to do a great deal with the grasses and landscape as far as detail is concerned .. you want the focus of the drawing to be the two giraffes. You will need some detail in the foreground but not so much further away. Just be sure to keep the tonal balance even ...

[sultry]

very good perspective rendering on the giraffes also. I feel you have shown the viewer the speed of the giraffes by the way you drew in the landscape.

[Manish]

Thanks to all for appreciating this.
@Jenna: I will work more on foreground. The third leg of second giraffe, is hiding because of spalsh of water as animal is running with speed. May be, I could not make this effect. Let me try again.....
@Ken: One thing, I have learned after becoming member of WC is that, I need to work more on darks. I was scared initially, thinking that it will spoil my effort. Thanks for it. I will surely work on foreground more.

[Heart Of Darkness]

Nice drawing. look forward to seeing this when you've worked more on the foreground. :)

Darn those darks huh! :D

[mooz49]

Really nice work on the giraffes Manish ...an action drawing! :thumbsup:

[Manish]

Hi,

I am back again with some changes.
I lifted out some graphite from backgorund with kneaded eraser. At the same time, I added few more on foreground. This time, while using 3B pencils on foregorund for grasses, I used paintbrush and graphite powder of B grade (I collected after scratching against sandpaper) to brush it on foreground to appearer a bit darker than background.

While finalising, I worked on black spots of Giraffe again.

I made some rippling effect in water where leg is grounded.

I hope this time it looks better.

C&C are most welcome.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/08-Oct-2010/278691-Okavango_Final.jpg

Regards,

Manish

[AlaskaDan]

Coming along very nicely Manish...love the work on the Giraffes...I would lighten and vary the values at horizon, both below and also the lower part of the sky to give a better sense of depth, as all your values are uniform..your largest trees a little darker would help as well..

Overall, nicely done...:thumbsup:

[SparrowHawk7]

Still a bit on the light side, Manish. Look at the depth of value in both giraffes. The ground around them should be identical in range. Then atmospheric perspective would make the values fade into the distance/ horizon as Dan mentioned. And he's also right about the sky .. it should be darker closer to the viewer as you have it ... but it should fade gradually.

So far so good ... :)

[dutch30]

I like the definition in your giraffes for sure, nice work. As sparrowhawk said, maybe a bit darker in the foreground, especially your giraffes, I think show their shadows a bit more. It looks like the light is a bit behind them adn coming into them so you could put darker grass a bit under and going out to your horizon some, That will do a world of difference for your perspective!
The ground is just way too light underneath them right now.

Fade it as it recedes into the distance. Very nice overall though, especially since it was from imagination.:clap:

[Manish]

Hi,

If I have understood all the comments well, then here I go....

I toned the sky, with gradual changes in value. Near horizon, it is faint to give depth to viewer.

I removed graphits from trees and hillocks near horizon.

I also removed graphits near horizon.

I have added more value near foreground.

I think, shadow of leg was Not synchonising with sun light, so I changed the direction this time.

I hope, this time, it better than previous one.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/10-Oct-2010/278691-Giraffe_in_Okavango_III.JPG
Thanks,

Manish.

[SparrowHawk7]

That's the idea! One thing more that I see however .. you have left paper showing around the hooves and legs of the front giraffe in places. This should be covered in graphite. If you wish it to look like dust coming up, then the white should start where the hoof meets the ground. :)

[jennaboo88]

Excellent progress! Really nice darks coming in. :thumbsup:

[Manish]

@Ken and Jenna: Thanks.
I will certainly make the effect of dust.
I am enjoying WC, I am improving.........