Tabby Cat - finished

[scifi]

For some time I've been intending to sketch animals, but just couldn't start off. That was until I came across Gayle Mason's tutorial: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261928

She has explained the various stages so lucidly, that anyone can start sketching animals. A big thanks to you Ms. Gayle .

This is done on Fabriano Academia Disegno 200gsm paper with Prismacolors. While doing this I found that Prismas are not ideal for sketching fur because they lose the point after a few strokes. What pencils do folks here use for doing fur?

[frannydales]

Originally Posted by scifi

For some time I've been intending to sketch animals, but just couldn't start off. That was until I came across Gayle Mason's tutorial: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261928
...What pencils do folks here use for doing fur?

Hi scifi,

Love the eyes on your cat. Beautifully glassy.
I do a lot of dogs and horses in my work, and although I've mostly done acrylics lately, for about 30 years I did work exclusively in Prismacolor pencils because they are the most readily available.

My technique is very different from yours. You have worked so diligently at doing the detail that you have practically drawn every hair on that cat! I'm afraid I don't have that kind of patience. I tend to fill in areas as determined by the value of the color in different areas, and I "suggest" fur or hair, by the direction of my strokes mostly. I only put in a few detailed hairs at the very last layer. With this style, the very sharpest pencils aren't really necessary until the final layer. And it's faster, too. I'd suggest that you do a more "scribbled" first and second layer, just to cover the paper, and worry about individual hair strokes on the top layers only.

Others may do differently, but this works for me, as I'm lazy about sharpening, and also hate the way it eats up my pencils!

[RobinZ]

I work much like Fran, I don't do the hair by hair, but I've seen excellent work in this style and yours included.

I think you just have to sharpen ... a lot. If I DID work this way, I think I'd have to invest in a fistfull of each color so I could sharpen a bunch at a time without having to keep coming back.

[ocmd123]

Very nice work! There are harder pencils that hold a better point. But I am a Prisma user primarily. I work much like Robin and Fran. And I just sharpen a lot when I need a point.

[bib]

Very nicely done. I use Polychromos and Pablos.
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Angela

[birdlady]

I did a cat (blinky) a long while back and used your style also. I needed to also keep a sharp point but instead of sharpening I ran the point over a piece of fine sand paper so as not to waste more pencil. When it was short enough then I would have to sharpen. Dern pencils are to expensive to loose so much in sharpening them. Hope that helps you for an alternative.

Love the drawing and the eyes really grab ya.

Laurie

[Jazz]

Beautifully done! You must have such patience I couldn't believe how diligent you had been with each hair!!
It is very effective -I think if it was me I would do a combination -I would have several pencils in the same colour all sharpened to a point and I would also use the sand paper technique.

I look forward to seeing the next piece you do and hearing about how you have adapted to suit your style .


Ali

[johanneL]

love your cat ! especially the eye...splendid use of color

[Hoofnpaw]

Love the eye and the close crop!

Sean

[scifi]

Thanks everyone for your feedback & suggestions.

Fran - I'll give your method a try the next time I do fur.
Right now I'm itching to try a stretched canvas board that I got. I've seen a few CP works done on canvas here and want to give it a try.

[marieUK]

Beautiful cat, nicely done, lots of patient work there

[Candle]

You did really well on this! Nice colors in the eye.

[ariess]

WOW! Very nice

[George924]

What a nice piece, love the eye just so predominant and strikingly rendered. When I do animals I go about it the same way I do portraits,, lay in the color and at the end I'll come back and add hair or fur to the animal...but I pretty much work in shapes. Love the eye and the area around the eye...great

[chammi kaiser]

Lovely cat and this is really a very nice piece. Beautiful eye.