Pine cone drawing in charcoal

[Zarathustra]

8x10 charcoal pencils on Bristol board. I drew it a few months ago, and didn't get around to taking a photograph until today.
I created the background first, using dust, and then creating the lines with a stump and some putty eraser (only took two or three minutes), and then started the pine cone from there. It's the first time I've used charcoal pencils by themselves; they give a richer black than vine charcoal by itself, and there's none of the glare issues associated with graphite pencils.

[SparrowHawk7]

My drawing teacher always maintained that drawing pine cones was one of the hardest subjects. Your background works incredibly well with this ... reminds me of big leaf maple burl. Some might say it's a bit busy .. but I like it.

[Zarathustra]

Thanks Ken. Wish what your drawing teacher said was true, because that would mean I could draw just about anything!

[jjkiefer01]

I like this drawing too! I love the bkgrd but as Ken pointed out, I'm one of those that thinks it's a little busy. I think if the cone wasn't centered in the middle, it wouldn't look so busy. I find myself either focused on the background or the cone, but not both at the same time. Wonderful work!

[SparrowHawk7]

But you CAN, Gavin ...my drawing teacher wouldn't lie! It's all in your head!

[ArtsyBren]

Very well done! Yes, normally I would say the background is too busy, but this one works for me...

[thevaliantx]

I'm a little distracted by the center, rectangular-shaped 'thingy' coming from the pine cone. I couldn't gather anything from google, as to what the parts of a pine cone are, other than .... well ....."it's just a pine cone"

Other than that, I love the use of values in this piece. You literally turned each little piece of the pine cone into a work of art on its own.

[Karen70]

Nice drawing - we have loads of pine trees here and you've done a very good job on your pine cone .

[tonian]

Elegant, and those darks do work very well.

[fatbrush]

A very nice piece of work but I do find the background a little distracting (It would make a good study on its own!) The detail you have achieved in the cone is quite amazing! Ady

[Zarathustra]

Thanks Jim, Ken, Bren, thevaliantx, Karen, Tonia and Ady for the kind words.
I do agree with regards to that seed scale pointing almost vertically upwards - it should have been better positioned for the composition.
I totally understand people's ambivalence towards the background. I was aiming for an abstract busy look, as I find the open cones pretty abstract in nature. In the early stages of the study, when all the edges were soft, my eyes were swimming a little, until I refined the edges. Being a study of a single object, I didn't really want to stick it on a plain background with a simple shadow for fear of it looking too bland.