Back again .... Finished

[SparrowHawk7]

Thanks Ms.Boo. I thought a cat would be an easy way to get the cobwebs out.

[lotsofsmoggies]

Its looking fantastic.


Completely agree about 'dull' pencils, I'm doing a bit in cp recently and I can't get along with sharp pencils. I prefer to make my own dull 'sharp' point. Does that make any dull no sense??

[michaeleric]

Originally Posted by SparrowHawk7

It's surprising to me how many teachers insist on the sharpest pencil possible. I've never had any luck with it. The only reason I started this drawing with sharp pencils was Darryl Tank's insistence that sharp pencils be used. It works well for him ... not for me. I had thought to add a new tool to my arsenal .. but it's definitely not for me.

It could also have to do with the hardness of the pencils. With a hard pencil I certainly find it easier to draw with a dull tip but the softer the lead gets the sharper I prefer the point. I do a lot of my graphite drawing with pencils 2B and softer and use the harder grades for blending.

[SparrowHawk7]

Thanks Ms.Moggie.

Originally Posted by michaeleric

It could also have to do with the hardness of the pencils. With a hard pencil I certainly find it easier to draw with a dull tip but the softer the lead gets the sharper I prefer the point. I do a lot of my graphite drawing with pencils 2B and softer and use the harder grades for blending.

Darryl is an equal opportunity advocate of sharp pencils regardless of grade. He starts out as I do with a 6H or 4H but he draws with the tip while I use the side. He uses such a light touch that it takes a lot of passes before anything shows on the paper. I use a light touch as well, but by using the side I cover more area at a time than he does. In a certain sense I like a sharper tip with softer grades as you do .. but with me, instead of using the side of the pencil, I use the tip with 2B and 4B ... but I still like the tip more like a chisel - I use the larger flat side so I have more control. If I should want a sharper line/edge I can twist the pencil so as to get the tip of that chisel. Then return to the original angle to go back to a wider coverage. It's a bit hard to explain .. but I use the tip in the same way as Mike Sibley teaches in his book.

[michaeleric]

Gosh, I wonder how he doesn't damage the paper working that way.

[amri]

Hey Ken!
ha ha ha had some laughs along the way, *eye* did. ha ha ha

As I read ~

I use the side of the pencil quite a bit and when the graphite isn't centered I find myself trying to draw with wood which doesn't work so well.

as I werded my thread, which end is best to use, the eraser or lead? ha ha ha I thought, this should be, *NO WOOD, only LEAD!!* ha ha ha sorry...

BTW, I'm very shy, too. Even been accused of being *unsocial*!!! So I will just stick to dull pencils, erasers, and sewing. NOT all at once, mind you. ha ha ha

Guess I have to read up on this thread more often, it took a long time to get here, now..... <exhausted icon> ha ha ha

Thanks for sharing... Ken. I agree, I like a sharper tip to the softer leads but then I don't have the pencils standing straight up, anyway. And then "what do I know anyway? I just *pretend*!! :P" ha ha ha

See ya later..... Bless you man. Irma

[SparrowHawk7]

His touch is SO light that he barely touches it. It takes him a good minute or two before you can really see any value where he's drawing. He's also very particular about paper ... if I'm not mistaken, it's Strathmore Bristol Smooth Series 300. I agree that's a robust paper but I think the extra tooth helps him transfer graphite.

He gets wonderful results ... very soft ... but his technique simply doesn't work for me. Of course ... I doubt mine would work for him which is as it should be.

[SparrowHawk7]

Well, here's today's work. I was getting disoriented a little in working my way across his nose and forehead so I decided to move over to the other eye without really finishing the fur in between. Now that I've done that I can see the rest in more context. The second eye is about as much construction line as you'll see from me. It's close but lots of angles and shapes to adjust before I start to set values. It's a fairly complex value area so that will be challenging as well. That very black area is B charcoal covered in 4B. I may lighten that a bit but it should be about as dark as the pupils so it's pretty close.



It won't be much longer before the drawing will grow beyond the scanner's ability to show it though I still probably have about a week before that happens. Keep in mind that there is the rest of the nose, the other side of his head, a chin and some chest yet to go ...

Tomorrow's another day ...

[amri]

Originally Posted by SparrowHawk7

His touch is SO light that he barely touches it. It takes him a good minute or two before you can really see any value where he's drawing. He's also very particular about paper ... if I'm not mistaken, it's Strathmore Bristol Smooth Series 300. I agree that's a robust paper but I think the extra tooth helps him transfer graphite.

He gets wonderful results ... very soft ... but his technique simply doesn't work for me. Of course ... I doubt mine would work for him which is as it should be.

Well as I understand, [I think you said] ~ we all have to find what works for us. And I find that what worked for me once, may NOT be what works for me another time.
So, with that, to find what gives what results and what we need ~ where. Now I'm probably losing you? ha ha ha so I better get. Going to sew.... ha ha

Bless you ~ man. IRma

[yogiadobe]

Looking good there Ken coming along great.

[ArtsyBren]

He's looking beautiful! I love seeing your "dark" technique and would copy that for my current kitty, however, I have already laid down graphite and can't add the charcoal over it. I will remember that on other "darknesses" in my future...

You are not shy. I do think Irma really is but she is a dear, sweet lady with a lot of talent!

[SparrowHawk7]

Originally Posted by amri

Well as I understand, [I think you said] ~ we all have to find what works for us. And I find that what worked for me once, may NOT be what works for me another time.
So, with that, to find what gives what results and what we need ~ where. Now I'm probably losing you? ha ha ha so I better get. Going to sew.... ha ha

Bless you ~ man. IRma

Well then ... sew fur sew good

[SparrowHawk7]

Looking good there Ken coming along great

Thanks John.

Originally Posted by ArtsyBren

You are not shy.

I'm NOT????

[SparrowHawk7]

I REPEAT ...

[Michael Norwood]

Looking fantastic, Ken. The texture of the hair along the bridge of the nose and along the brow is especially amazing.


Mike