smoother?

i think i've cracked the background problem now. and even if you think i haven't, i do! plus i have another commission to get on with!

Great News!! first exhibition!

well, firstly i want to share that i will be displaying a collection of my artwork in public for the first time this coming july. i know it seems like a long time away, but i have lots of drawings to get done! this is exciting as i work much better under pressure. my work will be shown at Acqua restaurant in faversham, kent.

and here is my pretty-much-finished seagull drawing. interestingly, it was only after seeing the photograph on the computer that i could see that a little more blending is required to get rid of some of those darker patches. but otherwise, i'm pretty happy with the final result.

so this is where i'm at at the moment - one wing to go! all the while, i'm having to be careful about the overall tones, as i'm constantly wary of losing the gull on the background....
here is a close up of the tail detail. i have exaggerated the feathers a little in area: partly because i've had to make them up, as this area of the photo wasn't in focus, and i couldn't see the detail, and partly i was enjoying the more 'dramatic' effect it was having in lifting the drawing a little to make it more lively. because of the dark background i think i risk this drawing losing itself a little and being quite flat, so anywhere i can add a bit of drama may help.
this picture is just to give you an idea of the scale of the drawing (it's an A1 drawing board).

Seagull, resurrected

so, for all my millions of fans wondering what happened to that seagull drawing(!), you'll be glad to know that it is not forgotten, and i am currently working on that alongside another commission (dog, again!) that i'm doing.

the background requires refinement (although i like the texture in the darker area) and each 'layer' needs blending more subtly with the next, but for the time being i just want the general tones so i can concentrate on what to do with the bird itself.... next stage is to start filling in the feet and tail feathers (if you look closely you can see i've made a start), then the remaining wing, then we'll see where to go from there!

Millie's portrait finished

so here is the final version of millie's portrait. sorry i skipped a work in progress scan, but really wanted to crack on with the drawing, as i was on a roll....

Millie update

as i draw the fur around her eyes and have filled in the ear and top of her head, this feels like it's really taking shape now. it's funny how the animal you draw gradually 'comes' to life as you join the areas of the face together: especially the eyes! this is where i always feel a connection to the animal, even if i have never met it! it's amazing the power of eyes.....

Millie the Jack Russell

okay, so here is the very first scan of this work in progress, of millie a cute little jrt.

where usually I might work on the eyes, then the nose, I wanted to start working in some of that fur. this helps the eyes look more natural when the fur appears around it: you'll see that round the bottom edge of the eyes it is a bit jarring because there is no fur there yet: hopefully you'll see that blend in once the fur is in situ. i'm keeping the tones quite dark, as we have some white fur to draw in later, and if i start too light, i'd have to go even lighter on the white fur and you just wouldn't see it! it will all balance out in the end - well, that's the plan!