My World

I decided several months ago to brush up on the art form of pencil sketching. I had sketched quite often in my 30s, but life happened, and I set it aside, completely forgetting that I had even sketched at all. Then, as I’ve written in previous post, my cousin asked me to paint her deceased pet, which set me on the path to render from a small photo she gave me a large sketch to use as a pattern for the painting.

Little did she know that request would lead to my hunger for sketching again. I now try to practice the art often so as not to lose my ability to create decent renditions of the subjects I chose to draw.

It seems I am drawn to sketching birds. I do have colored pencils that I use to add a splash of color ever so often, but my preference will always lean toward bringing them to life in black and white. My dear friend Linda wanted me to draw a cardinal after seeing a pair of red-headed woodpeckers I recently completed, including red for the heads. I laughed and told her that would be a LOT of red!

I thought about it and decided cardinals have such a unique head that there would be no doubt what species it was even without the color.

I taught myself how to draw and never start the same each time, so I am sure it isn’t the way people who take drawing classes go about creating a sketch. Plus, I usually am going by a photo of the thing I’m drawing rather than creating out of my head…… oh, to get good enough that I could ever do that! The first step is to use a light led pencil for a basic outline of the subject. Then, especially with living creatures, I always find myself working on detailing the eyes. It is like they come to life and cheer me on, giving me the confidence to complete the portrait.

It depends on the current subject as to whether I complete its body or the background first. I found myself engulfed in the detail of this fat little cardinal that kept taunting me with his bright little eye, causing me to forget about the branch until he was pretty much complete.

I also decided to have no real background other than the branch he perched on. I usually find myself picking and choosing which parts of a photo to include. My desire for this sketch is for the viewers eye to go straight to the cardinal rather than any distracting features around him. The crosshatch method of sketching blends well into trees and branches.

Below is the portrait that started the whole discussion of red, leading me to sketch this cardinal. I also used the crosshatch method on it as well.

Never let self-doubt keep your from your dreams. Open your heart and find the path if there is something you desire to learn.