Course work: Applied several more layers and details to the catfish on a plate drawing, with water-soluble crayon. Applied a few small details with water-soluble pencil. During the drying intervals on the first drawing, I started work on the second. Since no medium was specified for this drawing, I chose to use markers (perhaps my least favorite medium), and 11 x 14” (279 x 356mm) marker paper. I used a lighter set of tones on this drawing, and some initial and unsuccessful experimentation showed me that I should omit the subtle greenish tint. Nevertheless, it looks reasonably like a catfish; in fact, I prefer it to my first drawing.
Personal Sketchbook work: In my pocket sketchbook, I attempted a sketch of a snow-covered pine branch (a rare sight here). First, I blacked the page with a graphite pencil and tried lifting out the light parts with an eraser…this was not satisfactory. Then I tried white and very light blue colored pencil in the erased areas…this was not successful either. Then I dabbed white acrylic paint over the erased areas with a cotton-tipped swab…this was somewhat better, but still not satisfactory. The next step was to brush over the darker areas with black ink, and finally to add a bit more light blue colored pencil. What started as a quick sketch ended up as a multimedia exercise, still not entirely successful, but certainly a learning experience.
Drawing animals check and log: The most difficult part of the animal drawing exercises was getting the animals to stay still long enough to get something onto the paper. In a few cases (the wild animal drawings) I was forced to use photographs simply because of availability. I found the memory of my long-ago classes in comparative anatomy helpful with these exercises.
I still enjoy graphite pencil for drawing. Reasons include (1) familiarity, (2)easy correctability, (3) easy portability, (4) ability to depict a wide range of tones, (5) no cleanup required, (6) no unpleasant odors.
Zoos are reasonably good places to draw animals (in the past, I’ve drawn in two zoos). Difficulties include raging hordes of uncontrolled children, intrusive adults, and of course animals that insist on remaining out of sight. Farms are another good place to draw animals, though the variety is more limited. As I’ve noted before, drawing wild animals is pretty much a matter of chance, and a camera with a reasonable telephoto lens is essential.
Total time: 1 hour 58 min (142h13m)
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