Above is the finished colored pencil version of my Mallard Ducklings. I posted the inked drawing earlier this year and am pleased to have finished it. Size is 6 x 6 inches on Stonehenge paper. I used Derwent pencils for the starting layers and then switched to Faber Castel Polychromos for the finish. The original drawing was based on a reference photograph I made last summer in my local park.
It is only sort of photo realistic, the ink outlines put this in the Illustration category and I took some liberties with the rocks and some values. The ground the ducklings are standing on should really be darker, but if I shaded the drawing to the darkness of the reference, the ducklings wouldn't stand out as much. I also applied a finishing layer of light blue to all of the background to heighten the contrast between the background and the living birds.
Time to move onto my next drawing, I am pulling pencils to start the Iris, and have started drawing some lilies that I photographed a couple of summers ago. The colors in that photo are really fun so I am looking forward to working on that piece.
I can't be sure of course because I don't really know the cat or its owners but because of the size and slope of the hind quarters I think this is a true Manx Cat and not one with a docked tail. I do like this photograph so may redraw it so that the animal is larger, Then maybe I could get the face right.
I was in Boston earlier this week and made a visit to the MFA. While there I drew this Greek Sphinx sculpture. The Sphinx portion is ok, but the pedistle it is standing on isn't quite right, it should be more compressed, width is OK but it is too long. Course that might be partly because I was looking up at it. Graphite in my 5 x 7 sketchbook, the museum doesn't like artists to use pen inside the museum, which I can understand.
Above are two Picasso portraits of the same woman, but done at different times. I want to include a quote from Picasso about Portraiture which I agree with, though I don't think I would ever go to the extremes he used in his imagery.
"It's not important to me to know whether a certain portrait is a good likeness or not. Years, centuries pass, and it is not important if the physiognomical traits are exactly those of the person portrayed. The artist loses himself in a futile effort if he wants to be realistic. The work can be beautiful even if it doesn't have a conventional likeness."
The portraits and quote are part of a small show that has pairings of Picasso's art, two (or more) pieces done of the same subject, mostly portraits, but there are also 2 painting of the Rape of Sabine Women. Picasso loved to work in series and this small show demonstrates how he would approach the same subject in different ways. Photographs are allowed.
I also wandered through the Modern Art Wing (the performance artist was not in her room, which contained only a table, two chairs, a lamp and the clock workings), and also wandered through the newly reopened gallery with Song era artifacts.
As a contrast I am still reading and looking through the Sargent Artists Portrait book. I am taking my time and trying to notice what he chooses to depict in detail vs what he paints really very impressionistically. Such different Artists though their lifespans did overlap.
Photograph for the day is a re-imaging of a location I photographed last fall, then the leaves were in full fall color, this week the predominate colors are brown and blue, blue sky, brown leaves, brown stonework in the bridge.
I made this photograph on my way to Dick Blicks to spend money on some additional Lumance Pencils. Perhaps not the best photo, but I find the contrasts interesting.
That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.
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