One little pencil had to be cut in half, due to the wood splitting most of the way down the shaft, when I originally attempted to sharpen them with a standard pencil sharpener. But thankfully some of them were savable with the use of a sharp blade.
Now I finally had something I could use on the tiny black pad, I was given, I had to find something to draw. While looking for native plants from my photo collection, I found another character...
It was my favourite rooster we've ever had. He was an Australorp we raised from an egg. Such a gentleman too. But I strugged with the limited range of colours of the charcoal pencil, so experimented with some metallic oil pastels. I needed to introduce the blue sheen to his black feathers, which I think the metallic pastels did well.
I also mixed a magenta and gold for the background, and roughly scratched it in. Because wherever there are chickens, there are scratches!
It was just a little afternoon exercise, experimenting with some new mediums I was given. All of them were free - even the metallic pastels which my daughter gave me. They were originally a gift from her grandmother - so its nice to know, we keep it all in the family. :)
Gorgeous. That is all. lol.
ReplyDeleteYou are a natural with chickens and roosters. I can tell that you adore them. I also think that people really enjoy these kinds of nostalgic homesteading type of topics. If I were you I'd consider that as a speciality. I know I have said it before but it bares repeating:)
Thanks for your feedback. I have quite a soft spot for chickens, that's for sure. :)
ReplyDeleteI was relieved to discover I could combine the two mediums. I wasn't sure if it would work at first, but it did, and even got the charcoal to go over the oil pastels again. Just for little touch-ups. I wouldn't want to cover all the pastels.
I have contemplated an heirloom chicken series, which might sell as prints for homesteaders, or just crazy chicken ladies who can't get enough of 'em - like me, lol. Hearing your idea, is nudging me a little more. :)
Brilliant idea and I think you should do it! How about greeting cards?
DeleteThat's a good suggestion. :)
DeleteOh, I like him! I like the way you've just used a few lines to suggest the feet. Now, if that was me, I'd be trying to get realistic-looking feet and end up by muffing it.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the quality of the pencils. I've been buying that Monte Marte stuff, mainly because it's cheap and in all the $2 shops. I've found some of the pencils impossible to sharpen, too. The lead just keeps breaking; it's so frustrating. By the time you get down to something usable, half the thing's gone!
Thanks for your feedback. His feet in the photo were slightly obscured by grass, so I decided to give the impression of feet. :)
ReplyDeleteAnother brand of pencil I've had experience with, which isn't too bad but still affordable, is Jasart. They seem to be between the bottom of the range, and the top, so a nice compromise. If you're looking for something you can depend on but don't want to break the bank, consider Jasart. They're easily purchased online if you cannot find something local.
I'm also going to do a post in a week or so, on how to sharpen pencils. This is making all the difference in the longevity of my products. A few cheap solutions can fix that. :)
Actually I was going to suggest a few tufts of grass around his feet, just to 'ground' him, so to speak.
DeleteI'll look forward to the post about sharpening pencils. Maybe I'm doing it wrong and that's why they break.
I thought of the grass too, but didn't want to try in case I ruined it, lol. I know I was doing it wrong sharpening the pencils too, even when doing it the recommended way. I found out about a piece of equipment which can stop the led falling out and cut the wood at the same time. Or at least its the best system I've found yet. Just waiting for something to arrive in the post before I post. ;)
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