Carbonised

 Following on from my last post, here's the first of my carbon and charcoal experiments.

 

I've worked with both kinds of pencil before but never as two distinct elements in the same image - which is why I started with the small version :)

I used carbon pencil for the cat in the foreground to give me a soft black and the fuzzy edges. One of the things I liked about the photograph I was working from was the fact it was the crows in the background that were in sharp focus.

I used sharp charcoal for the wonderfully distinctive crows so that even on such a tiny scale- the whole thing is only 3 x 4 inches- I could get a really crisp outline and feather texture. This one is already on sale here -next up, I'm trying a larger version using the same materials. Will keep you posted ;)

Cat amongst the....

...crows in this case :) While I'm still settling into my new pad here in Scarborough I've pulled out some of my favourite photos to work on. That had to include this glorious out-take from last years crow sessions.

I'm thinking of using my new favourite pencils, Wolffs carbon, for the cat as it is a fantastic velvety black and slightly softer so it should give me the fuzzy focus I'm after. The crows will be picked out in charcoal to give a harder edge and, believe it or not, a different kind of black :)

I'm also tempted to do this in two sizes- 3 x 4" and 6 x 8" partly because I like working in miniature and partly because I think a smaller version would work well with the exisiting crow drawings already on sale in my Etsy store.

I'm hoping to be working on this at the weekend- will keep you posted :)

Welcome :)

 Come on in :) This is my new blog where I will be sharing my adventures artistic and otherwise from my roost in Scarborough. I'm lucky to have just moved to a flat under the eaves of an old townhouse with fantastic views of the castle and the south bay.

 

I work primarily in charcoal pencil on watercolour paper- Fabriano Artistico extra white being my favourite. I'm fascinated with detail - textures, reflections and have recently embarked on a new series of mini pictures like the mantis above to see just how much expression I can pack into a small space.

 

 When not at my drawing table I'm usually out walking the beaches here- love big skies and I find it helps order my thoughts so I try and get out every day. Something I think is especially important if your work involves sitting down a lot.

This blog will be a mix of artwork, technical tips and the real art of surviving being an artist in the first place :) 

See you again soon,

Karen