Rendering Feathers and Fur.

Rendering Feathers and Fur.

The idea of drawing a realistic interpretation of fur, feathers and other natural textures are often daunting in the idea of copying down every single part. In reality, your task is to create shorthand that the viewer will see as the item you wish to represent. This job isn’t exceptionally hard, but it requires a bit of trial and error, plus a bit of patience.  The term rendering is used to describe the process of drawing a texture that represents a real-life object or feature in a convincing way. This is a great tool to make something that doesn’t exist seem more realistic in your artwork.

As art is developed from sketch to final art, you not only need to represent the texture, you must also express the volume, shading and effect of focus as the feathers or fur as it falls away. All of this will allow the brain to accept the illusion that you are creating. After all, you are creating an image on a piece of paper or illustration board. I have posted two images to illustrate some of my latest work. In my next post I will show how some of these techniques where done. 

Stipple me a chapel.

  Stipple me a chapel.

Working a technique like stippling is a challenge. I am one of the non-purist types who choose to mix the pen and ink drawing forms. I mix stippling, hatching, cross-hatching and a few other pen marking styles to render or suggest the texture and material of the subject. I also vary my technique to invoke a feel in my work. Rendering fur or feathers in a looser, more energetic line, can imply movement or tension. Using the tight dot patterns of stippling with limited linear definition can build solid form, such as such as finely carved stone.

Creating even a small work in a stippling or dot pattern can be a mental challenge since it can get tedious quickly and tax your ability to hold the pen and press a point into the paper for hours on end.  Some of my work can take 40-50 hours to complete; the largest have taken over 200 hours. You need to plan ahead when you start a major project to make sure you have the time and patience to get the job done.

A few of my pieces over the last year or so are based on photos that I shot while traveling. The image above is called “Basilica de Santo Nino’, and is based on a group of photos I took while I was in Cebu City, Philippines. I built this work with a loose dot pattern that migrated to a tighter pattern to build a significant light and dark pattern. I wanted the work to have an area of dark that still held interest and detail.

One of the goals of this work is to develop a piece that gave a person the feel of the church without the typical defining bell tower, entryway or depicting the complete building. I wanted the work to have a more interesting feel than something that everyone has seen before. This is always my goal.

 Just for information: Stippling is ink drawing using dots to create shapes, tone and value.

Pointillism is when multiple colors are laid down in the form of dots to create a visually mixed color pattern. This is done instead of mixing or blending colors together.

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I am an Artist!

I am an Artist!

Some people who know me may reply to that with a smirk and a “Duh”! To others it may seem a bold declarative statement. The truth is this is the only thing I do, or have done for nearly four decades. Like most subjects, your perspective on this will be based on your experiences, attitudes, and the people you surround yourself with. Some believe that once you start creating art, you are an artist. There are others who conclude that the title “Artist” should be bestowed upon someone only after some secret committee has approved your resume and body of work.  

Why is this a question? I was speaking to my server at a restaurant in the arts district of Augusta, GA last week while having dinner with my twin brother. She stated,  “I draw, and paint, and would like to be an artist someday; but, I’m not an artist”.  My heart sank. My reply was; “Sure you are”! She shrugged her shoulders and walked away. I questioned why someone would think that way.

This is not new. I have encountered this attitude often in my life. I have had students and artist-friends who hesitate to call themselves artists. Possibly they think this way because they have so many other things going on in their lives. It may also be because it is not their primary occupation. I have spoken with more than one artist who believed that they where mealy hobbyists or students. This is sad to me because I believe attitude is everything in this life. Your attitude helps you set goals that are hard to reach, but worth the effort. Your attitude allows you to make the effort to learn new media, practice your creative skills and bravely express yourself. After all, you are an artist!

On the flip side of this coin are those people who refuse to acknowledge the simple fact that a person who creates artwork for others to see is an artist. You need not be represented by a dozen galleries and be hanging in the local art museum to be deserving of the title of artist. Most people understand that if you are working as an artist, and you are dedicated to creating artwork, you are an artist!

I understand that the above is a definition that is only relative to a visual artist. Webster define artist as a person who creates art, a person who is skilled at drawing, painting, etc., a skilled performer, or a person who is very good at something.

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