Building a Prairie Dog family

I was wanting to explore a different subject matter after I had completed my second Buffalo drawing. I was intending to do a drawing of an elk, but every shot I took in Yellowstone had a tourist trying to get trampled by getting a bit too close, and in my way. I did get some great shots of elk sitting on the lawn of the town’s fire station. I will likely get working on that soon. These photos are all commercially printed many years ago, so I will scan them eventually.

In the group of images, I found a number of shots that I took while sitting in the parking lot of a Bank of America in Boulder, Colorado. A family of Prairie Dogs occupied the field next door. I sat in my car shooting photos of just one critter at a time. Making a composite image can be a problem when you have just a single subject in any image. I looked for group images and found a few that suggested a direction to go. I did my original sketches on 14” x 11” bond paper from a sketch pad to make it easy to transfer if I did something I liked. I penciled in a few tries and then settled on a final. I transferred the simple sketch to heavy Bristol board with light pencil.

Using my pics, I did a detailed pencil drawing using a variety of photographs of what I assume was just one, very active Prairie Dog who would pop-up, look around and then disappear again. I concentrated on getting a good study of his/her/their coats, eyes and paws (hands).

I started the ink drawing by doing the eyes and then facial details. Worked on the hands and then progressed to render each animal to complete the drawing. I went with a minimalist background environment.

I used the mixed-line drawing technique that allows me to closely match the texture and flow of my subject’s fur or hair. I typically work on the face first to start working from the focal point out. On this piece, after working on the eyes and hands, I generally worked from top to bottom. Then, I worked front to back.

This is such a fun piece, but I see things I want to improve. 

But, isn’t that always the case…

A peak behind the curtain

I want to discuss my work process and how I start with an idea and the steps to create a finished drawing. The subject matter of my drawings varies quite a bit, but follow a few themes. Currently, I mostly draw wildlife, but mix in a number of local city-scapes or unique architecture. To do this, I use mostly my own photos. (I have purchased stock photo disks and single files). This is easy when I walk around town with my camera on a quiet early Sunday morning or after the sun comes out after a nice rain. I can shoot a house or street until I feel I have enough good shots to make an interesting drawing.

Unfortunately, I don’t get to Africa or Yellowstone National Park very often. So, I go to the local zoo. In Springfield, we have the very nice Dickerson Park Zoo, and St. Louis isn’t so far away. Over the years I have shot images at a number of zoos, and Yellowstone Park, plus reference material in the local wilderness with the idea that someday I would draw them.

If you have seen my photos, you would know I am not a photographer by any measure. My eye is always focused on the details, yet my camera hardly ever is. Volume of images allows me to composite enough detail to create a drawing from what I shoot.

After I select a subject and an image, I start sketching a layout that works for the size drawing that I am developing. The composition isn’t always required to work within the classical standards for a drawing, but balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern should also include some drama. This can be the addition of humor, implied movement or a forced perspective.

Once I have a layout I like I transfer it to my final working surface with a 0.7 mechanical pencil very lightly. I work a lot of detail into the pencil sketch because it is very important to be precise when working in a highly realistic style. This allows me much more freedom when I start to draw in ink. Currently, my preferred drawing surface is Strathmore 100 lb. Bristol Board. It has just enough of a ‘tooth’ to take the pencil, solidly retains the ink from my pens and allows me to erase the pencil from under the ink.

When I start drawing in ink, I start with the areas that would ruin the work if I messed them up. I start with the eyes, nose and mouth (human or animal). Those pieces that define the character of my subject. I do this so if I ruin the drawing, I haven’t spent a week drawing before I messed it up. I am dealing in ink, so there is no going back. The good thing about the pens I use is they are much easier and cleaner than years ago. Technical pens with the tiny refillable cartridges, fountain pens and the brass and steel nibs all could ruin a drawing in a split second. The Sakura Pigma Micron technical pens are very safe from leaks and they are extremely portable, so you can draw anywhere.

As I draw, I work from the center of focus outward. I work on the tone and contrast level as I go. It is very hard to adjust the value of your inked drawing later on, so it is better to keep it in mind as you go. Some, work may be required to darken some areas may be necessary. I do all of my pen-work in one size pen, a .005 Micron, even for solid black areas. In previous years, I would use a brush and ink or a larger sized pen, but it looks out of place now.

When I am finished, I erase all of the pencil work with a white Staedtler Mars plastic eraser. This removes a gray tones and I am left with a clean black drawing on bright white paper. 

#‎drawing ‪#‎penandink ‪#‎art ‪#‎illustration #ericraycreative #wildlifeart #wildlife #Pigma #Micron #PigmaMicron 

Tiger by the Tail

When sketching my drawing called "Tiger Fording the River" I wondered if I may have bitten off more than I could handle. I have been striving to improve the quality and detail of my work. I have also struggled with the size of many of my statement pieces being so large (24" x 18" or larger). They stand out, but take such an incredible amount of time. So, I decided to work with a greater effort in my (current) most common working size of 14" x 11". Much like the "Rhino, Close" work.

Adding to the challenge of this drawing was my intention to use a very dark environment that my subject lives in, using only the .005 Sakura Pigma Micron pens. Even for the solid black.

This was my first attempt to draw a tiger since grade school, mostly because everyone draws tigers and it has been a cliche since forever. The layout was developed to give me good composition, and a definite feel of movement and drama. The reflections and rippling of the water where a challenge in pen and ink, but I think they worked out well for this drawing.

The detail work and adjustment of the tones to match the background while still allowing the subject (a tiger) to stand out. The mature of scanning black and white pen work exaggerates the contrast so something shows up in a low resolution image for the web. The high resolution scans are created for full-sized art prints, smaller art prints, publication/media use, web use and for my online store.

This drawing took well over seventy hours to complete and a number of pens gave their all to bring him to life, but I am very happy with these results knowing they are the next step in advancing the skills used in creating my art.

A Zedbra is drawn.

Black and white and running all over. I have finally finished "Zebra, Watching", the name of my newest drawing. I am happy with the detail and tension I was able to build into this drawing of a static zebra. It is a challenge to impart drama into a realistic drawing without graphic tricks or wild color. The work is a 14" X 11" pen and ink on Bristol board.

I had a lot of fun working on the textures of the short hair that the zebra has on the face and neck. The zebra’s black and white pattern and the way the hair creates a texture and changes tone as it moves and changes directions. The pattern has it’s own mind, fading out in places as it curves over the muscular body of this beautiful animal. As the hairs get slightly longer, the black and white continue to resist merging, as the stripes keep crisply defined. Rendering the zebra’s mane was fun also. My interpretation from observation is that the mane is black, with white highlights added. The texture is that of a stiff brush, almost like a short broom.

My next post will be about a drawing technique that I have developed to lay down a tone pattern without a noticeable area as sections overlap. This is great for areas of natural textures where a perfect pattern isn’t required.

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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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