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Harris Hawk
It has been a long time since a piece has frustrated me as much as this one did! What seemed like a straightforward colour scheme turned into a nightmare – I changed the tone so many times that it started to damage the paper and I still don’t think the colour is quite right but I can do no more. A combination of taking too long, reference material that wasn’t right, and my brain still struggling with oil-based pencils.
I did learn a lot though, so it is not all bad, and I am determined to master these new pencils.
Silent Assassin
“Draw a barn owl” they said. “It will be a challenge” they said. Many many swear words later and I am still not sure it is completely finished.
It is useful to go back to a piece later with fresh eyes, you will often find that any flaws or bits that you disliked somehow no longer seem to be there. One silly thing I couldn’t get my head around was the feet which somehow didn’t seem right. It was only after walking away that I realised it was because I was so used to seeing captive barn owls with leather anklets.
Colour Swatch
Something I’ve wanted to do for a while but not had the time is a colour swatch of my pencils. I am forever just scribbling on bits of paper when I am deciding which colours to use on a piece, and since I also had some new colours I figured lockdown would be an ideal time to do this.
During the process, I also discovered that the colours react a little differently on watercolour paper than on normal stock, a lightbulb moment that explains why I have been having trouble with this paper since I started using it. Going forward this has improved my latest piece a great deal – you never know when you will learn something new!