Today it was all about drawing with things that are not necessarily drawing tools, and dipping them in the ink. I tried twigs, the ‘wrong’ end of a paintbrush and a calligraphy pen, but my fave was the pigeon feather I found in my parents’ garden and snipped at an angle. I’ve been wanting to know for ages how people do that kind of scratchy, uneven inky writing and the feather gave an excellent approximation. Something I can definitely incorporate into future paintings.
I had no idea what I was going to draw when I arrived, but after rifling through my various images I realised I was in the mood for a peacock. You may remember I painted this a while back:
It’s an image I love and enjoy recreating, so today I drew it with my feather, a twist I only realised about half way through. 🙂
It’s not finished; I want to introduce some colour and rescue the blobby mess in the bottom right corner somehow, but so far I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Pen and ink is such a satisfying medium; I don’t consider myself a genius drawer but somehow with a bit of ink and water you can produce something that really looks amazing!
I’ve got a couple of paintings on the go; if I ever finish them I’ll let you know.
wowzers!!! that’s freakin’ brilliant! i love the look of pen and ink as well…..the monochromatic, smudgy, broodiness of it appeals to my happy melancholy…:)
xo
Please, please, please keep taking this class so we can see more of this!!! Fan-friggin-tastic! xx
OMG Tara, this is GOR.GEOUS. The blue peacock was great, the black and white peacock was (to quote the lovely Lorinda)…FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC!! holy moly girl – i love the idea that you used an unfamiliar tool to do it… and how fitting. A feather!! i so love the shadows in this. You did a beautiful job. You GO girl! xox (you must be knocking the socks off your instructor in that class!)
Gorgeous! Peacocks are definitely nature’s art and you’ve captured their detail and festive colors beautifully.