Work in Progress

Untitled

Pen and Ink drawing in progress. This is a head study of a pair of Gelderlanders in harness. Strathmore Bristol, 2 ply vellum. Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph technical pen 4 x 0, .18mm. Overall dimensions are 13 1/2" x 11 1/4".

In this series of posts, I will be sharing five pen and ink drawings in progress, allowing the viewer insight to my drawing process, and the opportunity to see as the work develops with each additional layer. I am not currently set up to photograph the work properly, so these images are not the best quality; hopefully they will suffice for now.

Ideally, I would have begun with the rough sketch; however, this is a piece that was already in progress, as are some of the others I plan to add to this series. As many of you know, I do not work on one piece at a time; rather, there are probably three to five pieces in progress simultaneously. This method of working allows me to put something aside and return to it with a fresh perspective, as often, especially when blocking in large areas that require an immense amount of time, the direction of the work is lost. Working on several pieces at once allows me to minimize down time. Setting aside a drawing when that point is reached can be crucial to the finished piece. Pen and ink is a very unforgiving medium, and mistakes are not easily reworked, if at all - though that is one of the things I enjoy about working in this medium: you are committed to each mark you make.

Generally, a drawing is approched very much like a puzzle: broken down into shapes - isolating those shapes and then piecing them back together until the final image emerges. In this image, the largest areas have been blocked in first; each section made up of rows of lines approximately 1/4" long. A second layer has been added cross direction, to the outside horse's cheek and neck.

In the next post, areas of light and shadow will begin to emerge.