Black and White Observational Animal

SUNNY SIDE UP

SEP. 21 — pen and pencil on toned paper

In this project, we were to do an observational drawing using (mostly) black and white.

I cycled through a few different animals during this project. Initially I tried to draw a kangaroo, and then a goat, but neither of those turned out how I wanted them to. So, I tried to draw an alligator (or a crocodile?), and that ended up much better than I expected. I sketched out the general shape of its head, went over those lines with pen, and then went back in and proceeded to add some more detail. I lightly drew scales and lines to add texture to the skin, and I also went in with white pen in order to add some contrast (since most of the drawing was rather dark). Finally, I used a pencil to add some shading, and I was done.

I'll admit that I'm not especially good at observational drawings. I have a horrible sense of proportion, and trying to translate a real image onto paper just amplifies that lack of ability. However, with projects such as this, I somehow manage to power through. I do think that I made good use of contrast (I like the difference between the black, the white, and the toned paper), and I did a relatively good job with recreating the shape of the crocodile's (or alligator's?) head. Although this was meant to be an observational piece, my drawing didn't turn out very realistic, which I credit to the pen that I used to outline everything. I just like the way that things look when they have a dark outline, but I suppose I should try and give up that habit of mine. Overall, I do think that this drawing turned out pretty okay, so I'm satisfied with it in the end.