Grabbing The Chance P. 67

Grabbing The Chance  P. 67

I was a little bit apprehensive at the thought of doing this exercise, and I was probably expected it to turn out quite badly, working on a larger scale with a moving animal but I think the good thing about charcoal is that it kind of gives you confidence and to try bold strokes. I thought the best way to get my subject into position was to bribe her with food, and so I was able to bring her bowl into the living room. I felt like I was on a clock counting down though, how long it would take Mollie to eat her food before leaving the scene so I quickly got to work.

I am starting to really like Charcoal, especially the willow sticks, which I find not that messy, so much so that I have some ready in a small plastic box should I spot the cats behaving in an interesting way. I think that Charcoal sketching is something I am keen to continue on a regular basis because of its versatility.

Quick charcoal sketch of Mollie, eating her dinner. I like the freedom of the strokes, the way I smudged certain areas to create shadow, the marks on body to indicate fur and the character I have brought to the piece, Mollie with her head firm in her bowl.

Mollie in the window - I am working much faster here than on the above picture, Mollie is free to go whenever she wants and is wondering what I am doing.

It is a challenge to get Garfield in one place, without being asleep so on this rare occasion, I did a quick sketch. Due to it being in the evening, in low light, Garfield's eyes had dilated quite wide so I wanted to exaggerate this a little, like the stripes of his tail that are not as distinct. I think this is a very charming sketch with lots of Garfield's character.

Apart from the bottom right Chimp, these are sketches done from moving animals on the TV, from a wildlife program, the below sketch was a 15 min sketch from a paused image.

The Work Of Nicola Hicks (born 1960)

As a point of reference and something for me to keep looking at, I have included some work by Nicola Hicks ( recommended by my tutor). This work on animals is amazing, the detail and character she captures from the subject.