Drawing 5 - Finished

Here are the finished pictures for Drawing 5. It's a departure from the first four drawings but I think it plays well with the series compositions.

Enjoy!

Jacob

Drawing 5 - Progress Update

Hi folks

Here are some progress photos of Drawing 5.

Enjoy!!

Jacob

Drawing 5 Takes Shape

After some time away from the drawing table I'm back at it with a somewhat different sort of composition from a different part of a different train. This subject of this piece is from the front end of a locomotive near the top edge of the large circular plate that is the nose of the engine. There's a gap between this plate and the front of the cylinder that covers the boiler. Along the edge of that gap the metal curves up to form a lip that has rivets running all the way around it. The two types of fasteners - rivet and bolt make an interesting juxtaposition, but I think the real drama in the work will be along the gap, which will be dark with shadow. The curved edge of the riveted side will pick up the light and contrast sharply with the darkness that will make up the rest of picture.

Here's two photos of the work in progress.

Enjoy!

Jacob

Drawing 4: Completed

Hi Folks

I've completed the fourth drawing in the series. Here it is - hope you enjoy it!!

Jacob

Drawing 3: Completed

I finished the third drawing in the series today. Here's the set of progress pictures running up to the final work.

Hope you enjoy!!

Drawing 3: Major Section Completed

The upper wheel and brake portion of the drawing are now done, along with the large shadowed areas that sit behind it. The deep relief afforded by the contrast is really working in this drawing - I think it will be quite a dramatic piece when completed.

For those interested, the dark areas are done with a very soft B5 pencil. I work the graphite into the page in a disorganized fashion, trying to avoid patterns that would look like artifacts unnatural to the subject matter. When laid down this heavy, soft graphite appears oily on the paper, and it reflects light which is counter to what a shadow is. Just like heavy oil paint shows clear bush marks, heavy graphite literally reflects the technique the artist used to apply it. The way a work like this is lit when on the wall becomes quite delicate as a result, and in situations where the light changes, the drawing will look quite different at various times through the day. I render the shadows in a crosshatch fashion to breakup the reflections. Even then I find I have to adjust the lights over my drawing table so as to avoid reflections as I work.

Soft graphite is also prone to smudging, which in this kind of drawing style is the last thing I care to have happen. Once completed, I spray the work with a fixative to "lock" it down. As I draw I keep a separate sheet of paper under my hand to help avoid blurring things. With a drawing like this that has so much shadow I have to be very careful in planning how to work down the page.

Here's two more update photos. Let me know what you think and don't be shy about becoming a blog member. I post updates on my Facebook site linking to here but would love to see how many folks are following the work and whether you have any questions.

Enjoy!!

Jacob

Drawing 3: 10 Progress Photos

Here's a set of 10 progress photos documenting the start of this drawing. I'm really enjoying this one, almost as much as I found the last drawing troubling. It's a composition with lots of contrast both in terms of detail and tone. I'll let the photos do the talking for this post.

Enjoy!!

Jacob