I should work in the studio every day. Unfortunately, other demands?sometimes take priority.?Now I can return to my project: completing a 20" x 16" still life in oil, and tracking the time it takes me to do so.
Since I last wrote about it, I have spent?only about?20 hours at?the easel.?However, despite?my near failure?at carving out studio time. I did make progress.
These before and after photos, reading from left to right, show the changes in the antler.?Now you can see where some little creature gnawed on that bone. I also refined the drapery and shadows in this area.
I had time to sharpen up various feather groups on the wing, especially?the primary?flight feathers (the long ones on?the right side of the wing) and the primary coverts overlapping them.
The whole composition is starting to look more finished, but there are many more details to?complete before it is done.
My?count is now 96 hours, and I estimate another 20 - 30 hours before I am done. The final hours of work will involve?refining details and checking that each area makes sense in the context of the entire work.
Remember?how much fun drawing was when we were too young to care about getting it right? It can still be fun, and it's ok to start with stick figures or a bit of a scribble. A?sketchbook can?be your best friend and teacher.
In these videos I show you both my clumsy efforts, and some that pleased me. Even awkward sketches have their uses, and no?sketch?has to be perfect. Here are the links:
Now for?the latest in my series How It Looks In a Frame.
Another work that started with?my fascination with wings:?Hawk Wing,?colored pencil on paper, 17"w x 14"h. To see it without a frame, click here.