What can I say about this one. For its size (24"x18") it went really fast, probably because I didn't have my own reference photos to work from. I used six different pencils, the standard 2B, 4B and 6B charcoal pencils, white charcoal for highlights on the hair, sepia Conte, and dark sepia Cretacolor. The Cretacolor pencil was very hard, like a B or 2B charcoal, and I didn't like it as much as the softer Conte. I used bristol vellum paper, which worked very well even though it ate up a third of my Conte pencil.
After the director of Orangutan Outreach contacted me when I announced this drawing, this pose immediately came to mind. I wanted the orangutan to look like he was contemplating the future of his species. There are two species of orangutan, the Sumatran and the Bornean, and combined there are fewer than 47,000 individuals left in the wild. They are the most endangered of all the great apes.
The original drawing is available for sale below, and prints are also available at Fine Art America (paper or canvas). I will donate a portion of my profits to Orangutan Outreach to aid conservation of these magnificent animals.
References: http://redapes.org/orangutans/
2 comments:
This came out amazing Heather!
Thanks! It was fun.
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