WIP - Orangutan Head Almost Done

This drawing is going surprisingly fast. I mean, I only started a week ago, and it's nearly half done (the photo is only a piece of the full size of the paper). Maybe I'm just a little too excited about this one!

The flanges need some more work, but the head is just about finished. I like taking photos of my work and looking at them on the computer because it helps me see things that I don't notice on the original. I can already tell that I'll need to darken the shadows right next to the beard, among other things. Altogether, I'm happy with how this is turning out. Stay posted for more progress!

WIP - Orangutan Update

Ok, here is my orangutan with a little hair. It's going to be a flanged male, which means he has those wide flaps on the sides of his face. Not all males have them, and the sizes varies by individual to individual. I had hoped to do a Sumatran orangutan, but the color of the conte made me change to a Bornean orangutan. Sumatrans have a more orange hair that I just could not duplicate with sepia. Borneans, on the other hand, have darker hair that is actually quite close to this sepia. I am using black charcoal on the face with a little dark sepia to warm it up, and I am also using white charcoal to add highlights to the hair. I'm going to start working on the left side a bit more, then work my way to the right to avoid smudging (you can see a little smudge already by his right eye - oops, but easily fixed). I am excited!

WIP - Orangutan

I have finally managed to get some work done on the orangutan! This is exciting, not only because am I adding a little color, but also because I am not using reference photos I have taken myself (mostly because the male orangutan at the zoo is camera-shy). I've already thrown out one attempt because the eyes weren't right. I came up with my own composition first, then looked for photos to help me get proportions, color and textures correct. I know there's not much sepia at this point, but my plan is to use it as a color, not as a tint to the whole drawing. I'm going to take this slow, and I expect the result will be worth it.

Trying My Hand at People Again

Some moms I know recently asked me, upon learning that I can draw, if I could do portraits of their children. Initially I turned them down, but then, seeing this as an opportunity not only to make some extra cash but also to gain experience in an area I am not familiar with, I decided to give it a try. For practice, here is a drawing I just finished of my daughter, done in charcoal on smooth bristol paper.

Penguins Won an Art Contest

For any of you not familiar with RedBubble, there are tons of groups with different themes you can submit your art to. These groups can offer "challenges," or contests. Recently I entered my penguins in the Realism challenge in the Charcoal group, and out of 16 entries, I won!

Lepton and Quark

Yes, I am a nerd - I named my cats after subatomic particles (if we'd gotten them both at the same time we would have named them Strange and Charmed). I've wanted to do a portrait of them both for a while now. Lepton is a loving tuxedo cat, and Quark is the calico queen of the house. I can't believe they'll be eight years old this summer.

This is pyrography on a 14"x11" oval basswood plaque. I do take commissions.

You Voted for it...

In my recent poll, I offered a few options to try out my sepia Conte pencils on. The giraffe took an early lead, but the orangutan won in the end. My plans for the orangutan are big: 18"x24". I have a pose worked out, and I'm trying to decide between bristol vellum and bristol smooth papers. This one is going to take a while because of it's size, but I'll post updates along the way.

Here's a sketch I did of an eye on vellum for practice.