How does an afternoon quickie turn into a marathon? Allow me to explain.
It was mid-afternoon. 3:00. I hadn’t been doing as much sketching as I would like to have been doing. I thought “I’ll just do a quickie. Or several quickies.” Não é um problema. So first I looked through the stash of photos I’ve taken lately. "Hmm… here’s one of three friends in Vale do Boi."
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| over-exposed |
But the photo was pretty crummy. Over-exposed. “Well, I’ll just do a quick fix on it. Perk it up a bit,” I said to myself. (No one else was there to talk to.)
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| touched up |
That’s a little better. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to salvage it, but it’s okay.
“Now to get down to business. Hmmm. Pencil first? Or straight to pen?” Well, I started with pencil. “I’ll just rough in the basics, then switch to pen.” But I got a bit carried away with the pencil. Then I thought, “I’ve put so much into this it’s going to look strange if I ink in all those pencil lines. It’ll be too busy.” Some of the pencil lines were indicators for where shading or colour values change. “I guess I’d better use coloured pencil to take advantage of all the details I’d sketched out.”
So, three and a half hours later (yeah yeah, I’m slow) I'd managed to turn what was meant to be a quickie - or several quickies - into a full afternoon of cross-eyed, mind-numbing, pencil-pushing productivity.
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| one of my friends in Vale do Boi, coloured pencil, 17cm x 16cm |
Now I really need a nap! Then a coffee.
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| I can fall asleep anywhere. |
I admire your determination Ruca, and a great resulting painting of your friend. Love how you have found such an interesting place to sleep!
ReplyDeleteNice job, Ruca. I agree; details are exhausting. But figuring which ones to eliminate is just as bad. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
ReplyDeleteI like your approach to problem-solving; when in doubt, take a nap.
Ann, thanks! And I'm sure William finds some interesting sleeping places too. He certainly knows how to enjoy a good snooze, as his latest post can attest!
ReplyDeleteSamArtDog, do you find the prospect of making all those decisions too much sometimes? I really have to get over it and just get the pen (or pencil, or stick, or brush or.... Ahhhh! Another decision!) moving. I can't sleep my life away! ... Or maybe I can?
ReplyDeleteHaha! Your dilemma is one I suffer from too! Those pesky details, they capture me and won't let go. Sketching outdoors is slowly freeing me from that, but get me indoors and I just can't do quick. You achieved some amazing textures in your friend's fur, though -- and I love the colors ! Perhaps the coffee should have come first?
ReplyDeleteSometimes, our muse knows best. There's something to be said for sinking into the details and getting lost for a while. Especially when the end result is so lovely. Well done, Ruca, and a nap well deserved!
ReplyDeletelove the sketch-german short haired pointer?
ReplyDeleteThe one dog looks like our hound Petunia, loved the blog and sketch
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I think you're right. Next time I want to do quick, I'll coffee up first....or maybe wait until I really need to pee, then I'll be quick with the sketch!
ReplyDeleteThanks Laure!
ReplyDeleteChris, you're right about the breed, but I do wonder a bit about the darker dog, the one in the middle. Her jowls are much smaller than those of the other dogs, but that may be an illusion. She never wears her dentures and I think her jowls are always tucked up inside her mouth, sort of stuck to her gums.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carolyn! Give Petunia a woof from me.
ReplyDeleteThey say "Let sleeping dogs lie" but they are so cute when they're sleeping, I just want to kiss them!
ReplyDeleteLorena, I believe I speak for all dogs when I say kisses are always welcome!
ReplyDeleteWonderful sketch!! I love the sleepy photo, too :)
ReplyDeleteHey thanks Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteRuca, I find it impossible to do a 'quick' sketch when the subject has so many details. Don't you find the time passes by so quickly too when sketching? Btw, it turned out great! Lovely looking dogs and the sleeping one is adorable. :)
ReplyDeleteSerena, I so envy artists who can work quickly. But there is a certain zen-ness to losing oneself in a long interlude of sketching. Thanks for the compliment on the sketch. Those hounds are lovely. (And the "adorable" sleeping one is ME!)
ReplyDeleteyour blog is amazing :) i totally adore dogs, take photos of them everywhere i go :P
ReplyDeleteand your sketches look great, too, you are very talented
keep up the wonderful work you do
xx
http://theothersideofwonderland.blogspot.se/
Thank you so much Magda! Glad you found me. I had a look around your site and see that you're a sketcher too. The more the merrier! Do you ever use ink? I think all I saw on your site was pencil work.
ReplyDelete