Hatching and Complex Texture Part 3 – The Twisted Forest

This week I tried a combination of very simple hatching with a complex texture.

First I planned out the general shape of my image…

Then I began working on it…

I planned out a complex texture for the twisted trees…

Here’s the finished ink drawing…

My idea was to contrast the complex texture of the trees with an ultra simple hatching texture for the sky. I really enjoyed drawing the complex texture and liked the way it looked in the end, but the hatching was just too simple and could have been drawn a bit better. Rather than trying to contrast the complexity of one with the simplicity of the other I think a more complex pattern behind the trees might have suited the art a bit more. I think the design also lacks a focus. I tried to add one at the end by putting the bird silhouettes in next to the sun but it could have done with something more.

Hatching and Cross-Hatching Part 2 – Snail City

This week’s work on hatching and cross-hatching is called Snail City. It’s a study of a drawing by a You Tuber called The Art of Ramshackle.

Here’s his video…

This time I wanted to be much more controlled and precise with my hatching and cross-hatching lines.

I began with a pencil sketch…

Then I laid down my first pass with ink…

I was pleased with this as it came out quite tight and clean. Then I went onto my second pass with ink. This got more difficult as I got towards the end. I was getting tired and my hands began to shake in a way which ruined my fine motor control. You can see the problem here in the top right of the sky texture…

It was just all over the place which was very frustrating.

Anyway, I did the best that I could. Here’s the final drawing…

I very much enjoyed drawing this snail and I really like the result, apart from the sky.

Hatching and Cross-Hatching Part 1 – Soldier

Over the next few weeks I’m going to work on my hatching and cross-hatching. I thought I would begin with some base level hatching using a fast and loose style. I find this relatively easy but frequently find the results less than I’d hoped for. I think this style is quite handy for loose sketching but not for a more considered and complete drawing.

Here’s my process of drawing a soldier using this fast and loose style. Pencils…

First pass in ink…

Completed sketch with a medium tone inkwash on top of my main shadows…

I like the energy of the sketch and I find it fun to draw like this.

Over the last few months I have been having increasing difficulty with fine motor control in both hands. This style hides the deficit I’m seeing in my art skills and allows me to draw without the super strong concentration and self control needed to manage the shaking in my hands.

On the negative side I think it looks messy and lacks precision.

Nautilus Sketch – Ink and graphite

This week I drew a small sketch of a nautilus. I began by sketching out the main shapes in pencil…

Then I added more details…

Once the animal was sketched in pencil I went on to outline it in ink…

Then I drew in all of the details…

Finally I used graphite to add some more shape to the animal’s shell…