Saturday, May 5, 2007

Hiking shoes

Tried a better paper this time: Strathmore Bristol Vellum. Sure beats my old sketch pad. It took graphite really well. I switched to slightly harder pencils this time around to reduce some of the grain and show more detail. This paper seems like it would work well for looser drawings, which I might try next time. So, this is my finished hiking shoes ... and my inside-out socks.

8 comments:

mrana said...

This looks brilliant! Love the detail (especially on those socks!) and composition. What's the vellum like? I'm on the lookout for smooth paper ... I like using HB, B or 2B pencils and have them very sharp and find it difficult to work on paper with too much texture.

BTW the weather here is unpredictable! It's supposed to be cooling down but we've had a couple of HOT days ... though I'm quite happy as I prefer the warmer weather.

Joan Y said...

Hi M, the paper is a vellum "adhered to a two-ply bristol paper". It's smooth but with a little texture and takes sharp pencils very well. I found if I didn't keep my pencils sharp, too much of the texture showed (which is usually a good thing but not what I wanted). I'll try my colored pencils on it and let you know how that works.

Oh, I've tried a "toothy" opaque vellum with CP before ... a recommendation from the Senior Scientific Illustrator at the Smithsonian Museum who used it exclusively for CP. I've never found anything else that is as perfect for CP as that.

Thanks for the comments. It's so nice to find a fellow illustrator!

Joan Y said...

Hey D, I bought 15 11"x14" Strathmore bristol "vellum finish" sheets for about $11 at the local art store. I'll see if I can dig up some of the specs for the opaque vellum.

mrana said...

I'm going on a hunt for vellum as soon as I can! Thanks for the info Joan, I really appreciate it and look forward to seeing how you go with the CPs.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful drawing!

Anonymous said...

Jo...that looks so real! I think I remember those hiking shoes, and the realism of the drawing caused my nostrils to slam shut. I love ya sis...

Ester Wilson said...

great composition! Love this drawing and the one of your backpack (along with some of the commentary about where it's been!)

Great work here :)

Serena Lewis said...

I very much appreciate the work in progress, Joan. Your work is awesome!