Weeeeeeee!

I forgot to show you this. I could ink stuff like this all day, for days or weeks or even months!
I love working in traditional pen and ink.
Here's the whole thing and some details for those that like to lean in close.

Thinking in the bath

A morning sketch

I was hunting dragons....

 

I had to produce a piece of art which involves a dragon. Now, I don't have a 'standard dragon' to trot out as and when the situation arises, so, rather than simply crank out a regular dragon, I wanted to arrive at one I was happy with. Before the meeting to discuss the piece, I sat and sketched on a couple of occasions to get a feel for dragons. One of the sessions wasn't going so well, and I 'accidentally' drew stuff that felt more comfortable.
They might not be particularly 'dragonny', but I think they're worth showing.
I'm including one dragon, just to prove I aimed at the target at least once.

Little Safety Net

Often, when sketching in blue pencil particularly, I'll come to an area that I expect to have to rework and fine tune - Yep, that's right, I don't get everything right first time.
When I reach that point, I'll switch to regular graphite or tape on a section of layout paper which accepts erasure more forgivingly so the area in question doesn't become ragged and tatty.
Here's an example where I was working on 'Weeeeeee!'. In this instance it allowed me to fool around with the angle of the head to achieve the desired effect.

In other areas I will apply graphite to firm up any indecision, or simply enjoy the process - like here in the detail of the 'steering mechanism'.

Pushing Faces at Bedtime

In the Eighties and Nineties before the internet became all-powerful, I used to do a fair amount of work with photographers and model agencies. One agency specialised in 'characterful' faces and individuals. Every year, the agency released a catalogue, a printed one on paper with pages you could flip through and everything. I have several of those books and to me they are a playground and schoolroom.
Faces that show the lumps and bumps, the creases and the scars inflicted by life - things of beauty.
As I've said in previous posts, often as I'm shutting down the studio for the night, I'll do some 'wind down' sketches. My model catalogues are gleeful companions for such occasions and regularly provide inspiration.
I tend not to strive for likenesses, more that I look at how a face fits together. Often a face can look too 'real' for my work, so I'll nudge it in the right direction until it feels more mine.
Here's one from last night and the young man above is from some time last week.