Border Collie

[Scribbler]

The border collie is a perfect dog for drawing exercise. It has long, short, and medium hair. It has white, black, and sometimes also tanned fur. Shiny and not shiny (like this one where the reference photo was taken in a studio with two light sources, left and right) My dog had her mouth open mouth. That was a challenge for me. But what I have learned so far from Mikes's videos helped me take the challenge. All in all - it was fun. For me that is. The rest is up to Mike to judge. Nothing escapes his eyes.

[Mike Sibley]

I've had this in my mind for the past few days while I've been setting up and running the workshop... and there really isn't much to comment on. It's a thoroughly good and characterful drawing.

What follows is personal preference, and not a criticism.

Shiny and not shiny (like this one where the reference photo was taken in a studio with two light sources, left and right)

That presents a potential problem. Unless one was a key light and the other a weaker fill light, I'd expect the two to remove dark shadows - or possibly all shadows. That needs compensating for in the drawing. Seeking a similar photo online (with a single light source) could help a lot with that.

BELA_BorderCollie.jpg

I think the lighting is probably the cause of what, in my opinion, is a black coat that's too light. The dog is obviously black and white, but the lighter black areas diminish the effectiveness of the highlights. That causes them to look a little flat. But, as I said, that could be due to the lighting.

Other than that, there's not much to say. I feel the neck and chest is too long - because it competes with the head for attention. Although its minimal detail in the white front does help to counter that. It's actually only just more than half the height of the drawing, but it appears to be longer, and I still feel it's too long.

Other than I'd like to see less neck and more three-dimensional shaping, it absolutely does its job in displaying this lovely Border Collie. Full of life, with shiny, alert eyes. Lovely!

[Scribbler]

Thank you for taking the time to comment Mike. I appreciate it very much.

I feel the neck and chest is too long -

Your feeling does not let you down - and here is the why. I was a bit sloppy at the end of the drawing. I work very much free hand and did not pay attention to the shape of the chest. Actually the neck and chest is almost a straight line down towards to the tip of the staedtler you see in the image. That would have made it look less long I think. I notice it to late when I finnised the dark on the chest. I was afraid of erasing it and move it more left. Then the white chest would be ruined. Adding more dark only to the left side and keep the white where it is would also make the chest a bit off, too. As I said nothing escapes your eyes.

[Mike Sibley]

I was a bit sloppy at the end of the drawing.

That's a human tendency and very understandable. But it's a good lesson for next time.

I usually determine the depth at the guideline stage. However, I have plenty of examples of where I've changed my mind during the actual drawing. Sometimes you need to have the head established before you can balance the drawing with the body. But that also means you've got to consciously consider it, rather than continue drawing and...

...not pay attention to the shape of the chest.

But it's still a truly lovely drawing that displays the dog's lively nature and character very well.

[Scribbler]

Thanks for the feedback, Mike.