"Bulldog" by Mike Sibley

[kymchambers]

Thanks for the reply. Do you have any more current examples of a drawing and a reference pic? I struggle with how to interpret the fur texture from the photo to the drawing. Can you explain this? I see from your video Riley that you break down the hair into sections. Any way to show what you are looking at in the photo and then how you draw the hair in that section? Could you post pic of section of hair and then how you would draw it. That would be really helpful.

[Mike Sibley]

Any way to show what you are looking at in the photo and then how you draw the hair in that section? Could you post pic of section of hair and then how you would draw it. That would be really helpful.

I've nothing available right now - but you'll find some samples within the videos. DRAWING HAIR is high on my list of videos, as is the associated NEGATIVE DRAWING.

Quick clue: Pencil marks very rarely represent hairs. What you draw is the shadows between the hairs. That's how we visually detect the edges. And if you draw actual hairs, you're drawing dark lines against a light background - which is the reverse of what naturally occurs.

I have one video to complete (this week, if all goes to plan) then one more to complete the Basic Techniques series. I'm not certain if HAIR will be next but it's very high on the list.

In the meantime, take a look at the three "Divide" videos, because that concept is at the heart of drawing hair - or anything else, especially if it has some complexity:
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
DIVIDE LINE AND TONE
DIVIDE TO CONTROL

[MBfineart]

Hi Mike, what size did you draw this and your other head studies at? I often wonder if I'd find it easier to achieve the detail at a larger size, (definitely longer!) I nearly always draw at A4 which I'm sure is a lot smaller than these?
It's simply stunning and in no way stagnant, though I can appreciate it may have felt that way after 110 hours!

[Mike Sibley]

Hi Mike, what size did you draw this and your other head studies at? I often wonder if I'd find it easier to achieve the detail at a larger size, (definitely longer!) I nearly always draw at A4 which I'm sure is a lot smaller than these?

They're all almost A3, Marie. The actual image is usually around 9" × 12" (23 × 30.5 cm) with the paper size being 11" × 16" (30 x 40cm). Actually the paper was larger than that; that's the finished print size. I like to give myself plenty of spare space around an image, in case I decide to enlarge it in some way - although that applies to scenic drawings rather than head-studies.

I've often drawn smaller but very rarely bigger. It's easily forgotten that if you double the size you quadruple the area and time required. In fact, you often need eight times the time, because the detail expands too.

It's simply stunning and in no way stagnant, though I can appreciate it may have felt that way after 110 hours!

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this drawing. But that's partly because I knew it would be the last head-study at that scale. It wasn't the act of drawing that I was tired of, it was the fact that I'd learned all I could from working at that scale. Once I moved to creating the scenic studies I was setting myself challenges again, and I was enjoying it as much as I ever did. I think every drawing from that point onward contains something I'd never drawn before, and had little idea of how to draw it

I also had a "Plan B", just in case...

For example, I drew the water in the last two days of this drawing. I'd not drawn water before, and if it had failed it was destined to become grass

Gunnerside-Ghyll.jpg

[Mouse1015]

Hi Mike - I know this is an older post but I would LOVE to see the video you made - and no worries about the state of your hands! In fact - it makes it all real . So please do post that video! Waiting ..waiting with bated breath )))))

[Mike Sibley]

Are you referring to the Riley video? I posted it here recently...

There isn't any narration, just 20 minutes of me drawing Riley. And I was learning to video, so it improves about half-way through

Head over here: RILEY or go directly to the video

[PogArtTi]

Nice drawing indeed Mike.
Lovely/ugly face of the English Bulldog
Sorry for the "ugly", but this is how I can see this breed, lol
They're ugly - therefore they're beautiful
I love this breed very much, because its "blood" had a great role creating many of great breeds...
Beautiful portraiture Mike.