Yellowstone River Otter

[JayS]

5B, HB, 2H. Cranston Drawing Paper.
This drawing is playing with my head. Seriously. First the darkest darks are in the body of the otter. Secondly, the otter body contains all the values from black to white. Third the river is very dark shifting to very light. But here is the kicker...the more I work on this image the more I want to redesign the foreground and the background to emphasize or point to the otter more. The values are so extreme that they seem to be challenging me to completely throw out the reference and create an imaginary space for the otter. For example the rocks on the bank are small river rocks. Why not create a pile of big rocks to counter balance or anchor the otter? One can almost see the bottom of the river. And light seems, in my imagination to play with the water cutting through the waves. The otter is clearly running through the shallows. But why? Is it playing or going after a fish? What if I add a fish to give focus to the otter's action?
All of these thoughts and more are encouraging me to start over with a new vision for the drawing. Any thoughts?

[Mike Sibley]

This drawing is playing with my head. Seriously. First, the darkest darks are in the body of the otter. Secondly, the otter body contains all the values from black to white. Third, the river is very dark, shifting to very light. But here is the kicker...the more I work on this image, the more I want to redesign the foreground and the background to emphasize or point to the otter more.

So? So, why didn't you? It seems to me that you were thinking the right way - using the reference in a way that tells your story. As I read your description, I felt that you were quite unsatisfied with many parts of the reference. That you were thinking all the right things. And yet... you still went ahead.

For example, "...the river is very dark shifting to very light". That might be true of the reference, but there is absolutely no reason for you to draw it that way. I'm not necessarily saying you have to invent your own. If you feel uncomfortable doing that, head over to pixabay.com, or just search generally for images of "steam" or "water". If you don't find something you can directly incorporate, I've no doubt they'll serve to fire your imagination.

The values are so extreme that they seem to be challenging me to completely throw out the reference and create an imaginary space for the otter.

...and I really wish you had accepted that challenge. Not because your drawing has faults, but because you let an ideal opportunity pass you by.

For example, the rocks on the bank are small river rocks. Why not create a pile of big rocks to counterbalance or anchor the otter?

Why not, indeed. I think it would be preferable to do that too. I find the background really confusing, because it appears to be vertical - which is at odds with the otter that is obviously seen from the side. Maybe that just needs some recession, but equally, your solution would work too. Better, in fact. Large rocks could be manipulated to best expose the otter to view. And a few large rocks would be far less distracting than the multiple little rocks as presented to you by the reference. Ultimately, you need to tell YOUR story, not repeat that of the photographer - even if that was you . And, in this case, the photo could have been taken quickly - to capture the moment - with no thought given to the setting at all.

One can almost see the bottom of the river. And light seems, in my imagination, to play with the water cutting through the waves. The otter is clearly running through the shallows. But why? Is it playing or going after a fish? What if I add a fish to give focus to the otter's action?

In this case, adding a leaping fish might work very well. The only problem might be the highlight in the otter's eye, which I think is unnaturally low. If it was in the top half of the eye, I'm certain that would unmistakably make it look forwards.

All of these thoughts and more are encouraging me to start over with a new vision for the drawing. Any thoughts?

Yes.... DO IT!

You've nothing to lose, and I think it could be a real learning opportunity. And if you don't try it; you'll never know what you might be capable of.

[JayS]

Thanks for your thoughts Mike. I have started over. My thoughts about the drawing came to me as I was doing it. It's good to have my hindsight validated. I've been saying to myself that I should not be reluctant to start over. So what If I have 100 hours or so in a drawing? Beginning again rewires my thinking and improves it for, not only this image but the the next image as well. Drawing is a learning process that develops one's ability. Not starting over with the envisioned improvements leaves one stuck with the status quo. Beginning again recognizes the value of learning.
Having said that, I now have two images in mind. The redo of the running otter and an otter that has just caught a fish. His companion saying "Are you going to share?" The story continues...
A FORUM question... Is it more valuable for fellow forum members for me to post the finished work or periodic updates that show the emerging art? In Texas vernacular, "Do Ya all have a preference?"

[Mike Sibley]

A FORUM question... Is it more valuable for fellow forum members for me to post the finished work or periodic updates that show the emerging art? In Texas vernacular, "Do Ya all have a preference?"

My vote goes to Periodic Updates. I find watching a drawing grow much more instructive than just seeing the final result.

It's like looking over your shoulder.

[JayS]

Your vote counts. Big time. Thanks Mike.

[JayS]

I'll begin this redo with the reference photos so you can see where I'm starting.

[JayS]

Here's my thoughts about this new beginning, Otters are wonderful animals. I've watched them play for hours. However, it has been hard to photograph them. This fall I got lucky. My brother-in-law had a really long lens and took some good shots. As you know from my first post I wasn't happy with the drawing and wanted to begin again. Thanks to Mike for the encouragement here is the new start. The top reference is my favorite shot. I do feel sorry for the otter though. The end of his tail has been lost. We may have to call him "Bob." In my first drawing Bob is lacking focus. I felt that the environment was not putting Bob in the frame. He needed something to give him reference. In the raw pictures you can see the bank is full of good sized rocks. Perhaps the perfect foil? So, using the rule of thirds I filled the top 1/3 of the image with rocks. Secondly, I positioned Bob in the intersection of the lower 1/3 and the middle 1/3 to the right of the frame. This gives him room to run and the rocks give him the upper limit. As I was sketching the composition, I paid particular attention to the directional flow of the river. To me it seemed to be flowing toward Bob. There are some extreme subtilties in the values of the river. There are also some extremes. The white areas are reflections where the camera can't see any detail. Because the water is not flat the high points in the water are highly reflective. Looking closely, you can also see light reflections in the depth of the water. I'm thinking that the water will be a significant challenge. In the outline I have tried to use the direction of the water to point toward Bob. I think this is really hard to see at this stage.

Bob's shadow anchors Bob in the water. And Bob wonderfully has virtually every value in his body. The darkest dark is under Bob and the lightest is the reflection of light at the top of his back. Mike makes two recommendations in is basic lessons. Begin with the darkest dark in the subject defining both the darkest and lightest values that all other values within the drawing must fall within. Secondly, begin with the background. We know that Bob contains all the values from pitch black to near pure white, So, he is good to go. The background, in order to provide recession needs to be lighter,

A word about the early thought about the fish. Adding the Rocky background will dramatically improve the drawing, in my opinion. I son't need the fish.

Here is the beginning line drawing. It is crude.

[DavidBunyan]

I'm really looking forward to seeing this develop, The composition is great, I agree that we don't need to see a fish - as clearly that's what has caught Bob's attention out of frame

[JayS]

Here is Yellowstone Bob. He defines the range of values. Using 2H. HB, H, and 2B on Canson drawing paper. Tomorrow will work on the rock pile.

[JayS]

Today I spent about 4 hours on Yellowstone Bob. While drawing I'm mapping out the directionality of the stones. I want a series of dark stones to follow Bob from the right to the left. I also envision a wedge of light coming from the left to the right. The light areas will point directly to Bob and the dark will provide a parallel contrast.