Yellowstone River Otter

[PogArtTi]

It's so interesting to follow your thoughts about this drawing.
It's a lot happening in there, everything is important and plays its role.
So inspiring.

[JayS]

Thank you for your thoughts. It never crossed my mind that the journey would be inspiring, It is a process of solving problems that in the end produce a good result. Thanks for inspiring me!

[LindasPencils]

Hi Jay. I have just caught up with your posts and have enjoyed very much seeing the process you have been working through. Your preliminary drawing/plan for the 2nd work is exactly what I do - think, plan, rearrange, plan again. I always tell people that sometimes the planning and composition of a work takes almost as long as the execution! (exaggeration I know, but gets the point across).

The planning of this drawing really pays off - the work now speaks and isn't just a 'copy' of a photo. What we forgive in a photo - because we know it is a photo - we don't forgive in a drawing. You are telling your story and delight in seeing this animal. I love it.

Congratulations on this work, I will check back a bit more often to see it through to the finish!

btw, there are some interesting tips on drawing water in Jack Hamm's book 'Drawing Scenery; Landscapes and Seascapes'. Just google it and you can grab some pdf's or pintrest pages.

[JayS]

Thanks Linda, There is a companion piece to the otter. He caught a fish and the attention of another otter who seems to be saying, "You going to share?"

Thanks fo rthe tip on drawing water.

[rideum51]

I was looking forward to the continuation of this drawing.

[Mike Sibley]

Communication theory holds that up to 90% of meaning is transmitted non-verbally. Art is non-verbal. Second, when we are exposed to a new idea our brain generates 100 million new neurons and about 1 billion new synapses, The new ideas are stored in this new brain tissue. When those new ideas are used the neurons and synapsis store those ideas and with repetition they become more accessible making using them easier. This is why learning by doing creates muscle memory that is easily accessible in one's subconscious. Doing art is a very natural learning process.

That is fascinating information. And it's not something I was aware of, but it certainly agrees with my beliefs.

There is only one way to learn, and that is by physical practice. Now, I hope that my book and videos help to shorten the learning process, because you don't need to waste time making your own mistakes And I hope they give you a valid starting point on which you can build your own style. I am in no way saying that my way is the only way - or the correct way - it's simply my way. I know it works for me - but I hope it also gives you something you can mould and alter into something that works for you.

To return to your description: I believe drawing stems from the mind, not just from what we can see.

That's why I keep carping on about "understanding". If you study the area of your reference that you are about to work with, and work out why it looks the way it does, the solutions you find transfer the static image into a living mental image. Unlike the static image, the image in your mind can be explored. You can study it, rotate it, feel it... Now, when you draw, you're recreating something you can experience rather than just see. That gives you the benefit of being able to create its essence rather than just its appearance.

In other words, you can describe and draw what you know and feel, rather than repeat what you can see. For example, when I was drawing a dog's head, I quickly learned that only the major foreground features need to look like the reference - not carbon copies, but sufficiently similar to be recognised. Then all the layers behind those simply need to depict what you'd expect to see there, with little or no physical resemblance to the reference at all. That releases you from being fully dependent on the reference, and permits you to instead work from your mind - your store of mental images that are both tactile and three-dimensional.

And, as your explanation detailed, the more you use those mental images, the easier they are to access. Ultimately, you are no longer recreating a reference; you're creating a world that you are lost within and that is centred around the same subject.

[JayS]

Mike, I love it! We are certainly in agreement. I have a lot of doing to do before I can rotate images in my mind.
One of the things I'm a little frustrated with is that I want to assimilate a lot more than I can, it seems. It takes time to do and acquire the knowledge that is a result of the learning process. At the same time there is a lot of joy in the learning!
Thank s Mike.

[JayS]

The next chapter. River otters are a lot of fun when they are doing something. Ol' Bob caught a fish and has an admirer looking to score a handout. The first time I drew Bob and the fish I had several major problems. First, I drew too small. Bob got lost. I was thinking water, so I forgot Bob. The lesson for me was to put the emphasis on Bob with inescapable size. In other words, if I'm going to draw Bob, then draw Bob. I need to remember what is important and do that. The second problem is the photo reference for Bob and the fish is poor. So, drawing Bob up close and personal is a real exercise in what I imagine Bob to look like.
Here are a couple of references.

[JayS]

Here is big Bob.

[Mike Sibley]

Big Bob's certainly got attitude!

And, as you said, if you can keep Bob as the focus, this is going to be splendidly successful.