Hidden Heart

[Laurene]

Thank you for this interesting thread!

I’ve also played around with mixing graphite and other mediums. Watercolour is a classic choice and can give lovely results. I enjoyed mixing graphite with a little pastel (chalk, not oil) because I find that they behave similarly. Some people use coloured pencil but I prefer the way pastel and graphite mix.

I honestly don’t like the messiness of charcoal and I never felt the need to go to a different medium just because of this obsession over darks. I find that if I use primarily 2H, HB or F, and 2B in a drawing and then add a little 4B only to the darkest areas like the pupil of an eye, those areas will automatically pop. Learned that from you Mike, and it never fails!! Of course, fixative provides the final touch.

[Mike Sibley]

I honestly don’t like the messiness of charcoal, and I never felt the need to go to a different medium just because of this obsession over darks. I find that if I use primarily 2H, HB or F, and 2B in a drawing and then add a little 4B only to the darkest areas like the pupil of an eye, those areas will automatically pop.

I have to agree with you about charcoal. I confess I've never tried it, simply because it's so messy. And, I believe (I could be wrong) that it doesn't adhere to the paper as solidly as graphite... so it might lose some of its punch during the drawing process.

I did, as I mentioned, try carbon as an alternative, but it always sat uncomfortably with graphite.

Ultimately, the human eye, or mind, will read the darkest value as black, no matter how black it really is. That said, a weak black will still be seen as black, but probably suggest a cloudy or overcast day, rather than one with bright sunlight. And will result in a 'flat' drawing with little depth.

I enjoyed mixing graphite with a little pastel (chalk, not oil) because I find that they behave similarly. Some people use coloured pencil, but I prefer the way pastel and graphite mix.

That's something else I've never tried - for a reason. It's also something that takes skill to pull off successfully. I have no doubt it works admirably for you, and Linda carries it off as though they belong together.

What spoilt the mix for me, during my early days, was artists feeling the need to colour the eyes of graphite-drawn dogs. The always looked foreign to me, so I've had an aversion to mixing any colour medium with graphite ever since then.

[Shmush]

The delicate feathers on the owl's heart shaped face are fantastic! Also the toenails, a detail which, I think can be challenging to get right are well formed and detailed. If I were to criticize anything, and it might just be me, but the detail on the branch is so well done it almost overwhelms the owl. The graphite powder certainly did work to create the proper atmosphere. I found the discussion about graphite application informative. I also found the pro's and con's of combining charcoal interesting. I have JD's book and played with the combination, but it didn't work well for me either

[LindasPencils]

Oh, you are a braver soul than I to use graphite powder! As in Laurene's work, I am amazed at the effectiveness of this technique. Thank you for the explanation on how you used it. Frankly, the few times I have tried the stuff I made an unholy mess. Not to mention when I unexpectedly sneezed over everything explosively which had a disastrous result and was cleaning up the stuff for weeks. So I think I will stick with tea washes or graphitint wash backgrounds for the time being.

Lovely drawing, and very effective. Yes I saw the heart right away, and the name suits well.

Personally, I find that lets me "live" in the drawing. Because I'm not hampered by any planning (other than a loose set of guidelines) I can roam around my world, and create whatever I might expect to see. I suspect Linda feels the same while she's working on her wonderful "Alternative Worlds".

Um... actually Mike, I plan things down fairly accurately first, but I do let my pencil 'wander' a bit if needed. My composition, placement of items and design is set in stone before I start though.

What spoilt the mix for me, during my early days, was artists feeling the need to colour the eyes of graphite-drawn dogs. The always looked foreign to me, so I've had an aversion to mixing any colour medium with graphite ever since then.

hah! yes, those coloured eyes in graphite dogs are just downright creepy. But not to use a touch of color would kill me!

[Mike Sibley]

Hah! Yes, those coloured eyes in graphite dogs are just downright creepy. But not to use a touch of color would kill me!

Agreed... and there are very, very few artists who can do that successfully.

But you can. In most amazing ways, that always look completely natural.

[kwheller]

I really appreciate all of the helpful comments made by everyone. Its been a crazy 2 months, so I apologize for the late replies. Thanks again. Your comments and feedback really mean a lot.

[kwheller]

Oops, I can't see where to delete this repetitive post that I made twice.

[kwheller]

I honestly don’t like the messiness of charcoal and I never felt the need to go to a different medium just because of this obsession over darks. I find that if I use primarily 2H, HB or F, and 2B in a drawing and then add a little 4B only to the darkest areas like the pupil of an eye, those areas will automatically pop. Learned that from you Mike, and it never fails!! Of course, fixative provides the final touch.

Hi Laurene, I appreciated your comments about the obsession over darks. I do struggle sometimes to get things as dark as I would like (e.g., such as the in progress black cat portrait I just posted about). However, to your point, I think that the areas can get dark enough with graphite. Thanks for your comments.

[kwheller]

The delicate feathers on the owl's heart shaped face are fantastic! Also the toenails, a detail which, I think can be challenging to get right are well formed and detailed. If I were to criticize anything, and it might just be me, but the detail on the branch is so well done it almost overwhelms the owl.

Hi Shmush, Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, you can tell that I love trees, so the detail in it is not surprising, but your point is well taken. (Its hard for me not to make it detailed). Appreciate your thoughts

[kwheller]

Oh, you are a braver soul than I to use graphite powder! But not to use a touch of color would kill me!

Hi Linda, I am a fan of your work. I am suprised that the graphite powder worked so well and hope that I can have similar results when I try it again. I do love a touch of color here and there with my Verithin pencils! Never tried a background wash, so maybe some day....