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This barn owl was drawn using Staedtler pencils (6B to 4H) on Bristol paper. It is my first time attempting to do a night scene with a moon with clouds (which I found challenging) and I did use graphite powder for part of the sky. I'm using the possible name of "Hidden Heart" for this piece. Do you see the heart? Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I love the eerie atmosphere you’ve achieved here and I like the tension created by the bold composition choice of having the branch split the drawing this way! That heart-shaped face is unmistakable!!

I have a love-hate relationship with graphite powder. Sometimes it seems like it’s the only solution, so I took the time to experiment on the same paper as I usually use for my drawings. I found that tissues ( without lotion) or toilet paper and a chamois that I bought at the art store worked best for me. I make sure never to apply the powder directly to my drawing because you can get streaks that way when you spread it. Instead, I sprinkle a small amount on a blank sheet of paper (inexpensive sketch paper works well) and then I spread it using circular motions with my tissue or chamois. Now my tissue or chamois is loaded evenly with a light layer of powder and I use this to apply powder to my drawing. It won’t be very dark but you can repeat to darken areas where it’s needed. It’s a good idea to experiment to get a feel for how lightly or how forcefully you press when applying. I use a light pressure. That way I can lift some of the powder using a clean tissue or a clean part of the chamois. It will erase more easily that way too. Hope that helps a little.

Oh, one last thing. You have to be sure not to have any folds in your tissue or chamois because they’ll produce streaks. On occasion I’ve used cotton swabs too.

Laurene wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 11:28 pm I love the eerie atmosphere you’ve achieved here and I like the tension created by the bold composition choice of having the branch split the drawing this way! That heart-shaped face is unmistakable!!

Hi Laurene, Thank you so much for your kind comments about the atmosphere and tension. That is just the effect I was trying for! So glad you could see the heart!

Laurene wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 11:28 pm I have a love-hate relationship with graphite powder....and then I spread it using circular motions with my tissue or chamois.

I really appreciate your explanation on how you use the powder graphite which helps me understand different ways of using the powder. I also do not spread it directly on the drawing, but put some on the lid of the graphite container and used a paint brush to apply it. I then used a kneaded eraser to get the effect of the clouds. I like your idea of using tissue or chamois.
Thanks again!

The heart is unmissable!

The graphite powder has worked really well for you. It perfectly describes the night sky, with the pale moon.

This brought back a lovely memory. Ten years ago, maybe more, I was walking the dogs along our farm track some time after midnight. I heard a quiet noise in the oak tree we were under. Ten feet above us, sitting on a branch, was a beautiful Tawny Owl.

I'd been walking by moonlight, but I'd snapped on my torch, and the floodlit owl just sat there looking down at us. It made no attempt to fly away. I had a really long and close look at it, and it was still there, quietly watching us, when we walked underneath it and made our way home. You'd think a nocturnal artist and two German Shepherds would have disturbed it... but not at all!

My initial thought was that the side of your owl should be darker - because the moon is behind it - and maybe its back would catch a bright highlight from the moon...... But, no. I really like it just as it is. It's lovely!

Maybe it looks brighter than expected because, outside your drawing, there's another nocturnal artist with a torch?

Mike Sibley wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 9:12 pm The heart is unmissable!

The graphite powder has worked really well for you. It perfectly describes the night sky, with the pale moon.

Maybe it looks brighter than expected because, outside your drawing, there's another nocturnal artist with a torch?

Thank you so much Mike for your comments and lovely story. Yes, I think there must be a flashlight beaming up at the owl to explain the shading/shadows! It was a fun piece to do.

I just took a fresh look at the graphite powder background. You've produced a really great effect.

Personally, I've never used it. For years, I collected all the tub sharpener powder in a plastic bag for use "one day". But that day never arrived, so I finally dumped it. Maybe that wasn't my best decision.

Mike Sibley wrote: Tue May 16, 2023 4:32 pm I just took a fresh look at the graphite powder background. You've produced a really great effect.
:

It's actually my first time using it and between using a brush to apply it (from the lid) and my Blu Tack (and some practice paper), it went on surprisingly well! Thanks for your comment. Another question:
I just came from JD Hillberry's workshop (2nd one I've attended and I have attended 2 of yours as well). I draw exclusively in graphite (although I have used a bit of color with Verithins on occasion). JD kept trying to get me "to the dark side" of using charcoal with the argument that using charcoal in my drawings would give me a full range of value which graphite alone can not do (due to the blackness of charcoal). I see how he has combined graphite and charcoal in some of his drawings. In this drawing, if I had made the backgroud with charcoal, I just don't think it would look right?? Even using charcoal for pupils in a graphite drawing appears not uniform to me.
(Your name came up quite a bit (in a good way) since other students had taken workshops from you and JD knew that I was the graphite artist in the group. It was sort of hilarious when JD commented how my black dog looked more gray like graphite and I wasn't taking advantage of how black the charcoal could go and instead I put in more texturing than he did.)
Any comments about charcoal or carbon use with graphite is appreciated.

kwheller wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 12:56 am JD kept trying to get me "to the dark side" of using charcoal with the argument that using charcoal in my drawings would give me a full range of value which graphite alone can not do (due to the blackness of charcoal).

Yes, JD would. And I think he's correct... up to a point. He's correct that it looks darker while you're drawing. But, I'd argue that graphite can look as dark once it's been fixed with a matte fixative.

I think the key is the "due to the blackness of charcoal" part. Graphite (pure graphite) is black too, but it's shiny, and the reflected light dilutes what we see. Where graphite consists of flat sheets, charcoal has irregular grains that scatter light rather than reflect it. Take away the shininess with a matte fixative, and the result is at least similar.

Also - and this conjecture, not known fact - I suspect JD's focus is on printing. Now charcoal makes sense, because it ensures maximum darkness. And the resulting print doesn't contain either charcoal or graphite, so the two sit together well.

Even using charcoal for pupils in a graphite drawing appears not uniform to me.

Nor me. I agree 100%. In the early days when I was experimenting, I tried to combine graphite and carbon (but never charcoal). To my eye, the two never sat well together. The non-reflective carbon was always a distraction. So, I tried layering carbon with graphite. That worked, but then... why use carbon at all? So, at that point I made a conscious decision to be a graphite purist.

(Your name came up quite a bit (in a good way) since other students had taken workshops from you and JD knew that I was the graphite artist in the group. It was sort of hilarious when JD commented how my black dog looked more gray like graphite, and I wasn't taking advantage of how black the charcoal could go, and instead I put in more texturing than he did.

Ultimately, I think your way of drawing will produce better results for you than JD's.

Now I'll preface this by stating that I think JD is a master at his craft. But the way he works is not my way. He's very controlled. The use of frisket, for example, means her HAS to know where his boundaries are. And, unlike you and me, he can't change them during the drawing process. JD appears to be concentrating on producing wonderful fixed, carefully planned images. You and I can be far more flexible.

We can invent as we draw, change, adapt, remove, and draw what we FEEL.

And, because we use just the single medium, it means we can create without breaking our concentration. I'm not sure if I can explain that fully, but we can think and subconsciously draw at the same time - an unbroken mind to hand process. I'm probably doing JD a disservice, but I find his methods too mechanical and pre-planned... even though the results can be spectacular

And that's why I've never regretted deciding to only use graphite. And why I think you "put in more texturing", simply because you are recreating the dog, one realistic piece at a time - a dog (or whatever the subject is) that's alive in your mind - and not sticking to an overall regimented plan.

Mike Sibley wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 3:43 pm We can invent as we draw, change, adapt, remove, and draw what we FEEL.

And, because we use just the single medium, it means we can create without breaking our concentration. I'm not sure if I can explain that fully, but we can think and subconsciously draw at the same time - an unbroken mind to hand process. I'm probably doing JD a disservice, but I find his methods too mechanical and pre-planned... even though the results can be spectacular

I completely agree with you Mike and I really appreciate your detailed reply. I do understand the feeling that there is an unbroken mind to hand process with graphite and I like having the freedom to invent as we draw. I also spray my work with matte fixative and the blacks seem dark enough to me.

JD saw in person my earlier sprayed drawing "Still Holding On" (much earlier post on this forum) which had a sitka spruce tree holding on over a cave made by the ocean. JD felt the cave was a mid black (and on my gray scale and value finder it is much closer to the 100% black than the dark gray value beside it). Seems dark enough for me, although he thinks it would "pop" more if charcoal was used. He may be right, but I don't think combining charcoal and graphite would give the the effect I want, or seem uniform, or allow that unbroken mind hand process. (I will play around with it, but I am so much of a pure graphite artist, I don't think it will sway me).

You are both masters of your craft, but I find your materials and way of drawing makes sense to me. It was fun going to JDs workshop. (I got a fantastic indenting tool for cat whiskers which is so much better than what I made). I miss going to your workshops in the US, but I enjoy your tutorials and this forum.

Thanks again for your comments.

kwheller wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 7:09 pm I do understand the feeling that there is an unbroken mind to hand process with graphite, and I like having the freedom to invent as we draw.

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".

JD saw in person my earlier sprayed drawing "Still Holding On", which had a Sitka spruce tree holding on over a cave made by the ocean. JD felt the cave was a mid-black. Seems dark enough for me, although he thinks it would "pop" more if charcoal was used.

He's probably correct, but I'm not convinced that matters. Anyone looking at your work will automatically assume your lightest value is white and (as long as it's solid) your darkest being black. It's true that a darker black does create more depth, but I don't believe charcoal would improve on graphite in that respect - apart from possibly looking false. And maybe inviting unwanted attention.

...and on my gray scale and value finder it is much closer to the 100% black than the dark gray value beside it.

I purchased one of those. It lives in a lead-lined box with a big padlock on it. I think they're the spawn of the Devil! I plan to make a video about their use one day. Which is why I have it.

You are both masters of your craft, but I find your materials and way of drawing makes sense to me.

And in that I'm happy to help. On the other hand, JD's input is invaluable. I think we often need to see, and experience, a different way of working - if only to help fine-tune our own way. I used to watch Darrel Tank's videos for that sole reason. He works in almost the exact opposite way that I do. But watching reinforced my belief that my way worked best for me. And, of course, both JD and Darrel KNOW their ways are the best for them, too.

I miss going to your workshops in the US, but I enjoy your tutorials and this forum.

I miss not being in the US and Canada. But I find the travelling tiring these days. And my 5-week Cluster Migraines morphed into 2-3 month Cluster Headaches, so it's difficult to plan ahead. But I'm not ruling out a return... maybe I need to do a farewell tour?