Snow leopard cub drawing complete

After several days work on the body fur of this young cat i'm calling the drawing complete.the completed image measures 13.75" x 17" and will shortly be winging its way to the publishing house for scanning.This piece has been a little experimental for me as ive been trying out several different types of pencil in combination to see if anything can be 'added' to my imagery by incorporating one or more different pencils.apart from my usual derwent graphic graphite pencils ive also used wolfs carbon pencils and my latest addition the conte pierre noire pencil.both the carbon pencil and pierre noire produce very deep,matt blacks ,and after initial scepticism about the sheer 'blackness' of them compared to graphite ive decided I rather like them when combined with the graphite,i think it adds another dimension to the work.i think I will find more of a use for the conte's than the carbon pencils as they have several advantages over them whilst giving very similar results.The major disadvantage I found with the carbon pencils is that they cannot be used over graphite meaning that they had to be used very precisely to avoid problems,i also didn't particularly like the feel of the pencil when applying to paper whereas the conte's can be used over and combined with graphite very successfully and I found that suited my purposes better.i hope you've enjoyed watching this latest pencil drawing coming together.limited edition prints will be available in due course on my website www.clivemeredithart.weebly.com

Snow Leopard cub drawing update

The drawing is progressing nicely now with the head of the cat complete.I'm now beginning to layer graphite on the body of the cat in preparation to create the long wispy fur  of the neck and chest.this is quite a large part of the drawing and because of the intricate nature of the hair and subtle colouration it will take an age to complete effectively.It is a particularly taxing element of the drawing demanding a lot of concentration and as a result is mind-numbingly boring,however i'll persevere.

New graphite/carbon pencil drawing

My latest drawing is a bit of a first for me as ive decided to try utilising some carbon pencils in my work for the first time.Ive had a few carbon pencils knocking around in the studio for a few years and wasn't particularly keen on the feel of them or the intense blacks they produced but decided an experiment was in order.I'm using them sparingly,purely for the very darkest elements in the drawing which requires a bit more thought and planning than a simple graphite drawing as graphite and carbon pencils do not mix and carbon cannot overlay graphite and so I have to place the carbon very carefully throughout.So far i'm happy with the results and getting accustomed to the intenseness of the blacks.The subject of this drawing is a delightful Snow Leopard cub.

swan painting complete

my mute swan oil painting 22" x 18" oil on canvas is now completed.i hope you've all enjoyed watching this one come together,now all that remains is to come up with a title.

Mute swan painting update

The underpainting for my swan oil painting finally dried and so ive now made a start on the final coat of oils and here ive completed the bird and will shortly be turning my attention to the reflection.

Swan painting-underpainting complete

This morning ive completed the underpainting of the swan and its reflection.It now needs to be put to one side to dry thoroughly before I start work on the detailed coats of paint and really strengthen the colours.

Swan painting progress

As usual ive got several images on the go at the moment and after finishing my pencil drawing of a leopard I took a few days to prepare a new drawing,this time a snow leopard cub,and ive sketched out the initial drawing and started the long process of toning the background in layers of graphite.there's not much to see so far as its all a little dull until I start work on the cat itself at which point i'll post something.Ive reverted back to my mute swan painting during the ever-shorter daylight hours and so far ive completed the water and have now made a start on the underpainting of bird and reflections.This is the first rough coat of loosely applied oils where I define areas of the bird and start to work up colours and shadows on the plumage.I'll move onto the underpainting of the reflections next and when complete make sure it seems to be 'sitting right' before I go ahead with the second,more detailed,coat of oils to completion.