I think I’m a little crazy to use my time on a piece that promises trouble, but this next piece is the fourth in my new series of Spirit Animals. I did decide I would stick to Spirit Animals until I get a handle on both my drawing and marketing skills. I’ve been able to sell both originals and prints of the last three Animals even if the original depiction was not the actual Spirit Animal of the collector. They are just good drawings. People like them.

This next one is a chimpanzee. I can’t believe I’m trying another drawing on black paper. They become very dark drawings and it actually is very challenging for me personally. I have a short-circuit somewhere when it comes to interpreting the boundaries of dark and light. The last drawing was really hard, but it turned out beautifully. This image has far less color and complexity. The key is mood. I’m trying to depict a mood that will make this Spirit Animal more commanding than what would’ve been expected. I plan on giving a print as a gift for someone’s 80th birthday. I let them know their Spirit Animal was a chimpanzee and they were not excited about it. Some personalities fit so closely with their Spirit Animal, but like mine, others couldn’t be farther from the truth. This one is a fairly good match. I hope I can pull it off…

 

Process:

First, I started with a light outline to work with. The lighting is bad, but the picture gives enough information to see where I start from.

Background will be worked out with pastel and then covered to avoid smudging while working on the animal. The background is usually the last thing to be re-worked and finished.

I am really struggling now. It’s so dark, I keep losing my place. The picture I’m drawing from isn’t a very good one. I’m pretty sure I can get a decent drawing out of this, but nothing close to the last two. Yet, I have surprised myself before…

If you look again, you will see I moved the whole jaw over almost a quarter of an inch. I was going to give up and start over if I couldn’t fix the misalignment of the jaw. It’s really hard to “fix” colored pencil because it is wax based, and you can’t just color over a previously colored area. I may try spraying fixative on the face to see if it helps put some “tooth” back on the drawing surface. Fixative can be tricky. I don’t have much experience with it, so I guess I will have to learn what’s possible. This is where I wish I had gone to art school…

I really tried hard to get this drawing under control. After several hours, this is where I went.

 

I think I am going to be able to save this… A break is needed, then I’ll get back to it.

I am really not happy with this drawing. I still have the snout to color in and the wrinkles around the eyes to finish, but I have lost all enthusiasm. I need COLOR!  I already started my next drawing because this one was so depressing…

 

This is it. I went to the photo guy and had him professionally shoot it and made some prints.

I really am glad I finished this. The above photo is almost the finished product. I did a little more highlighting and touch-up, but want a professional to photograph it before I post the final shot as the feature image.

I have to stop complaining about how hard it is to finish my pieces. Nobody wants to hear that, they just want to see the final product.