Week 14: K & Rosalie

 Telling Tales continued...

... beginning with K

I honestly cannot describe how delightful I find this next work. It is both creative and imaginative. When drawing from the imagination you need to draw from memory, to know and understand how things work and are put together. Drawing in this way can be totally realistic, or, as in this case, a flight of fantasy. K's grandson loves dragons and plays the game Dragon Nest. He is fascinated by all the different types and colours and stories of all the dragons. K has drawn this dragon tail and sent it to him for him to draw and complete the body. What a great way to connect with your family during this lockdown.

 Notice how K's knowledge of bird feathers, snake and reptile scales and zebra stripes have all contributed to the creation of this drawing. She has used graphite on Canson 220gsm drawing paper. This is a magical work.

Nana's Dragon Tail by K

Rosalie

Rosalie has sent in the start of a larger work of  some ground parrots she photographed grazing on the grass in Fitzroy gardens.  I think it is an Eastern Rosella...or maybe a male Red Rump, but it is certainly a parrot tail! Once she has completed the rest of the bird we can definitively name it as both those birds have blue/turquoise tails with red on their lower backs. Rosalie has used Fabriano 300gsm hot press and Polychormo colour pencils. It appears Rosalie has also used some indenting techinques to keep her white edges clear. Lots of nice layering techinque used here in the tail and feather work. It is good to see this build up of color used in the tail and feather, it creates lush, deep hues that shine.

Regarding the grass, shapes are good and the use of the yellow brown helps to create depth. As Rosalie will be aware I am a real grump when it comes to using green straight off the pencil for grasses and I prefer to see a build up of colours: yellow>light blue>yellowgreen>red or violets>dark blue> THEN the green pencil. Not saying what Rosalie has done is in any way incorrect, I just personally find the green pencil has more life and depth when you build it up in layers from primary colours. 

This is an engaging drawing of a handsome bird and I hope to see the entire work - I know Rosalie will create something stunning.

A Tail of Many Colours by Rosalie