Week 25 Prompt: Silke, EM, MP, Monika, Jean

 Some lovely small stuff...

Silke: B-Bee

She enjoyed the Inktober prompts so much Silke has set herself a personal challenge to do regular drawings that illustrate the letters of the alphabet! Done in color pencils this is a sweet little work that fits the category of Small: B is for Bee.

The drawing observes the soft 'fur' texture of the bee well, the reflection in the eye and the collected pollen on the legs. I would suggest that the bee would stand out more from the background if it was a little lighter and smoother, perhaps blended using a blender. Um, one thing... bees have six legs, I only see four! I look forward to seeing more of the 'Alphabet', keep up the good work Silke.

'B is for Bee' by Silke

EM: Not so High Rise

This drawing by EM is one that I am really pleased to see. EM has thought about the prompt and created a work that shows 'Small' in relation to the environment around it. So rather than just drawing something 'small' she has created a scene that tells the story. EM says:

"The first thing I thought off was how old buildings are these days dwarfed by new high rises so I did not necessarily go for a small object but the size difference. "

Created on 110gsm Canson paper with 3B, 6B and Prismacolor pencils this tells a story in a good composition. The darker colors force the small building forward and to our attention. A nice work EM that explores the prompt theme beyond the obvious.
(ps. EM sends kudos to KM who grabbed small stuff right in front of her for her drawing)

'Not so High Rise' by EM

MP: Gumnuts

From little things big things grow... and MP has found these small gumnuts in her local park to draw as her work. She has used Canson 300gsm HP, starting with a HB graphite under drawing, then a wash of Prismacolor pencils in Olive Green and Sunburst Yellow. Also used was Derwent Graphitint Ivy pencil. Finally JM finished the detail in Prismacolor Premier pencils.

A very good drawing MP. Those little nuts are tricky to draw, especially when they overlap but you have done well. The leaves are nicely done also. And the light shadow effect gives a 3D feel to the work. Good job.

'Gumnuts' by MP

Monika: Sharpeners

In her visual diary using 2H, F, 2B, 3B and 4B pencils Monika has created a composition of different angles and shapes formed by two of her old pencil sharpeners. These sharpeners are tricky to draw - they look simple but they have all sorts of strange angles and curves. Monika has observed these shapes well, drawing them about 50% larger than life size. The position of the sharpening hole on the angular one is not quite correct and I find that a little annoying as all the other angles and curves are more accurately drawn. But that being said, this is another clever work demonstrating Small by using everyday objects you find around you.  I hope you have time to finish the work with a bit more shading Monika as it is a good piece. Why not add a bit of curling pencil shaving for added interest?

'Staying sharp' by Monika

Jean: Tiger Blue

Jean has used 300gsm Arches HP paper for this little gem. Beginning with Derwent Sketching (watersoluble) pencils in dark and medium washes for the wings, she then added some Graphitint Dark Indigo to make them tonally darker. I am glad she didn't just add black pencil here as this result has more depth to it in the dark tones as a result of this technique. For the blue markings she has used a mix of Derwent watercolor pencils and Graphitint. For extra highlights a Stabilo Carbethello white pencil with some white gel pen has been used. This mix of pencils has created a shimmering look to the butterfly - you can sense she/he is enjoying the bright sunlight. But as I pointed out to Silke above... where are his six legs? A pretty little drawing, Jean.

'Tiger Blue' by Jean

*A request please! When sending your images to me please make sure they are the right orientation. Usually I can judge and rotate, but it is much easier for me if you send it already rotated. Also, photograph your work in bright light, preferably sunlight if you can. Finally, name your work correctly:
YourName_weekNumber.
Thanks that would be a big help time wise for me!