Railroad Drawing

[darco813]

Ok so since I'm new here, I figure I'll post all the updates of this drawing from other sites I have been using. This is a drawing done with graphite pencil. I'm in college and between that and homework I really don't get much time to work on it as I would like. However, it is summer break so I should be getting it done more quickly. My goal is to make this the most realistic drawing that I have done so far and the most accurately detailed. I love the details and adding every last bit is what I love to do most! The scanner settings are at 300dpi. I can set them higher but it takes way too long to scan. Any advice on getting better quality scans? The shadows in person look smooth, not gritty as they do in these scans. So, here is my progress of steam locomotive 7470 at North Conway New Hampshire.

[Toronto Muralists]

Wow that looks really good, it was very entertaining seeing the progression

[darco813]

Thank you! I still have a lot to do but the locomotive being done means the rest of it should go by pretty quickly

[darco813]

About a days more worth of work. Just taking my time on it and working in my free time.



Btw, can anyone give me some pointers on making my scans appear less gritty? I am always disappointed with how the image looks after the scan because it is not nearly as blurry or gritty in real life. I have an Epson NX100 scanner and this was 400dpi. Any pointers would be great.

[jenn_iam]

This looks really good... I am excited to see the whole peice unfold.

Scanning will always pick up some grit , to where you will need to do a little clean up in a photo editor unfortunately. Try cleaning the glass, and making sure any graphite smudging is a s clear as possible to help reduce it. Online in the above pics, the locomotive looks good, its the negative space around it that appears to have unwanted grit, shadowing.

[darco813]

Yeah, the negative space does but I'm not too worried since it will be completely filled in when it's done. I'll have to try some photo editors, thanks for the tips!

[Singular]

I agree with everything Jenn mentioned. The drawing itself looks fantastic so far.

all the best,
Joe

[darco813]

Ok, so here it is as of last night.

[jenn_iam]

that is wonderful!!! Very good work... keep it up.. its looking fantastic...

[darco813]

Thank you Jen! It is that kind of feedback that makes all this work worth it

[darco813]

Here is another few hours of work from the previous update. Getting closer to the end is so very hard to watch! I would love it to just be done. A few things I have to work on are the tracks. The ties need slight tweaking on the shading. But it's the grass that is really making me feel uneasy. It will take a few more erasers and layers before it looks the way I want it to. Any advice in grass?

[darco813]

Only a few short hours away from completion.

[Singular]

Looks fantastic. The detail is amazing. I think the grass is perfect so far.

[jenn_iam]

you have done an amazing job on this... well done.

[darco813]

Thank you! Tonight I will be posting the completed version of it. Just finished it this morning and will be selling copies at a tourist railroad in NH this weekend! I also took a video of myself drawing the sky and will post a speed drawing of that.

[jenn_iam]

That is Awesome! You should be proud of your accomplishment...

[darco813]

Thank you for the kind comments Jen! I appreciate it! It is finally DONE and boy does it feel good. It took me seven months spread between college classes (and homework), work and regular house stuff. I don't know how many hours I've invested into this piece but I know for sure it is A LOT. I will also include the link to the youtube video I made of me speed drawing the clouds. Hope you all enjoy and thanks for all the support you've given me throughout this entire process!

Here's the link to the video if anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fskElnlQxaM