Bird of Prey

[painterx@hotmail.com]

"Bird of Prey" 12x14, conte pencil on toned paper.

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[Singular]

Really nice work, Joseph.

[painterx@hotmail.com]

Thank-you very much. Needles to say I was quite pleased with how it turned out. The abstract nature of the feathers was an unanticipated result which took me by surprise.

[www-ksart-se]

I wouldn't want to be the prey that the birds eyes are locked on.

beautiful.

[CarlOwen]

Thanks for the comment about being surprised. When such a thing occurs in my paintings I am pleasantly surprised and try to hold onto that serendipity. Very nice drawing. Question or two. How often do you sharpen the pencil? How do you sharpen the pencil? How do you keep the pencil lead from breaking when sharpening? What brand of pencil do you use? Well, that was four questions. For now. Have a pleasant day.

[painterx@hotmail.com]

Thanks Carl,

For this I used Conte pencils, the colors 'espresso' and 'white' (Prismacolor Color Premier) . I have about three of each color and was constantly sharpening them. I pretty much went through two of the espresso colored pencils and one white. I have used nearly every type of sharpening process imaginable over the years and that which satisfies me the most are simply the old hand cranked sharpeners we had in school. I have a Bostitch attached to the wall in my utility room. I hate the electric sharpeners, with a passion. Using a exacto knife for a long point has it's advantages, but can be time consuming and will it require one to hone that particular skill. All pencil work requires patience and a lot of pencils to achieve a high degree of execution. I probably have 300 or more pencils in my studio.

You can read the thoughts of the superb graphite artist Allen Williams on his website's FAQ page concerning the materials he uses.

http://www.allenwilliamsstudio.com/faq

[CarlOwen]

Thanks for the info and the link. I use the exacto knife. You are right about having to develop a skill with it. I also go through more pencils than I do the tubes of titanium white. I will look into the hand crank sharpeners. Never thought about that. Thanks.

[Evielondon]

Those feathers are beautifully dont

[Evielondon]

sorry ....done

[Pooch]

No reason to expect any fury to be brought down on this piece. It's beautiful.

[painterx@hotmail.com]

Thanks, Pooch.