Art like a Giant Tortoise - Step by Step

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Sunday - 02 January 2022

I’ve gotten into the practice over the past couple of years that when I show up to work on one of my drawings, I’ll put everything else off to the side and put my attention to my project for at least 30 minutes. If I want to do more, that’s always good, but I tell myself to be there for at least the minimum time.

I continued with my ink drawing of a giant tortoise. I was thinking that I’d add some watercolor pencil in to add traces of color and to fill in some darker areas. I may still do that. I got caught up with how can I shade and shadow using a very fine point fountain pen. I played with how I held the pen and how much pressure I used on the paper. Today it was very easy to go past my 30 minutes. It also helped I was listening to Krista Tippett’s On Being podcast with Gordon Hempton, Silence and the Presence of Everything. I highly recommend it.

 

Progress on my pen & ink drawing of a giant tortoise.

Detail on the giant tortoise

 

New Year's Intentions

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Over the past year, I have showed up regularly to share things I’ve been working on to Instagram and Facebook. I thought that this year, I would also share regularly here on my own website. I don’t need to do much, or finish. Rather it’s more important that I arrive and do something. I’ve found that one of the reasons I take on very detailed, complicated projects is for the meditative aspect in working on them.

Saturday - 01 January 2022

I keep a collection of images that I am inspired by and would love to do something with someday. For today’s drawing, I continued a drawing of a giant tortoise that I started a while ago. I love all the textures and am interested in the challenge of how to draw all that using only a fountain pen. I may in the end add some color or ink washes to flood some of the darker spots but for the moment will keep to my fountain pen only.

 

Start of a giant tortoise drawing