Linda Weil
www.users.bigpond.net.au/lindaweil/

Quote i dont draw many furry animals because they are made up of the one thing i dont like drawing the most----HAIR but its helping me build discipline...

...does that mean you're going to finish it!

We're getting tired feet standing around in hope...

MIKE

www.SibleyFineArt.com
www.Starving-Artists.net

Quote ....the only way i can describe my blending is to picture someone working REALLY hard on a sand castle....then taking a shovel to it .....

I think you neice will be delighted ! You've really catptured the mean look of this Lynx.

I love the blending techniwque description!!! but.......

Question: Why blend at all? I can't see why this drawing should come within twenty feet of a blender. I don't know what texture the hair of a Lynx has but I'm guessing it's like a Tabby cat? This means sharp definition on hair-like marks with hairs having dark tips. Having drawn the hairs.... why blend? Personally, I very rarely blend anything wearing a fur coat. If you really want to soften the appearance I suggest that you "blend" by adding an overall layer of 2H or 4H to knock the highlights out and narrow the tonal range. This way you soften and maintain the sharpness.

MIKE

www.SibleyFineArt.com
www.Starving-Artists.net

MIKE...im glad to hear that about blending ,you couldnt imagine how hard ive tried to blend and keep control at the same time,ive tried everything,almost a zillion hours of experimenting and the only thing that i can control is a hard pencil for light areas,its how i do all of my skin and lighter stuff,,,cause one thing ive noticed is there is practically nothing there sometimes,,,but its still slightly darker then the highlight in the eye,with a kimberly 2h i can make learge light areas with less inconsistances then with a blender, but it takes much longer ,on my site you can see where i attemted to blend the second face after shading it...its the only one that looks too dark(short black hair Audrey),like she has a tacky sunburn..i didnt notice that right away,..but it seems like blending fills in the pours of the paper making it scan darker too. the rest of them are all just pencil point.i love the blended looks ive seen but i just dont have the magic touch.

Quote ...im glad to hear that about blending ,you couldn't imagine how hard ive tried to blend and keep control at the same time..... i can control is a hard pencil for light areas,its how i do all of my skin and lighter stuff........ with a kimberly 2h i can make large light areas with less inconsistencies then with a blender, but it takes much longer....... i love the blended looks ive seen but i just dont have the magic touch.

Blending is something I very rarely use except perhaps for a graduated background or to add tone in a small remarque.

It's "horses for courses" I think. It seems to be a technique used extensively in portraiture but I never even considered it as a technique having any importance until recently. Why? Because it's just not required when drawing hair - a subject revolving around sharpness and clarity. Any "blending" for softness is, as I've said, best carried out by narrowing the tonal range and gently feathering edges with a top layer of 2H or 4H, which subdues the highlights but maintains the detail.

This is a very long way round of saying - don't think blending is obligatory! If it's required then use it. But in most cases it's use will just muddy the drawing.

I usually work using the same method as you do - building up tone with 2H and then - only if required - lightly blending with a tissue wrapped around my finger.

MIKE

www.SibleyFineArt.com
www.Starving-Artists.net

Quote Blending is something I very rarely use except perhaps for a graduated background or to add tone in a small remarque....This is a very long way round of saying - don't think blending is obligatory! If it's required then use it. But in most cases it's use will just muddy the drawing....

I agree with you Mike! Blending is something that I have found hard to control, and often I end up with dirty looking drawings if I get carried away with the blending sticks.

Mind you, I have not tried your tissue paper trick, nor the chamois that many of the forum artists seem to think highly of and use so well. I may have to do a bit of experimenting in the future, but not on my current drawing - a very hairy old man koala.

Anyway, I have so much fun with using lines; fine ones, thick ones, short sharp ones, different direction ones, hairy ones, and so on and so on, that I don't know if I can fit too much blending in!

The Lynx is looking really good. I like the way the dark background really throws him out of the page.

Happy drawin' all....

Linda Weil
www.users.bigpond.net.au/lindaweil/