I Just landed in Oz
Drawing a Sea Turtle In Colored Pencil
Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions
are available for purchase in my Etys shop at:
No doubt that black in white is cool looking. I love its raw graphic quality. I really enjoy working in black ink, and it will always have a very special spot in my creative thinking. But after over 40 black and white Ink drawings of animals, I feel like my house just crash landed, and I opened the door to tecnocolor in the wonderful Land of OZ! I always loved in the movie "The Wizard of Oz" how the first half was filmed in black and white and appeared so gritty against the ultra colorized second half in Oz. That's how this drawing experience felt to me. Like being unleashed in a world of vivid colors!
Now, this isn't the first time I've created art in color. I've painted in oils, acrylics, and watercolors. I've done pastel drawing, marker drawings, and worked in oil sticks. But for the last year I've solely worked in black ink. So, I thought why not change things up, why not depart from the safety of the norm, why not give color a whirl again. So, I went out and picked up a 72 colored pencil set and took the plunge. I have to say, I enjoyed using them. I haven't really ever done a piece of art in colored pencil before. Though I have a lot of learning and experimenting to do, my first impression was positive. Blending in colored pencil was similar to painting. The soft color lead mixed well, and it felt comfortable to work in. Finding the best paper will be my next challenge. I just worked with what I had around, and I know I can find better paper.
And just for the record, I'm not leaving my black ink behind. I still love black and white and will alternate between them for awhile. But color has definitely got my attention!
The subject matter for this piece was inspired by a beautiful photograph of a Green Sea Turtle by a friend of mine Terence Zahner. Terence and his wife Doris are avid scuba divers. Terence is an advanced underwater photographer who's work is absolutely stunning! You can see more of it and even purchase prints in his Etsy shop Zahner Photo. He's always been so gracious to me by offering his photos for reference for my drawings. Thanks Terence for your willingness to lend your amazing photographs to me. I truly appreciate it.
Terence and Doris Zahner doing what they both do best
And a rare shot of them above water!
The inspiration for my drawing. Terence's beautiful picture
Here are some photos taken during my drawing process
Here are a few details
Here's the finished drawing
Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available
for purchase in my Etys shop at:
