Took a While Crocodile

Drawing a Crocodile

Prints, posters, stationery cards, and signed fine art reproductions  

are available for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Crocodile. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

Ok, I have to say, this one took longer than I expected. This Crocodile took a while! I probably put 20-25 hours of time into drawing this piece. Not that there is anything wrong with this. I love working on a single piece of art for an extended period of time. Actually, the longer the better, because I get to experience a kind of evolutionary process as the drawing progresses, and this is when I feel I get the chance to improve and learn more. Now, I don't consider myself a photo realistic artist in the least bit. I know people that can make art that you can't even tell isn't a photograph. That is a talent I just don't posses, and am not going to strive for, but what I do like is detail, and most of all I like creating patterns. Finding different patterns that somehow represent the texture and feel of the creature I am drawing, is what I love most. And repeating those patterns throughout a piece of art is where I find true happiness in making art. I never get frustrated, bored, or anxious from repetitive actions. It's more of a mediating experience that makes me very relaxed while I'm doing it. Even to the point where I can concentrate on something else, like watching TV while drawing. 

My drawing surface of choice. A self-healing cutting mat

I've tried many surfaces to draw on, from wood, to illustration board, but my preferred surface for pen work is a self-healthing cutting mat. They come in many sizes, and I find that this surface is ideal for the pressures that my pen demands. It isn't too hard or soft, but just right. This is totally a personal preference and may not work for others.

For those who might be interested, here is how I approach creating one of my drawings. Once I've come up with the animal that I'm going to draw I do quick sketches to work out the composition. After settling on the composition I do a ruff initial light sketch, in pen, on paper. I move onto what I call, "skinning the animal", by adding in the textures and patterns of the surface. This is were I get my real enjoyment. Exploring different patterns that describe the surface of the particular animal. And then I'm off to the races, at turtle speed that is, slowly constructing the animal usually from the eye out. I love starting with the eyes. One thing I will tell you about drawing with a ball point pen is that it is amazing how temperature effects the ink flow. The warmer it is, the quicker the ink comes out of the pen. When it flows fast it builds up on the pen tip and then makes blotches on the paper. So to avoid this I have a napkin in my other hand and constantly wipe the pen tip. Sometimes wiping after every 3rd or 4th line. It has become second nature to me, so it doesn't effect my drawing freedom at all, but it is something that you have to get use to. I love piecing together the patterns and working out how the scales interact with each other. Drawing one scale at a time before moving onto the next. Finally after the underlining pattern is done, I shade over the patterns to create the form, structure, and shape of the creature. Once the complete drawing is finished I do more shading to add drama. And last I black in the background with layers of india ink. ProArt is my india ink of choice since it is very opaque and covers well. If you have any other questions about my drawing techniques, please don't hesitate to write and ask me. And please forgive me for my bad grammar and misspellings. I'm NO editor, just a guy that loves to draw!

Reptiles have to be some of my favorite animals to draw. The incredible detail in their scaly skin is just cake to me! And Crocodiles are basically the coolest of the cool when it comes to reptiles. Bad to the bone!

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

The light underlying drawing 

The detail work begins

Here you can see my drawing surface and work space

Watching TV while drawing. The World Cup!

Close up detail of the eye

The finished drawing

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Lobster Tales

Drawing a Spiny Lobster

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

Spiny Lobster. 11x17" Ballpoint Pen and Ink wash

I'll never forget the first time I went scuba diving into the Atlantic Ocean on a mission to catch a lobster. Not a warm water spiny lobster like the one is this drawing, but a Maine lobster with BIG Scary Claws! (that drawing is still to come) That was the prize worth more than gold to the hardcore divers that my brother Tony and I would venture 2 hours out into the ocean in search of. Leaving before sunrise and on a small dive boat crammed full of divers and their equipment "Lobster tales" was all the divers could talk about. 8 pound, 10 pound monsters they had caught on previous dives. I was only 17 and had no idea what to expect on my first open water dive into the cold, dark murky waters of the Mid-Atlantic ocean off the coast of Maryland. When the captain finally anchored on the shipwreck, which was a 500 foot cargo ship called the Washingtonian which rested in 100 feet of water and sank in 10 minutes after it collided with another ship, I couldn't wait to get in the water.

SS Washingtonian before it sunk. My first shipwreck dive

This wasn't glamor scuba diving in in the least. No clear, calm, warm waters, this was "mud diving" as they called it. Deep, dark, cold and strong currents that you would have to hang onto the wreck not to get swept away in. And all while surrounded by mangled, sharp, rusty metal of a shipwreck covered in fishing line that was invisible to see and would catch you like a spiderweb in a second. To me is was as if I was an astronaut going into sumerged haunted world. The two coolest things ever. Being able to venture into a creepy alien world where all you could sometimes see was what your flashlight illuminated a few feet in front of you. It was too cool to be true!

The entry from my dive log book from 1984

Here's what I wrote in the entry from my dive Log book. "As Tony and I dropped down the anchor line the vis dropped from 40 feet to 10. The wreck was full of life. The ship was broken up and pipes were everywhere. I looked over to Tony and to my surprise he had his weight belt in his hand. I helped him with it back on and we started across the wreck. The ship was a 500 foot freighter, so I knew we wouldn't see it all. Suddenly we say another diver appear through the silt. He was caring a 13 1/2 pound lobster and heading for the anchor line to go back up to the boat! Then we started to look but found nothing. Lots of fish but no bugs. The ship was covered with fishing line and we had to get tangled in it. Tony cut us free. We surfaced only to see the others prizes and us empty handed. It was a blast! The ocean was no quarry.

Me off the coast of Maryland 1984

Now about my Spiny Lobster. Also know as Rock Lobsters, Spiny Lobster are found in almost all the warm seas of the world. They live in crevices of rocks and coral reefs and only occasionally venture out of their holes in search of food. They produce a rasping sound that repels predators by rubbing the base of their antennae against a smooth part of their exoskeleton to create frictional vibrations. Fossils of Spiny Lobsters have been found that date back 110 million years. 

Diving off the Florida Keys

Picture of me Wreck diving in Micronesa

Airplane wreck in Micronesia

My brother and dive buddy Tony

Me and Tony from my log book 1984

Here are some photos taken during my drawing process

Prints, posters and signed fine art reproductions are available 

for purchase in my Etys shop at: 

 www.etsy.com/shop/TimJeffsArt

American Alligator Pen and Ink Wash

"Intricate Faces"

11x17" on paper

Here's the Third pen & ink drawing in my "intricate faces" series of an American Alligator.  Below are two details. This piece is 11x17", mixed ink on paper. Thanks for looking. I just got back from Costa Rica last week, so my next subject will be from that country. Such an amazing place to explore.

Detail of face

Detail of eye