Rosé

I’ve seen some work I’ve really liked done on toned tan or toned grey paper.  Basically, it’s just tan (or grey) paper designed for pencil work.  Many artists use graphite or charcoal on this paper to achieve a different look from the same drawing on white paper.  The most striking work I’ve seen has been charcoal and white charcoal (or perhaps black and white colored pencils) on toned tan.  When done right, it can really make a drawing pop!

Rosé is a French bulldog that comes into my grooming shop for baths, nail trims, and overnight boarding.  She’s a well-bred, sweet, energetic little ball of muscle, adorable as all get out!  I had photographed her one day in order to add something a little different to one of the Facebook groups that offers copyright free photos for artists’ use.  When I decided to experiment with toned tan paper, Rosé seemed like a perfect subject!

I’m not much for experimenting in my art, so logic says that I would only try one thing at a time and see how it turns out, right?  Well, apparently not.  Apparently I figured that if I’m trying out one new thing, I’ll just try a bunch at once!

So instead of using a grid with one-inch squares, I used three-inch squares, which requires much greater reliance on freehanding.  I used to freehand everything, so this was not a huge undertaking, but it is a significant diversion from my usual art the last four or five years.

And I may as well use a paper I’ve never used before.  That toned tan is awesome, right?  So I’ve seen a bunch of stuff done on it.  I know what I like.  I’ve seen the videos.  Let’s dive right in!

And charcoal.  Just because I haven’t really used charcoal before is no reason not to use it now, right?  But I didn’t like how it laid down on the paper, so I used graphite, too.  Apparently, you can’t mix charcoal and graphite, though it worked okay for me…

So in the end, I did not achieve the look I was going for, and I see some mistakes in the drawing, and I don’t like how the pencils laid down color on the paper, but I’m still pleased with the piece as a whole.  It was an interesting return to graphite, a medium I haven’t used in a few years.  For a pile of experiments, I’m quite pleased.  I am likely to try again to achieve the effect I’m looking for, perhaps with a different paper.  We’ll see what happens!